title: Relationship of the human erythrocyte Wrb antigen to an interaction between glycophorin A and band 3.
abstract: The Wrb antigen is a high-frequency human erythrocyte antigen invariably absent from En (a-) erythrocytes, which lack glycophorin A. However, glycophorin A from En (a+) Wr (a+b-) red cells has an amino acid sequence identical to that of glycophorin A from Wr (b+) erythrocytes. Evidence has suggested that the Wrb antigen may require the interaction of glycophorin A with either a lipid moiety or with another erythrocyte-integral membrane protein, band 3. We have investigated the role of band 3 in Wrb expression using murine monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) with Wrb specificity. These antibodies reacted by radioimmunoassay (RIA) only with cells expressing both glycophorin A and band 3. In immunoprecipitation studies, Wrb antibodies immunoprecipitated both band 3 and glycophorin A, while antibodies specific for band 3 or glycophorin precipitated only the protein with which they were reactive. These data strongly suggest that band 3 is the other membrane component necessary for expression of Wrb and that band 3 and glycophorin A are closely associated in the erythrocyte membrane.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Telen
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Chasis
mesh_terms: D001457:Anion Exchange Protein 1, Erythrocyte / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D001789:Blood Group Antigens / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004907:Erythrocyte Deformability / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D006021:Glycophorins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D004915:Leukemia, Erythroblastic, Acute / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001457:Anion Exchange Protein 1, Erythrocyte; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001789:Blood Group Antigens; D006021:Glycophorins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins