Level of the A, B and H blood group glycosyltransferases in red cell membranes from patients with malignant hemopathies.
Eight patients (4 suffering from acute myeloid leukemia) exhibiting a loss of ABO red cell antigens, as seen by a mixed-field reaction pattern in agglutination tests, were selected and examined for the level of the A, -B, -H blood group glycosyltransferases within membranes prepared from erythrocyte subpopulations (A or B positive and A or B negative red cells). A or B enzyme activities were largely decreased in membranes which had lost A or B antigens (A or B negative subpopulations) but were within normal level in membrane from cells which had not lost A or B antigens (A or B positive subpopulations). The H enzyme level which was frequently low in the serum was within normal limits in the membrane preparations examined. Since A or B negative subpopulations were normally glycosylated in vitro into A or B reactive structures, the results demonstrate that loss of A or B antigens is related to some alteration of the blood group gene products rather than to significant abnormalities of the membrane precursors.
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000201:enzymology*; D005964:Glucosyltransferases / Q000097:blood*; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000201:enzymology*; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000201:enzymology
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D005964:Glucosyltransferases