New monoclonal antibodies in CD44 and CD58: their use to quantify CD44 and CD58 on normal human erythrocytes and to compare the distribution of CD44 and CD58 in human tissues.

The cell-surface glycoproteins CD44 and CD58 are involved in cell adhesion reactions. In this paper 12 monoclonal antibodies in CD44 and two in CD58 are described. Competitive binding assays using CD44 antibodies identified three distinct epitope groups. Antibodies in Group 1 and, with one exception (BRIC 214), antibodies in group 2, but not antibodies in Group 3, recognized epitopes that are sensitive to reduction and to trypsin or chymotrypsin treatment of intact erythrocytes, and so these epitopes probably reside on the N-terminal disulphide-bonded domain of CD44. Antibodies in CD44 did not inhibit the binding of CD58 antibodies to erythrocytes or vice versa. Quantitative binding studies using radioiodinated IgG measured 1888-5592 copies of CD44 and 1772-3290 copies of CD58 on normal erythrocytes. Similar measurements with radioiodinated Fab fragments gave values of 6508-10,450 (CD44) and 3457-7622 (CD58). Immunocytochemical studies indicated that CD44 is much more widely expressed in non-haemopoietic tissues than CD58. Comparison with previously described CD44 antibodies suggests that antibodies in our Group 1 encompass Hermes 2 and that those in Group 2 encompass Hermes 1. All the CD44 antibodies gave weakened reactions with Lu(a-b-) erythrocytes of the In(Lu) type by one or more methods. BRIC 214 and antibodies in epitope Group 3 were used to demonstrate that CD44 on these variant cells gives membrane-bound trypsin and chymotrypsin cleavage fragments of similar molecular weight to those obtained with normal erythrocytes.