Polyclonal antibodies against the NB1-bearing 58- to 64-kDa glycoprotein of human neutrophils do not identify an NB2-bearing molecule.

The neutrophil-specific NB antigen system has been serologically characterized with human alloantisera. Two alleles, NB1 and NB2, have been described; however, there may be important quantitative or qualitative variation in the expression of NB1 and NB2. Human alloantibodies have been used to identify the 58- to 64-kDa glycoprotein (GP) on which NB1 antigen is located, but an NB2 antigen-bearing molecule has not yet been identified. To identify the NB2 molecule, human alloantibody to NB1 was used to isolate the 58- to 64-kDa NB1 GP, and rabbits were immunized with this GP. Two rabbit antisera were produced. Both antisera immunoblotted and immunoprecipitated the 58- to 64-kDa GP on which NB1 is located, but neither identified the molecule on which NB2 is located. The inability of two rabbit polyclonal antibodies specific for the NB1 molecule to react with the NB2-bearing molecule suggests that considerable differences may exist between these two molecules or that NB2 as currently defined is not related to NB1.