Summary
Human male erythrocytes absorb H-Y antiserum while those of human females do not. Studies on the mode of attachment of H-Y antigen to the erythrocyte membrane reveal: (1) After several washes H-Y antigen can only be removed from male erythrocytes and not from other male cells such as granulocytes. (2) Female erythrocytes absorb exogenous H-Y antigen and thus become H-Y positive. (3) Complement mediated lysis of erythrocytes by H-Y antiserum is not sex specific but is dependent on the AB0 blood group type of the red blood cells. It is concluded that H-Y antigen is unspecifically attached to red blood cells and is therefore not an integral part of the erythrocyte membrane.
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This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB 46 and Si 185/4)
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Müller, U., Mayerová, A., Siebers, J.W. et al. Phenotypic conversion of human erythrocytes by H-Y antigen. Hum Genet 56, 177–181 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00295691
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00295691