ABSTRACT

ThemajorproteinsoftheRBCmembranewereidentifiedafterseparationofthecomponents byelectrophoresisonpolyacrylamidegelsinthepresenceofsodiumdodecylsulfate.Staining ofthegelswithCoomassiebluedetectsseveralproteinsandstainingwithperiodicacid Schiff'sbasedetectsthefourmajorglycoproteins(reviewedinref.3).Byusingmoresensitive techniques(immunoblottingandimmunoprecipitation)withantibodiestobloodgroupantigens (humanpolyclonalandhumanormurinemonoclonal),numerousotherglycoproteinshave beenidentified.Asummaryofbloodgroupantigensthathavebeenassignedtoaspecific proteinisshowninTable2.AntigenscarriedonglycolipidsarenotincludedinTable2. Whenauniqueproteinhasbeenpartiallycharacterized,itcanbestudiedindepthatprotein andgeneticlevels.Oncethestructureofaproteinhasbeenestablished,theroleitplayscan oftenbepredicted.Bloodgroupantigensthatareexclusivelydependentuponcarbohydrates, whetherattachedtoglycoproteinsorglycolipids(i.e.,A,B,H,I,i,Lea,Leb,P,pk,P1, LKE,Sda,Cad,T,Tn,andTk)andthosethatareonimmunologicallyimportantmembrane componentsintermsofcomplementregulationorbacterialreceptorsarediscussedelsewhere withinthisbook.