Immunocytochemical approach to the structure of human blood group B and H glycoconjugate antigens in the three days old rat cochlea.
The possible structure of human blood-group antigens, as found in cochlear hair cells of 3-day-old rats, is suggested. Data were obtained from immunocytochemical studies using 77 antibodies against the major human blood group antigens of the ABO, H, I and Lewis genetic systems. Neither the anti-A-related nor the anti-Lewis-related antibodies showed any positive immunoreaction on hair cells. In contrast, anti-B, anti-AB and anti-H antibodies displayed specific positive immunoreactive patterns on the hair cells. The results suggest that, in immature hair cells, two main glycoconjugate structures of the lactoseries are present: H type 2 antigen, which is the precursor of the B type 2 antigen, and the B type 2 antigen itself. Similar H and B carbohydrate structures have been reported in rat olfactory receptors. The type 2 glycoconjugates carrying these H and B antigens of auditive and olfactory receptors are resistant to fixation and paraffin embedding, suggesting that they might be glycoproteins. These auditive and olfactory H and B antigens must be different from the B-related antigens that are expressed by pseudo-unipolar neurons of rat posterior root ganglia, that are built from type 4 core chains, and that are destroyed by routine paraffin embedding procedures.
Remezal
M
M
Departamento de Ciencias Morfologicas, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
Gil-Loyzaga
P
P
Mollicone
R
R
Oriol
R
R
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D003051:Cochlea / Q000276:immunology*; D004187:Disaccharides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D006198:Hair Cells, Auditory / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D004187:Disaccharides