CH Hemagglutinogen in Primates. ∗

Abstract

Summary

In our first paper describing this factor, the serum was diluted 1-10 prior to a single absorption with washed packed OMN Rh-positive human erythrocytes. Our present serum has been absorbed, undiluted, under varying conditions, 3 times with cell stroma from group A and B human erythrocytes and 5 times with washed packed human erythrocytes of groups A, B, and 0. It is of interest that all chimpanzees of both group A and group 0 and of both sexes, reacted in almost an identical manner when tested by either the slide or tube test method. One of these was a pygmy chimpanzee (Pan paniscus). After 6 absorptions (Table I) no alteration in the titer occurred with chimpanzee cells. Although our studies are not complete, we have presented the following facts: That an anti-chimpanzee (anti-Ch) serum of high antibody titer has been developed by repeated injections of washed chimpanzee cells into rabbits. That the great majority of both Whites and Negroes contain the Ch agglutinogen, in varying degrees, in or on their erythrocytes. Individuals do exist, however, whose erythrocytes completely lack this hemagglutinogen. That, as in all other. human blood factors, the Ch factor is an apparently inherited characteristic, transmitted as a Mendelian dominant and that it is not associated with any of the recognized hemagglutinogens of man. We are continuing studies on a relatively large number of individuals of different races in an effort to further determine the racial distribution of this factor and to enable us to work out, in a more comprehensive manner, the genetics of our problem.