Identification of New Carbohydrate and Membrane Protein Antigens in Cardiac Xenotransplantation

Abstract

The identified proteins include key EC functions and suggest that non-Gal antibody responses may compromise EC functions and thereby contribute to DXR. Recovery of the porcine β1,4 N-acetylgalactosaminyl transferase 2 suggests that an antibody response to a SD-like carbohydrate may represent a new carbohydrate moiety involved in xenotransplantation. The identification of these porcine gene products may lead to further donor modification to enhance resistance to DXR and further reduce the level of xenograft antigenicity.