Easy identification of antibodies to high-prevalence Scianna antigens and detection of admixed alloantibodies using soluble recombinant Scianna protein.

BACKGROUND: Identification of antibodies against high-prevalence Scianna (Sc; ERMAP) antigens, like Sc1 and Sc5, is difficult and may incur delays in blood procurement and costs. The detection of additional clinically significant alloantibodies is hampered in the presence of anti-Scianna. Soluble recombinant Scianna protein is demonstrated to facilitate antibody diagnostics in both cases.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Soluble recombinant Scianna protein (Sc:1,-2,3,-4,5,6,7) was produced comprising the antigenic extracellular domain fused to a V5-His tag. The protein was isolated from eukaryotic cell culture supernatants of stably transfected HEK293 cells. Seven serum samples with anti-Sc1, anti-Sc2, and anti-Sc5 and 30 serum samples with antibodies to other blood group antigens were evaluated in hemagglutination inhibition assays. Antisera with mixed antibody specificities and autoantibodies were also tested.

RESULTS: Soluble Scianna protein inhibited specifically antibodies to the high-prevalence Scianna antigens Sc1 and Sc5. No antibodies were neutralized that were directed to the low-prevalence Sc2 antigen or to a large representative set of antigens from other blood group systems. Clinically relevant antibodies could be identified despite being masked by anti-Sc1 and anti-Sc5. A mixture of Scianna and JMH proteins allowed detecting a common antibody despite the presence of antibodies to high-prevalence antigens of the Scianna or JMH blood group systems.

CONCLUSION: Antibody detection systems comprising soluble recombinant Scianna protein provide an easy single-step method for detection and identification of antibodies to high-prevalence Scianna antigens. Reagents with Scianna and other recombinant blood group proteins and mixtures of such proteins would be useful routine reagents in immunohematology.