Induced Somatic Mutations Affecting Erythrocyte Antigens

Abstract

The frequency of inagglutinable erythrocytes was increased in pigeons following total body irradiation and in human polycythemic patients treated with P³². Persistence of the increased levels of inagglutinable cells was observed in pigeons retested at over 200 days after irradiation and in a polycythemic patient retested at 173 days posttreatment. These data provide additional evidence for the mutational origin of the antigen-lacking cells.