Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 1 March 1974:
Vol. 183. no. 4127, pp. 864 - 866
DOI: 10.1126/science.183.4127.864
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

HL-A Antigens in Mummified Pre-Columbian Tissues

Peter Stastny 1

1 Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, Dallas 75235, and Dallas Veterans Administration Hospital, Dallas 75235

Tissue extracts of pre-Columbian mummies, from 500 to 2000 years old, were found to inhibit specific antibodies to HL-A. Two-thirds of the specimens tested gave positive results. Patterns of reactions obtained with different antiserums detecting the same antigen were concordant and consistent with known relations between HL-A antigens. The distribution of antigens found was similar to that observed in present-day descendants of the ancient populations studied. Although artifacts due to contaminating substances could have occurred, the reactions resembled in many respects those of HL-A antigens rather than those of nonspecific cross-reacting inhibitors. Development of a technique for HL-A typing of mummified remains may open new possibilities for anthropologic studies.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
HLA Patterns and Disease Associations.
S. E. Ritzmann (1976)
JAMA 236, 2305-2309
   Abstract »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)