Blood, 1974, Vol. 43, No. 5, pp. 737-742.
© 1974 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
The Ingestion of IgG-sensitized Erythrocytes
by Abnormal Neutrophils
A. Zipursky 1 and
E. J. Brown 1
1 Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
The ingestion of IgG-sensitized erythrocytes was compared in monocytes and
neutrophils. Normally neutrophils do not
ingest IgG-sensitized erythrocytes, and it
has been suggested that phagocytosis of
IgG-sensitized erythrocytes is restricted
to cells of the monocyte series. Neutrophils
from 15 patients with acute leukemia and
six patients with leukocytosis were studied
in experiments with anti-D (IgG) sensitized erythrocytes. Normally these cells are
not ingested by neutrophils, although
monocyte erythrophagocytosis occurs. In
contrast, neutrophils of patients with
acute leukemia and leukocytosis ingested
anti-D-sensitized erythrocytes following
binding of these cells through a specific
IgG receptor site. These results show that
neutrophil function differs greatly, dependent on the pattern of myelopoiesis.
Neutrophils formed during abnormal myelopoiesis may have erythrocyte binding
and ingestion characteristics similar to
that of the monocyte.
Submitted on July 20, 1973
Revised on October 5, 1973
Accepted on November 6, 1973
