Abstract
Summary
The biological reason for the polymorphism of granulocyte-specific antigens is unknown. Clinical complications due to granulocyte antigen-antibody reactions cannot yet be predicted with certainty. Thus reactions following granulocyte transfusions may occur, despite cross-matching (25, 59- 66). Autoimmune disorders and maternal/ fetal incompatibility have been traced to known granulocyte antigens, and sera from patients with these disorders have been used to define many of these antigens (73-86).
One of the main difficulties in deciphering the system of granulocyte antigens has been the limitations of the various testing procedures used. None of the techniques yet discovered, including indirect immunofluorescence, has been able to detect all the antigens which other tests detect (28-31). This fact suggests that these tests may be inadequate and could explain their lack of predictive value. A panel of known cell types is also unavailable, because the viability of granulocytes following current cryogenic procedures is unpredictable and often disappointing.
The lack of high-titered monospecific antisera directed against antigens has also been a major block to research. Efforts to produce monoclonal antibodies, bypassing this block, have detected species-specific, subpopulation, differentiation, and leukemic antigens, but not the clinically interesting alloantigens (36-57). The development of more sensitive tests and monoclonal antibodies specific for granulocyte alloantigens could lead to a better understanding of granulocyte antigens and be helpful in treating disorders involving these antigens.
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