Detection of mouse alloantibodies by rosetting with protein A-coated sheep red blood cells.

Staphylococcal protein A has an affinity for the Fc portion of the IgG molecule of different species and can therefore be used to detect cell-bound immunoglobulin. Using this property, protein A coupled to sheep red blood cells via chromic chloride can detect alloantibodies to mouse H-2, Thy-1, Ly-1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7, and Ia antigenic specificities bound to the surface of lymphocytes by the formation of rosettes. In comparison with other rosetting and cytotoxicity assays, the protein A assay shows a greater sensitivity than does cytotoxicity using spleen cells as the target, as does the sheep anti-mouse Ig rosetting assay, whereas cytotoxicity shows greater sensitivity with some antisera on thymocytes. The major advantages of the protein A assay are that constant low reproducible backgrounds are obtained, there is no need to remove surface Ig by capping prior to antiserum treatment, and that viable cells can be recovered.