Degradation of Human IgM Anti-γ-Globulin by Pepsin provides Evidence of an Active Fragment
SCHROHENLOHER, RALPH E.
Журнал:
Nature
Дата:
1969
Аннотация:
RABBIT antibodies of the immunoglobulin G (IgG) class have been shown to be cleaved by pepsin, in the absence of mercaptans, into bivalent fragments<sup>1</sup>. These fragments, termed F(abâ ²)<sup>2</sup>-fragments, sediment in the ultracentrifuge at 5S and are resistant to further cleavage. Similar products have been observed after peptic digestion of human IgG antibodies<sup>2</sup>. In contrast, others found that human immunoglobulin M (IgM) was rapidly degraded by pepsin into a heterogeneous mixture of small fragments<sup>3â 5</sup>. Incubation of IgM cold agglutinins with the enzyme in buffer at pH. 4.0 and 37° C for 30 min, or 4° C for 48 h, resulted in the complete loss of red cell agglutinating activity<sup>3</sup>. Efforts to demonstrate residual combining activity by an indirect agglutination technique were unsuccessful. Similarly, treatment of IgM anti-γ-globulins (rheumatoid factors) by pepsin at 4° C for 48 h resulted essentially in complete loss of activity, as measured by several agglutination methods<sup>3</sup>. I have examined further the degradation of human IgM anti-γ-globulins by pepsin and present evidence of the production of fragments that retain the capacity to combine with human IgG.
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