Blood Group Antigens on HeLa Cells shown by Mixed Agglutination

The mixed agglutination reaction has been used for investigating the presence of blood group antigens on the surface of human cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa) cultured for eight years in vitro.

The H antigen was demonstrated in the absence of A and B. The MN-type antigen has been found as well as Tj^a.

Treatment of HeLa cells with ficin greatly enhanced the reaction of anti-H and anti-Tj^a with the corresponding antigens on HeLa cells. The authors failed to show the following antigens: Rh(D) and Rh(c), S, P, Le^a, Le^b, Lu^a and Lu^b.