Differential susceptibility of haemolysin-sensitized erythrocytes to complement-mediated cytotoxicity: a biological manifestation of the relationship between antibody availability and complement fixation.

The influence of the concentration of membrane-bound antibody on the susceptibility of individual human erythrocyte populations to complement-mediated haemolysis has been examined using cold competition analysis. It was observed that under conditions where complement is limiting, the relative susceptibility of erythrocytes to complement lysis is dependent on the availability of sensitizing antibody, even when all target red cells possess sufficient membrane antibody to permit maximal lysis in the presence of excess complement. Furthermore, preliminary evidence is presented which suggests that, where the availability of complement is limiting, sensitized blood group A erythrocytes are more susceptible to complement lysis than are sensitized group B cells. Taken together the data indicate that the quantity, and possibly the distribution, of the membrane antibody dictates the relative susceptibility of erythrocytes to complement haemolysis.