Selective loss of blood group antigens during wound healing.

Frozen sections of healing wounds of the oral mucosa of 3 rhesus monkeys were examined by a double layer immunofluorescent technic for the presence of blood B-like antigens. Antigen activity was present in normal epithelium and in the epithelial outgrowth into the wounds but was absent from the outgrowth following treatment with lipid solvents. This finding suggests that glycoprotein but not glycolipid associated antigen is lost from the surface of epithelial cells during wound healing, a pattern of selective loss which may reflect a difference between regenerative and neoplastic lesions.