Agglutination by polylysine of young and old red blood cells.

The rate of agglutination by polylysine of young and old human erythrocytes was automatically recorded and correlated with measurements of the electrophoretic mobility of these cells. Old red cells have a reduced electrophoretic mobility as compared with young cells, as well as a higher rate of agglutination than young cells. Mild treatment of red cells with receptor destroying enzyme (RDE) which reduces their surface charge results in an increased rate of agglutination. The results indicate that there is correlation between the rate of agglutination and the surface charge of the red cell.