The detection of a hereditary antigenic difference in the blood of mice by means of human group a serum

Summary

1. By the use of human group A serum it is possible to distinguish various types of mouse blood. To obtain specific results tests must be performed at 37° C.

2. A pure line of black mice and individuals selected from a heterogeneous stock (ZS) are sharply divisible into two groups by direct agglutination alone.

3. Tests with other stocks show that intermediate types occur if direct agglutination is used as the sole criterion, but amongst laboratory stocks it is possible to distinguish two classes if ability to absorb agglutinin is taken into account.

4. An anomaly to the above rule was found in the case of a wild mouse. Explanations of this anomaly are suggested in the text.

5. Very young mice are very sensitive toagglutination by human group A serum, but they do not appear to possess enhanced powers of absorbing agglutinin.

6. The reaction is peculiar to human serum. A horse serum that gave somewhat indefinite results in the cold appeared to act in an opposite manner to human group A serum.

7. A cross between the blacks and ZS stock showed that a strong reaction was due to a single dominant gene. It is suggested that modifying factors may in part determine the reaction obtained by direct agglutination; the gene here studied determines the ability to absorb agglutinin.

8. Differences are detectable by immune sera which are different from that here described but may be correlated with it.

9. It is shown that a fairly close resemblance occurs between the factor here studied and the types A₁ and A₂ occurring in man.