Abstract
There is much interest in developmentally regulated molecules which may have function in cell interactions and sorting during embryogenesis and differentiation. Numerous antisera have been raised which detect antigens that are expressed in early embryonic cells and become restricted during differentiation, being expressed in only a minority of adult cells (reviewed in refs 1–3). The precise antigenic determinants recognized by such antisera have not been defined. However, studies using a hybri-doma antibody against mouse spleen cells4 and monoclonal autoantibodies of patients with cold agglutinin disease5 have shown that two defined carbohydrate antigen systems, the Forssman and the li antigens, have stage-specific expression in early mouse embryos. We now describe evidence that the stage-specific embryonic antigen SSEA-1 (ref. 6) involves the carbohydrate sequence Galβ1 → 4GlcNAc ↑1,3 Fucα This determinant is formed by α 1 → 3 fucosylation of blood group I or i antigens which are branched or linear oligosaccharides, respectively7–9, built of Galβ1 →4GlcNAc units and known as type 2 precursor chains10 of the major blood group antigens. Thus, we introduce the concept of simple glycosylation changes as a basis for stage-specific expression of embryonic antigens.
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Gooi, H., Feizi, T., Kapadia, A. et al. Stage-specific embryonic antigen involves αl→ 3 fucosylated type 2 blood group chains. Nature 292, 156–158 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/292156a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/292156a0
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