Search

The ABO group, Lewis type and secretor status were determined in 546 normal individuals (241 male, 305 female). Their serum was tested at 4 degrees C for agglutination of group O red blood cells; the antibody was presumed to be auto-anti-I; the results were expressed as a score. Among non-A female donors, the score was higher for secretors than nonsecretors (p less than 0.05). Among non-A secretors of both sexes, female donors had a higher score than male donors (p less than 0.05). These results suggest that the level of anti-I in the serum of normal individuals may be affected by the donor's ABO group, secretor status and sex.

Using the indirect immunoperoxidase technique (PAP method), A, B, and H antigens were identified on formaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded kidney tissue from 100 autopsies. Comparison with the serologic findings showed all our blood group determinations to be correct. The labeling of the collecting tubules was evaluated as characteristic of the secretor. The secretor status determined according to this parameter was unequivocally confirmed by the Lewis constellation in 78 of 82 cases; group Le(a-b-) could be differentiated with immunohistochemical methods in secretors and nonsecretors. Determination of ABO blood groups and secretion behavior with immunohistochemical methods was correct even in those cases where classic serology failed due to hemolysis and decomposition. Immunohistologic results obtained with monoclonal antibodies were better than those obtained with human sera.

In order to improve the accuracy and prognostic value of ABH blood group antigen loss in urothelial tumors, the effect of Lewis blood type and methodologic factors on detectability and distribution of blood group antigen A in human formalin-fixed, paraplast-embedded urothelium and endothelium was investigated by means of the Tween 20-modified indirect immunoperoxidase staining technique. Urothelium of Lea-b+ and Lea-b- individuals expressed significant higher amounts of blood group antigen A compared to urothelium of Lea+b- individuals. The expression on endothelial cells was related to vessel type and size, but not related to Lewis types. Compared to human anti-A, monoclonal anti-A demonstrated blood group antigen A with higher sensitivity and, due to reduced background staining, higher specificity. Consequently monoclonal anti-A detected blood group antigen A in the urothelium of Lea+b- individuals where human anti-A failed to stain, and different staining patterns became apparent. Both a two- to fourfold variation in the proportion between tissue section area and volume, and the volume of anti-A applied induced minor changes in sensitivity and specificity. The monoclonal anti-A method and knowledge about erythrocyte Lewis types might prove valuable in evaluating changes in blood group antigen-A expression in urothelial tumors.

The recent literature on the technologic and clinical progress being made in renal transplantation has not emphasized applicable advances in blood group serology. Accumulated data on the Lewis blood group system, however, seem to implicate Lewis incompatibilities between kidney donors and recipients as contributing factors in allograft rejection. Lewis antigens may be capable of inciting both cell-mediated and humoral immune responses of a cytotoxic nature, and such antigens are expressed on cell surfaces of the renal parenchyma in Lewis-positive persons. Hence, this serologically defined system could be the source of diminished allograft survival in recipients who are mismatched with their organ donors for Lewis antigens, despite compatibility within other histocompatibility antigen systems. This premise is still open to question, and future, controlled, clinical studies will be necessary to establish a definite role for the Lewis antigen system in renal transplant rejection.

Immunocytochemical studies were performed on tracheal wall samples embedded in paraffin; the samples were taken at 23 autopsies. In all cases, the red cells had been typed in postmortem serological studies as being Le(a-b-). Blood-group antigens were demonstrated by the indirect immunoperoxidase technique, using monoclonal Anti-A, Anti-B, Anti-Lea and Anti-Leb; H was detected by UEA 1. The secretor characteristics could clearly be diagnosed from the ABH staining pattern of the mucous glands. In 11 cases, the lewis antigen labeling patterns were identical to the group of Lewis-positive individuals. It seems probable, from the statistical point of view, that these 11 individuals were, in fact, Lewis-positive and that the negative serology resulted from deterioration of the cadaver blood samples. The immunocytochemistry was quite different in the remaining 12 cases: (a) secretors (n = 9) were completely negative for Lea, Leb was equally negative in one case, but in the remainder it was detectable within mucous epithelia in minimal amounts and in an atypical granular distribution; (b) nonsecretors (n = 3) reversely exhibited complete negativity for Leb but a minimal staining for Lea. These findings are in harmony with the well established Lewis serology typing of secretions in Lewis negative individuals. Thus, a minimal Lewis antigen biosynthesis and secretion seem to occur in the absence of the Le gene: A alpha-4-L-fucosyltransferase of low activity might be the product of the allele le.

Variations of lactose and oligosaccharides in human milk were studied over a 3-month lactation period by dialysis, chromatography on Bio-gel P-2 column, paper chromatography, colorimetric analysis and gas chromatography. Milk samples were collected from donors of various blood and secretor types. An increase in the concentration of lactose was noted: 59.25 +/- 1.61 to 72.17 +/- 1.35 g/l for the group of secretor A secretor Lea Leb individuals, and from 62.25 +/- 1.35 to 73.15 +/- 3.45 g/l for the group of secretor H secretor Lea Leb individuals. A decrease in the concentration of oligosaccharides was also found: from 16.71 +/- 0.99 to 7.90 +/- 1.29 g/l and from 18.51 +/- 0.74 to 7.33 +/- 0.65 g/l, respectively, for these same groups. In secretor H nonsecretor Lewis individuals, the concentration of lactose increased from 67.97 +/- 3.09 to 77.42 +/- 1.88 g/l, and the concentration of oligosaccharides decreased from 13.27 +/- 0.40 to 3.47 +/- 0.33 g/l. Analysis of oligosaccharide composition by chromatography showed that variations are in relation to the secretor Lewis type. All oligosaccharides decreased equally throughout the lactation period, regardless of the blood group. The decrease was more rapid, however, in the nonsecretor Lewis individuals. In these individuals, the absence of certain oligosaccharides is not compensated by an overproduction of the other oligosaccharides present or by biosynthesis of structurally different oligosaccharides. The origin of these oligosaccharides is discussed.

Manic depressive psychosis (P.M.D.) is the most "Biological" psychiatric disease and the one whose treatment is the most satisfactory since Lithium is used. The aim of the study is: to check P. Grof (18) hypotheses which postulated that M. erythrocyte phenotype is a positive predictive factor to Lithium in the P.M.D. therapy, and to complete by a similar study in the Lewis group according to the hypothesis of J. L. Prunet, E. Rincent and J. G. Pascalis (37) in a previous study. It is a retrospective and longitudinal study on thirty one Lithium treatment M.D.P. patients. Lithium response is evaluated with objective and quantitative parameters which give us the ability to evaluate chimoprophylaxy and the treatment of M.D.P. accesses. In the MNSs system the statistical analysis of these results show us that none of these phenotypes can be considered as a predictive factor of the Lithium response. In the Lewis system there is no efficacy predictive factor of the chemoprophylaxis. On the other hand Le (a- b+) phenotype would have a wase response to the accesses curative treatment by Lithium. Nevertheless, we have to temper this last hypothesis because the repartition of Lewis phenotype is our group of patient, was significantly different that these of the general population.

Antigens A, B, H, Lea, and Leb were demonstrated in the tracheal glands of 15 Lewis-positive secretors and 15 nonsecretors by the indirect immunoperoxidase technique. The detection of group-specific ABH antigens in mucous epithelium and intraductal secretory fluid was dependent on the secretor character. Whereas determination of secretor character was sometimes unreliable with anti-A and anti-B, the findings obtained by additional labeling with UEA1 were consistently correct. The secretors showed minimal gland labeling with anti-Lea and intensive labeling with anti-Leb; the nonsecretors, intensive Lea labeling and weaker or absent Leb labeling. Consequently, the determination of secretor character by ABH labeling could be verified by the behavior of the Lewis antigens. Since both morphologic structures and epithelial antigens are highly resistant to putrefaction, ABO and secretor character can also be diagnosed in badly decomposed tracheal wall specimens.

The linkage between the dominantly inherited Dystrophia myotonica and ABH-Secretor locus is well known. It has been used as a genetic marker for the early detection of heterozygous patients. Genetic counselling, however, requires exact knowledge of the gene combination. 25 persons from a special ambulance, patients and their advice seeking relatives, were examined for ABH, Lewis, Kidd, and Lutheran blood groups. Secretor test was performed from saliva. In 42% of the patients the combination of Dystrophia myotonica to the (Se) or (se) allele could not be exactly determined, nor in any of their relatives because the number of family members available for analysis was insufficient. Therefore this genetic marker is considered to be of limited practical importance for genetic counselling despite of its high theoretical value. The occurrence of lewis-b-antigen in the saliva of 3 nonsecretor patients cannot be explained yet.

