Interaction of the natural anti-Gal antibody with alpha-galactosyl epitopes: a major obstacle for xenotransplantation in humans.
Cells of nonprimate mammals express an abundance of the carbohydrate structure Gal alpha 1-3 Gal beta 1-4 GlcNac-R (termed the alpha-galactosyl epitope). The natural anti-Gal antibody, which interacts specifically with alpha-galactosyl epitopes, is present in high concentrations in all humans. Here, Uri Galili argues that the interaction between anti-Gal in the serum and alpha-galactosyl epitopes on cells of nonprimate grafts may act as an immunological barrier which prevents xenotransplantation.
Galili
U
U
Dept of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19129.
D000818:Animals; D000920:Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity; D000937:Antigen-Antibody Reactions; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D000939:Epitopes / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous / Q000276:immunology*; D014312:Trisaccharides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
D000939:Epitopes; D014312:Trisaccharides; C076569:alpha-galactosyl epitope