Surface decoration of red blood cells with maleimidophenyl-polyethylene glycol facilitated by thiolation with iminothiolane: an approach to mask A, B, and D antigens to generate universal red blood cells.
BACKGROUND
The surface decoration of red blood cells (RBCs) by polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains has been an approach developed to camouflage the blood group antigens from their antibodies. A PEGylation protocol, however, that can mask the antigens appropriately to inhibit the agglutination of RBCs with the respective antibodies is not available so far.


METHODS
A new approach for PEGylation of RBC membrane proteins has been designed with thiolation-mediated maleimide chemistry. The accessibility of the surface lysine residues of membrane proteins to bulky PEG reagents was increased by linking an extension arm carrying a thiol group.


RESULTS
RBCs have been PEGylated by thiolation-mediated chemistry with maleimidophenyl-PEG (Mal-Phe-PEG) reagents of different chain lengths. Mal-Phe-PEG-5000 chains alone masked the most important antigens of the Rh system (C, c, E, e, and D) from their antibodies. The masking of the A and B antigens needed a combination of Mal-Phe-PEG-5000 and Mal-Phe-PEG-20000 chains to inhibit the agglutination of RBCs completely with anti-A or anti-B.


CONCLUSIONS
Thiolation-mediated PEGylation of RBCs with Mal-Phe-PEG-5000 and Mal-Phe-PEG-20000 converts Group A Rh(D)+ and B Rh(D)+ RBCs into RBCs with serologic behavior comparable to Group O Rh(D)- RBCs that are considered as universal RBCs for transfusion.
Nacharaju
Parimala
P
Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, USA.
Boctor
Fouad N
FN
Manjula
Belur N
BN
Acharya
Seetharama A
SA
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System / Q000276:immunology*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000094902:Blood Banking / Q000379:methods*; D000939:Epitopes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008301:Maleimides; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry; D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System / Q000276:immunology*; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D000939:Epitopes; D008301:Maleimides; D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System; C026410:Rho(D) antigen; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols