Binding of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus to antigens of the ABH histo-blood group family

The ability of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus to agglutinate human erythr ocytes and to attach to rabbit epithelial cells of the upper respiratory an d digestive tracts was shown to depend on the presence of ABH blood group a ntigens. Indeed, agglutination was inhibited by saliva from secretor indivi duals but not from nonsecretors, the latter being devoid of H antigen. In a ddition, erythrocytes of the rare Bombay phenotype, which completely lack A BH antigens, were not agglutinated. Native viral particles from extracts of infected rabbit liver as well as virus-like particles from the recombinant virus capsid protein specifically bound to synthetic A and H type 2 blood group oligosaccharides. Both types of particles could attach to adult rabbi t epithelial cells of the upper respiratory and digestive tracts. This bind ing paralleled that of anti-H type 2 blood group reagents and was inhibited by the H type 2-specific lectin UEA-I and polyacrylamide-conjugated H type 2 trisaccharide. Young rabbit tissues were almost devoid of A and H type 2 antigens, and only very weak binding of virus particles could be obtained on these tissues.