The role of T-agglutinin in the disappearance of erythrocytes artificially aged by desialylation

The relationship between sialic acid content and peanut agglutinin binding on senescent and enzyme treated human erythrocytes

Young, old and neuraminidase treated human red blood cells (RBC) were investigated with peanut agglutinin (PNA), a lectin with a specificity similar to that of serum T-agglutinin. The effect of serum agglutinins on this interaction was also investigated. The density and distribution of PNA receptors were evaluated by agglutination with PNA and binding of ferritin-conjugated PNA (PNA-F), or PNA labeled with radioactive iodine [( 131I] PNA). The results were correlated with the distribution of membrane bound sialic acids, as evaluated by chemical analysis and rate of agglutination with poly-L-lysine (PLL). Untreated RBC of all ages did not agglutinate with PNA and failed to bind PNA-F and [131I] PNA. Treatment of young RBC with neuraminidase, which resulted in reduction of membrane-bound sialic acids to an extent similar to that of physiologically aged RBC, resulted in the concomitant exposure of PNA binding sites and in the agglutination of these cells by autologous serum. Pretreatment of the neuraminidase treated RBC with autologous serum resulted in partial inhibition of the binding capacity of PNA on the RBC. The results indicate that the normal age-related loss of sialic acids in circulating RBC is not identical with enzymatic removal of sialic acids by neuraminidase. The observations suggest that different mechanisms are functional in the recognition and sequestration of old RBC and of RBC treated with neuraminidase.

Phagocytosis of senescent erythrocytes by autologous monocytes: requirement of membrane-specific autologous IgG for immune elimination of aging red blood cells

The role of membrane-bound IgG present on the membrane of senescent erythrocytes in immune eliminations of aging red cells was investigated. Phagocytosis of populations of red blood cells (RBC) of different ages by autologous monocytes was assessed both by direct phagocytosis and by induction of microsomal heme oxygenase. Removal of IgG from older RBCs inhibited their phagocytosis; in contrast, preincubation of neuraminidase-treated young or in vitro aged RBCs with IgG eluted from old cells led to phagocytosis of RBCs treated by autologous monocytes. It was also found that the Fc portion of membrane-bound IgG is essential for the elimination of senescent cells; less than 15% of old heat-inactivated RBCs coated with F(ab)2 fragment of membrane-bound IgG were phagocytosed. In contrast, more than 50% of old heat-inactivated RBCs coated with heat-eluted IgG were phagocytosed by autologous monocytes. A possible mechanism of elimination of aged cells is discussed.

Specific 13C reductive methylation of glycophorin A. Possible relation of the N-terminal amino acid and the lysine residues to MN blood group specificities

Heterozygous and homozygous glycophorin A were partially and fully reductively methylated with 13C-enriched formaldehyde in the presence of sodium cyanoborohydride. Total reductive methylation modified the five lysine residues (to produce N epsilon,N-[13C]dimethyl lysine) and the N-terminal amino acid residues (N alpha,N-[13C]dimethyl serine and leucine) of glycophorins AM and AN, respectively. 13C-NMR spectra of these species indicated that the 13C-enriched methyl carbons of the five lysyl derivatives all occur at 44.1 ppm downfield from Me4Si. Titration results indicate that the pK alpha of these methylated lysines is greater than 10. The chemical shift equivalent methyl resonances of the 13C-enriched methylated N-terminal Leu derivative were found to occur at 42.8 ppm downfield from Me4Si and exhibited a normal pH titration behavior (pK alpha approximately 7.4). The methyl resonances of the N alpha,N-[13C]dimethyl Ser derivative, on the other hand, were found to exhibit chemical shift nonequivalence, indicating rotational constraints about the C alpha-N bond. The linewidths of the two methyl resonances were also found to be considerably different; this phenomenon could be eliminated by running spectra of the sample (pH approximately 5.0) at elevated temperatures (75 degrees C). This result suggested that for the N alpha,N-[13C]dimethyl Ser derivative of glycophorin AM, hindered rotation must occur about one of the N alpha-13CH3 bonds. This structural difference at the N-terminal residue of glycophorins AM and AN may be related to the MN blood group determinants displayed by these related glycoproteins.

Magnetic resonance study of glycophorin A-containing 13C-enriched methionines

Methionine-81 and/or -8 of the transmembrane sialoglycoprotein, glycophorin A, have been specifically alkylated with 13CH3I to produce the sulfonium ion derivatives [S-[13C]methylmethionine-8]glycophorin A and [S-[13C]methylmethionine-8 and -81]glycophorin A. 13C NMR spectra of these species show that the resonances of the methyl groups of the modified glycophorins occur at 26.1 ppm downfield from Me4Si. A spin-lattice relaxation time of 0.4 s was observed for the 13C-enriched methyl resonances of the sulfonium ion derivatives of Met-8 and -81, which corresponds to an effective correlation time of less than 2 X 10 - 10 s. Demethylation of the 2 glycophorin A sulfonium ion species with 2-mercaptoethanol produces native glycophorin A which now has the epsilon-carbon of the methionine residue(s) 45% isotopically enriched. The epsilon-carbon of Met-8 was found to occur at 15.7 ppm downfield from Me4Si whereas the epsilon-carbon of Met-81 exhibited an unusual chemical shift of 2.0 ppm downfield from Me4Si. The spin-lattice relaxation time of both resonances was found to be approximately 0.3 s.