Rh0(D) activity of red blood cells and stroma treated with proteolytic enzymes

Agglutinability of red blood cells against anti-D increased remarkably when the cells were treated with proteolytic enzymes, such as bromelain, chymotrypsin, ficin, papain, pronase and trypsin. When stroma prepared from normal red blood cells was treated with any of proteolytic enzymes, however, Rh-Hr blood type activities were completely abolished. The similar results were obtained from stroma solubilized with detergents which was treated with enzymes after being prepared. Of all the enzymes, ficin acted more slowly than the others did. Neuraminidase or phospholipase A2 had no effect on Rh-Hr activities at all. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic pattern of stroma prepared from bromelain, ficin and pronase-treated red blood cells were quite different from that of normal stroma.