Rudimentary study on humanization of porcine red blood cells: Enzymatic removal of galactose-α1,3-galactose antigen from porcine red blood cell

The serological and biochemical characterization of porcine red blood cells (pRBCs) are similar to human red blood cells. Porcine erythrocytes are considered as an alternative source for human blood transfusion. But there exist galactose-α1,3-galactose antigens (Galα1,3Galβ1, 4GalNAc-R, abbreviated αGal antigen) on pRBCs, which can induce anti-αGal antibodies in human serum. The αGal epitopes are the major antigen responsible for hyperacute rejection in xenotransfusion. In this study, recombined soybean α-galactosidase (rSα-GalE) was used to remove the αGal antigens from pPRCs for humanization. The results showed that αGal antigen was cleared by rSα-GalE and the structure and function of rSα-GalE treated pRBC were normal.