Changes in antigenic characteristics of erythrocytes and number metaphase chromosome in bone marrow cells after experimental and clinical bone marrow transplantation.

Abstract

Transplantation of allogenic bone marrow from HLA-identical sibs to patients with acute and chronic leukemia receiving immunosuppressive therapy is associated with the appearance of erythrocytes simultaneously carrying donor and recipient antigenic markers: AB0 system, rhesus factor and its subtypes, M and N antigens. Integration of genes responsible for each antigen is realized independently presumably at the level of stem cell, which ensures long-term (>3 years) repopulation of these erythrocytes. Experiments on inbred mice showed that transplantation of allogenic bone marrow is associated with an increase of chromosome number in 39% bone marrow cells 4 days after transplantation, which indicate the possibility of integration of whole chromosomes.