title: Structural characterization of blood group A glycosphingolipids recognized by the antibody 3G9-A.
abstract: In this study, the antibody 3G9-A was assayed for activity against human erythrocyte glycosphingolipids. The antibody was found to recognize glycosphingolipid components from blood group A erythrocytes but not glycosphingolipids from blood group B or O erythrocytes. Subsequent investigation revealed that the glycosphingolipid components recognized by the antibody were also recognized by a blood group A specific monoclonal antibody. The structures of two of the isolated active glycosphingolipid components were structurally characterized using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques and were found to consist of two blood group A glycosphingolipids; the type 2 chain Ab and type 3 chain Aa glycosphingolipids. Subsequent analysis of the remaining active components by GC-MS and immunostaining techniques revealed that all of the active components were blood group A glycosphingolipids. Furthermore, structural studies of the active components suggested that the epitope of the antibody consisted of the group A trisaccharide, GalNAc alpha 1,3(Fuc alpha 1,2)Gal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, San Francisco State University, CA 94132, USA.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Briggs
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mandrell
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Macher
mesh_terms: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000276:immunology; D006028:Glycosphingolipids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000276:immunology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data
chemical_list: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D006028:Glycosphingolipids; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; C023023:lipid-linked oligosaccharides