Binding of Normal Serum Globulins to Tanned Red Blood Cells

Abstract

ACCORDING to Bregman and Kirsner¹ normal human serum globulins are not usually fixed to tanned red blood cells and this is in contrast to some pathological serum globulins which have a binding capacity for these cells. These conclusions were drawn from the observation that tanned red blood cells coated with normal sera were not usually agglutinated by antiglobulin serum, whereas their coating with some pathological sera resulted in a positive Coombs's test. The difference between normal and pathological sera was even more evident when an anti-non-γ-globulin serum was applied instead of antiglobulin serum. In the anti-non-γ-globulin the anti-γ-constituent of the Coombs's serum is blocked by previous addition of γ-globulin, so that it reacts predominantly with the component of the non-γ-globulin serum². In the present investigation, in which the same method was applied, evidence was obtained for the existence of an inhibitor in normal concentrated sera which interferes with the binding of the non-γ-globulin component to tanned red blood cells.