COMPLEMENT-INDEPENDENT BINDING OF MICROORGANISMS TO PRIMATE ERYTHROCYTES IN-VITRO BY CROSS-LINKED MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES VIA COMPLEMENT RECEPTOR-1

Under certain circumstances, soluble antigens, particulate antigens, a nd/or microorganisms have been shown to bind to primate erythrocytes v ia complement receptor 1 (CR1) in the presence of specific antibodies and complement. This immune adherence reaction, specific for CR1, can lead to neutralization of antigens in the circulation and their subseq uent clearance from the blood, The present experiments utilized cross- linked monoclonal antibody complexes (heteropolymers) with specificity for both CR1 and either S-35-labeled herpes simplex virus capsid or H aemophilus influenzae as prototype viral and bacterial particulate ant igens, respectively, In each case, the respective specific heteropolym ers facilitated binding of the target antigens (greater than or equal to 70 to 90%) in vitro to erythrocytes in the absence of complement. S everal experimental protocols were employed to demonstrate that hetero polymers mediate specific, rapid (greater than or equal to 30 s), and quantitative binding of prototypical particulate pathogens to human an d monkey erythrocytes but not to sheep erythrocytes, which lack CR1, T hese results extend the potential use of the erythrocyte-heteropolymer system to the neutralization and clearance of particulate viral and b acterial pathogens from the blood.