Abstract
Serological tests previously have shown that bromelain modification of mouse RBC reveals antigens that are not present on the surface of unmodified cells. It was hypothesized that these “new” antigens may appear as RBC age to facilitate the recognition and clearance of old cells. Old RBC were fractionated from mouse blood according to specific gravity, using discontinuous gradients of bovine serum albumin. The old cells recovered from the gradients represented about 1% of all the cells fractionated. In addition, RBC were aged in vitro by storage at 4°C for 2 weeks. Neither source of old RBC, in contrast to bromelain-treated RBC, was effective in adsorbing from rat antisera the specific activity against the new antigens revealed by proteolysis of mouse RBC. In assays for antibody-producing cells (APC), plaques were not detected when old RBC were used as targets in monolayers whereas about 7500 APC per spleen were detected when bromelain-treated RBC were used as targets. The results suggest that the new antigens present on bromelain-treated RBC are not present on old RBC.
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