Distribution of sialic acid between sialoglycoproteins and other membrane components of different erythrocyte phenotypes.

The sialic acid content of erythrocytes of three different AB0 blood groups have been studied. The sialic acid contents of erythrocyte membranes containing 300 mg protein were determined and compared. Groups 0 (Rhesus negative), AB (both Rhesus negative and positive), and B (Rhesus negative) blood differed significantly (p less than 0.05) in total sialic acid content and in the distribution of sialic acid between sialoglycoproteins and other membrane components. Membrane materials containing 300 mg total protein showed sialic acid contents of 52.73 +/- 2.2 mumol sialic acid for group 0 (Rhesus negative) 34.77 +/- 1.16 mumol for group AB (Rh negative), 32.88 +/- 1.52 mumol for AB (Rh positive) and 21.23 +/- 0.84 mumol for B (Rh negative). In group 0 (Rh. neg.) membranes 39.4 +/- 1.4% of the total sialic acid was associated with the sialoglycoproteins. The percentage of sialic acids associated with sialoglycoproteins in other erythrocyte membranes were 77.7 +/- 1.3% for group B, and 55.6 +/- 1.0% and 56.4 +/- 1.8% for group AB (Rh. negative) and (Rh. positive) respectively. The changes appear to be independent of the Rhesus grouping but dependent on the AB0 grouping since membranes of the two Rhesus types of group AB had identical total sialic acid and sialoglycoproteins sialic acids. The sialic acid densities in sialoglycoproteins also differed from one erythrocyte type to another. Group 0 (Rh. negative) membrane sialoglycoproteins had sialic acid density of 140.5 +/- 3.1 nmol/mg compared to 71.7 +/- 1.2 nmol/mg for group B and 128.1 +/- 2.2 and 124.5 +/- 4.0 nmol/mg for group AB Rhesus negative and Rhesus positive respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)