Identification of immunoreactive forms of human erythrocyte band 3 in nonerythroid cells

Antibodies directed to the cytoplasmic domain of human erythrocyte band 3, the major integral protein of the erythrocyte membrane which is thought to be the main anchoring site of the membrane cytoskeleton, were demonstrated in the present study to react with the membrane of various nonerythroid cells, such as human leucocytes, fibroblasts or human umbilical mesenchyme cells, amniotic epithelium and vascular smooth muscle. In cultured fibroblasts staining was confined to small dots and streaks associated with both the dorsal and ventral cell membrane. In human lymphocytes band 3 antigen accompanied capping of concanavalin A binding surface receptors. The immunoreactive form of band 3 in fibroblasts was shown by immunoblotting studies to be a polypeptide of approximately 60 000 dalton. This polypeptide is immunologically and electrophoretically related to a major immunoreactive form of band 3 naturally occurring in the red blood cell membrane. Considering the recent identification in nonerythroid cells of immunoreactive forms of other major components of the erythrocyte membrane cytoskeleton, the present observation in nucleated cells of a polypeptide related to erythrocyte band 3 may indicate some of the features of erythrocyte membrane architecture are also present in nonerythroid cells.