Gaffney R A, Schaeffer A J, Duncan J L
Department of Urology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
J Urol. 1992 Oct;148(4):1341-6. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5347(17)36905-7.
The importance of Lewis blood group antigens in recurrent urinary tract infections has led to a more detailed study of the expression of these antigens in an in vitro culture system. Expression of A, B, H, and Lewis blood group antigens by primary cultures of ureter epithelial cells was analyzed by flow cytometry. Cells maintained blood group determinants for up to 7 weeks in culture over three passages. In several specimens, the cells that exhibited expression of Lewis A (Le(a) and Lewis B (Le(b)) antigens increased dramatically over 2-3 passages in culture. Lewis Y (Le(y)) antigen expression was positive on all primary cultures tested. The effect of fetal bovine serum (FBS) on blood group antigen expression was evaluated. Increased concentrations of FBS in the growth media increased the expression of Le(a) and Le(b) antigens in certain specimens, but did not affect expression of the other blood group antigens. The effect of FBS on blood group antigen expression of cultured cells depended on the Lewis blood type of the individual donating the specimen. To evaluate the heterogeneity often seen in Le(a) and Le(b) antigen expression, dual staining of cells for Le(a) and Le(b) antigens was performed. The results of these studies show for the first time that Lewis blood group antigens are expressed by cultured normal ureteral epithelial cells and that the pattern of expression of Le(a) and Le(b) changes over time. Furthermore, an individual cell may simultaneously express more than one Lewis antigen on its surface.
Lewis血型抗原在复发性尿路感染中的重要性促使人们对这些抗原在体外培养系统中的表达进行更详细的研究。通过流式细胞术分析输尿管上皮细胞原代培养物中A、B、H和Lewis血型抗原的表达。细胞在传代培养的7周内保持血型决定簇。在几个标本中，表达Lewis A（Le(a)）和Lewis B（Le(b)）抗原的细胞在培养的2至3代中显著增加。在所有测试的原代培养物中Lewis Y（Le(y)）抗原表达均为阳性。评估了胎牛血清（FBS）对血型抗原表达的影响。生长培养基中FBS浓度的增加在某些标本中增加了Le(a)和Le(b)抗原的表达，但不影响其他血型抗原的表达。FBS对培养细胞血型抗原表达的影响取决于捐赠标本个体的Lewis血型。为了评估Le(a)和Le(b)抗原表达中常见的异质性，对细胞进行了Le(a)和Le(b)抗原的双重染色。这些研究结果首次表明，培养的正常输尿管上皮细胞表达Lewis血型抗原，并且Le(a)和Le(b)的表达模式随时间变化。此外，单个细胞表面可能同时表达一种以上的Lewis抗原。