The cause of the renal failure that occurs in approximately 20 percent of patients following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation is poorly understood. A patient is described in whom acute renal failure occurred one week after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. The onset of the renal failure was associated with the demonstration of anti-Lewis antibodies in the patient's serum, which could only have been derived from donor lymphocytes. Recovery of renal function coincided with the disappearance of the Lewis antibody. It is postulated that Lewis incompatibility between graft and host tissue may have contributed to the renal failure in this patient and that incompatibility associated with determinants present on renal cells may account for other instances of acute renal failure following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

The activities of A, B and H in serous cells (S-cells), mucous cells (M-cells) and excretory duct cells were examined in a large number of paraffin sections of three major salivary glands obtained from 91 corpses, using the immunofluorescence technique. The results are: By taking H activity in S-cells of the submandibular gland or A, B and H activity in M-cells of the sublingual gland as an indicator, the salivary glands were classified as Type I showing activity and Type II showing no activity. No glands corresponding to the intermediate type, as seen in the case of saliva, were noted at all. Among 91 corpses, 70 cases were classified as Type I and 21 as Type II. The results matched well with those of Lewis type tested on blood. The frequencies of the typing (Type I; 76.9%, Type II; 23.1%) were approximately in concordance with those of secretor and nonsecretor in Japanese saliva. From these results, it was assessed that the former corresponded to the secretor type in the case of saliva, and the latter to the nonsecretor type. Even in the same individual, both S-cells and M-cells exhibited different productivities of substances, depending on the glands to which they belonged. Namely, only S-cells in the submandibular gland belonging to Type I showed only H activity independent of the blood group of the individual, but the other S-cells in the other major glands did not show any activity for A, B and H. M-cells exhibited strong activity for H and/or A and/or B in the sublingual and submandibular gland and belonged to Type I, but little activity in the sublingual gland belonged to Type II. In the submandibular gland of Type II, some M-cells showed activity and others did not. On the basis of the above results, we discuss the applicability of the present genetic theory concerning the secretor and nonsecretor type in saliva to salivary glands and cells, and further refer to the reasons for appearance of the weak secretor type or intermediate type in saliva.

The localization of ABH and Lewis antigens was examined in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded human tracheal and epiglottic glands using monoclonal anti A, B, H, Lea and Leb antibodies. The mucous cells of the glands showed reactivity with antibodies corresponding to the respective ABO blood groups of the tissue donors. The mucous cells from one blood group A, Le(a-b-) individual showed no reactivity with any antibodies and those from another blood group A, Le(a-b-) individual showed reactivity only with anti A antibody. In individuals from blood group Le(a + b-) of all ABO groups, the mucous cells reacted exclusively with anti Lea. In blood group O, Le(a-b+) individuals, the mucous cells showed intense reaction with anti H and Leb antibodies and weak to moderate reactivity with anti Lea. In Le(a-b+) individuals of A1, B and A1B blood groups, the mucous cells showed strong reactivity with anti A and/or B antibodies, moderate with anti Leb, weak or no activity with anti Lea and absent with anti H. In blood group A2 Le(a-b+) individuals, the mucous cells stained with anti A were weakly stained or completely unstained with anti H antibody, but cells negative with anti A gave strong positive reactions with anti H antibody.

