Rh antigen expression during erythropoeisis: Comparison of cord and adult derived CD34 cells

Concentrations of O(2) and CO(2) in the fetal circulation differ to that in maternal blood. Previous studies done in algae demonstrate the functional role of Rh antigen as CO(2) transporter. As a preliminary study, it was the aim of this project to compare the expression of Rh polypeptides on cord and adult red blood cell progenitors during ex vivo proliferation and differentiation of CD34(+) cells during erythropoeisis.

CD34 positive hematopoeitic progenitor cells were isolated from umbilical cord blood and adult peripheral blood using an immunomagnetic system and cultured in serum free medium containing erythropoietin in order to compel them along the erythroid lineage. Cultured cells were analyzed for cell surface marker expression by flow cytometry, using monoclonal antibodies to RhAG, Glycophorin A, Rh polypeptides, CD47 and Band 3. Cytospin analysis was also done to study the morphology of cultured cells.

The appearance of cell surface markers analyzed on different days of culture varied slightly between samples. There was no evidence to suggest that RhAG, GPA, CD47 and Band 3 expression was any different between adult and cord derived cells. Nevertheless, the results of Rh antigenic expression suggest a reasonable difference between the two groups with adult sample derived cells showing higher and earlier expression than cord blood derived cells. These preliminary findings require further investigation.

Comparing the expression of cell surface markers especially Rh polypeptides between adult and cord blood derived erythroid progenitors might assist in discerning their functions and could be valuable in the study of erythropoeisis.