A cell-age specific antigen on senescent human red blood cells.

A sialoglycoprotein with an apparent molecular weight of 210000 appears to serve as a cell-age specific antigen on senescent human red blood cells (RBC). The protein is present both in young and old RBC membranes. The bulk of it copurifies with cytoskeletons. Exposure of this protein as a cell-age specific antigen appears to be due to detachment of a small fraction of this protein from cytoskeletons. The detached fraction is Triton extractable and is predominantly found in Triton extracts from senescent RBC.