An enzymatic basis for secretor status and blood group substance specificity in humans.

Abstract

About 80 per cent of the population secretes soluble blood group substances with A, B, and O(H) specificities corresponding to each individual's blood type; the remaining 20 per cent, the "nonsecretors," do not.'Most nonsecre- tors, however, do secrete large amounts of Lea-specific blood group substance, a glycoprotein similar in composition to the A, B, and O(H) substances of secre- TABLE 1.Some oligosaccharides of human milk.6.7 Compound I. Lactose II.2'-Fucosyllactose Gal-,8-( 13)-NAGS-,-( 13)-Gal-,6-(l1,4)-GI Fu-a-(l1,2)-Gal-B-( 1-3)NAS-,8-( 1-3)-Gal-,8-( 14)-GI Gal-,8-( 13) NAG-,-( 13)-