Extraction and Partial Purification of Blood Group Substances A, B and H from Erythrocyte Stroma

Materials with blood group activity A, B and H have been obtained from erythrocyte stroma by phenol extraction and subsequent purification by chromatography on Sephadex G‐200 and ultracentrifugation at 180,000 g for 4 h. The final materials contain carbohydrates, protein and lipids, have a specific activity similar to that of the glycolipids extracted from erythrocyte stroma by other workers, and are found not to be homogeneous on ultracentrifugal analysis. Treatment with 0.5% SDS results in the reduction of the average particle size and in the appearance of new units which sediment homogeneously. However, in the presence of SDS the greatest part of the specific activity is lost, while extraction with butanol drastically reduces the A1 specific activity and to some extent the B activity has no influence on the A and probably none on the H activity.