Immunochemical studies on blood groups LXVI. Competitive binding assays of A1 and A2 blood group substances with insolubilized anti-A serum and insolubilized A agglutinin from Dolichos biflorus

Competitive binding assays using 3H-labeled blood group A substance and insolubilized Dolichos biflorus lectin or human anti-A were carried out, measuring competition by blood group A1 and A2 glycoproteins, and by unabsorbed anti-A sera, and with these sera absorbed with the A1 and A2 glycoproteins. With Dolichos lectin specific for (formula: see text) A1 substances had about 11 times as many determinants as did A2 substances, but the slopes of the lines in the competitive binding assays were the same. With insolubilized anti-A, A2 substances gave lines of lower slopes. Although individual A1 populations varied in the amounts giving 50% inhibition in the assays, as did A2 substances, the slopes of the lines for the A1 substances were the same and always higher than the slopes of the lines for the A2 substances. Competitive binding assays with unabsorbed anti-A sera and with these sera absorbed with insoluble polyleucyl A1 and A2 substances showed that partial absorption of polyleucyl A1 substances left antibodies of lower slope in the supernate, whereas absorption with polyleucyl A2 substance left antibodies (anti-A1) having the same or an even higher slope than the unabsorbed sera. The findings indicate that human A1 and A2 glycoproteins differ in their determinants, and that A2 specificity is determined by the type 2 chain in which the A trisaccharide (formula: see text) is linked beta 1 leads to 4 to DGlcNAc, whereas the A1 specificity is determined by the type 1 chain in which this trisaccharide is linked beta 1 leads to 3 to DGlcNAc; most of the determinants in the glycoproteins have a second LFuc linked alpha 1 leads to 3 and alpha 1 leads to 4 to the DGlcNAc of the type 2 and type 1 chains, respectively.