Biochemistry of the J Blood Group Substance of Cattle

Abstract

The bovine J blood‐group substance is dissolved in the serum. The total lipids extracted from serum containing the J antigen (termed J+ serum) show haptenic activity in the homologous bovine J system. The total lipids from J−serum, however, show no haptenic activity. The J+total lipids are, therefore, thought to contain the determinant group of the J antigen. In fractionation experiments the lipids to be tested were mixed with crude glycerophospholipids extracted from J− serum, since it has been known that auxiliary lipids are required for maximum haptenic effects. The haptenic activity is completely destroyed by periodate oxidation, it does not decrease, however, by deacylation of ester lipids. Various fractionation procedures in addition to deacylation led to a purified glycosphingolipid that proved to be highly active as a J hapten. The low‐density lipoproteins prepared from J+ serum as well as the total lipids extracted from these lipoproteins inhibit the hemolysis of J+ erythrocytes in the J system. These results suggest that the J blood‐group substance dissolved in bovine J+ serum is a lipoprotein and that its determinant group is a glycosphingolipid.

Mapping of the bovine blood group systems J, N′, R′, and Z show evidence for oligo‐genetic inheritance

“…1995), and can be used to draw inferences about the orthologous relationships of several of the bovine blood groups. Thus far, the bovine EAJ is likely to be the orthologous to the human ABO system (Thiele 1988; Ma et al . 1996).…”

“…1997). With exception of the eleventh system of blood groups (J), where the antigen is a plasma glycosphingolipid adsorbed on the erythrocytes (Thiele 1988), and the bovine blood group M, which has been identified as a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I–like molecule (H∅nberg et al . 1995), little is known about the molecular nature of bovine blood group antigens.…”

Isolation and molecular characterization of bovine Rhesus‐like transcripts and chromosome mapping of the relevant locus

“…Little is known about the molecular nature of bovine blood group antigens with the exception of the J system (Thiele 1988), where the antigen is a plasma glycosphingolipid adsorbed on the erythrocytes. Much more is known about human blood groups (Cartron 1994a).…”