The Detection and Quantification of Rh(D) Antigen Sites on Human Leukocytes

Radiolabeled eluates of human anti-D were used to measure the capacity of leukocytes to bind the D antibody in cell suspensions prepared from 16 normal and 3 leukemic bloods from Rh(D) donors. The contamination of the leukocyte suspensions by D positive red cells was measured and the contribution of D antigen sites by these cells was estimated. After correction was made for the D antibody bound by the contaminant red cells, no specific binding of D antibody by Rh(D) leukocytes could be detected. Three pairs of Rh(D) and rh(d) leukocyte dilution curves of I¹³¹-labeled anti-D uptake were compared with the uptake by D positive and D negative red cell dilutions. No significant differences among the D negative erythrocyte, the rh(d) leukocyte and the Rh(D) leukocyte curves were obtained. The results were collated with previous serologic evidence concerning the presence of ABO and Rh antigens on human leukocytes.