Using a panel of reagents specific to the various subtypes of ABH antigens, it could be demonstrated that platelets carry ABH type 2 monofucosylated determinants on intrinsic glycoproteins. The presence of these antigens is controlled by the H gene and correlates with the presence of alpha-2-L-fucosyltransferase and the absence of alpha-3-L-fucosyltransferase. In contrast, intrinsic ABH antigens were not found on mononuclear cells, correlating with the absence of alpha-2-L-fucosyltransferase on these cells. However, after transformation with the Epstein-Barr virus and stimulation with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-O-acetate (TPA), B lymphocytes were found to express the H antigen under control of the H gene and not the Se gene. The lymphoblastoid cell lines also expressed the X and sialylated X antigens which are normally markers of the myeloid lineage. These antigens are also normally found in epithelial cells of the digestive tract, kidney proximal convoluted tubules and hepatocytes. The alpha-3-L-fucosyltransferase responsible for the synthesis of this antigen is present in the serum but we report the existence of two individuals, a mother and her daughter, who lack more than 90% of this serum enzyme. The young girl suffers from a congenital kidney anomaly: oligomeganephronic hypoplasia. Her kidney tubules are devoid of X antigen. However, she and her mother have the X antigen on their granulocytes and its sialylated form on their monocytes. It therefore appears that there are distinct genetic controls for the expression of antigen X in different body compartments. This would be quite similar to the H and Se gene controls in tissues of distinct embryological origins.

The research of distribution of blood group ABO, Rhesus, Lewis, Secretor, C5+-component of choline esterase and the ability to taste PTC among Moscow population patients suffering from duodenal ulcer is carried out in comparison with the control. Statistically authentic association of the disease with 0(I) blood group, unsecretor and the association of joint signs (coefficients of association are 1.32, 2.17 and 2.62 respectively) is found. Authenticity of relation with disease is not proved during the investigation of other signs. The values of risk to fall ill for the patients possessing and not possessing the signs of duodenal ulcer are obtained (concerning separate factors and joint factors). It is established that the combination of 0(I) blood group and unsecretor increases the risk of the diseases in 2.4 times as compared with the patients possessing A, B, AB blood groups and secretors.

The use of the peroxidase-anti-peroxidase (PAP) technique has been described previously for the detection of cellular antigens and in particular ABO antigens from tissue samples (Pedal and Hülle 1984; Pedal and Baedeker 1985; Pedal et al. 1985). In this survey, the PAP method has been employed to study the detection of ABO antigens in cells from body fluids of particular interest to forensic science, namely buccal cells and vaginal cells. Also tested, but in a limited number, were mixtures of body fluids and semen samples. No false reactions were obtained from buccal cells, all samples corresponding to the ABO blood type of the donor. Preliminary results from vaginal cells, vaginal/buccal cell mixtures, and semen were encouraging but must be treated with caution due to the limited number tested. Vaginal smears contaminated with semen showed varying degrees of nonspecificity.

Solid-phase radioimmunoassay, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and thin-layer chromatography were used to compare, identify, and characterize the Lewis antigens from human salivas, using monoclonal antibodies directed to the Lea and Leb determinants. Sialylated Lea glycolipid was detected in saliva from individuals with Le(a+ b+) and Le(a+ b-) phenotypes. Immunoaffinity chromatography of the saliva from individuals with different phenotypes revealed a glycoprotein of molecular weight greater than 200 kD bearing the Lewis antigenic determinants.

The possible relationship between Lewis red cell groups and secretor status and diabetes mellitus has been investigated in diabetic patients from Northwestern Ethiopia. The Lewis negative phenotype [Le(a-b-)] showed similar frequencies in diabetics and a control sample. Determination of the secretor status revealed a tendency to higher non-secretor rates in diabetics, particularly of the insulin-dependent type, in comparison with non-diabetic Ethiopians. A lack of effective immune protection from secretory IgA antibodies as a plausible explanation for the relationship between non-secretor status and IDDM is discussed. However, the available data from our study showed no statistically significant association between secretor state and IDDM. Without a detailed genetic characterization of our diabetic patients (HLA association data) it will be difficult to define precisely the postulated contribution of the Se gene to the aetiopathogenesis of IDDM.

The presence of the blood group antigens H, P, Pk as well as the T-antigen of Thomsen-Friedenreich (detected by the PNA lectin) was investigated at the surface of human embryonal carcinoma cells and of normal or tumor cell lines from adult individuals by an indirect immunofluorescence method. The PNA lectin binds to all the teratoma cell lines investigated but only occasionally to the adult cell lines. The H antigen was detected by fluorescence only onto the embryonic carcinoma cell PA1, but the H enzyme (2-alpha-L-fucosyltransferase) was found catalytically active in all teratoma cells tested: PA1, Susa, Tera I and Tera Ii. Finally, it was also shown that P and Pk antigens are expressed very early during development, prior to HLA and H or ABO.