Serological purification of polysaccharide antigens from Streptococcus mutans serotypes a and d: characterization of multiple antigenic determinants.
The polysaccharide antigen preparations from serotype a and serotype d strains of Streptococcus mutans contained both a serotype-specific antigenic determinant and a common a-d antigenic determinant, as demonstrated by agar gel diffusion studies and a quantitative cross-precipitin assay. The chromatographically purified antigens were isolated by a method which depended on their serological specificity to determine if these two antigenic determinants were located on the same molecule. The a and d polysaccharides were recovered from specific antigen-antibody complexes and characterized with respect to their immunological specificity and chemical composition. Agar gel diffusion tests demonstrated that, in both the a and d preparations, the serotype-specific antigenic determinant and the common a-d antigenic determinant were present in one molecule.
D000818:Animals; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000939:Epitopes; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005779:Immunodiffusion; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011817:Rabbits; D012703:Serotyping; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000276:immunology*; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000276:immunology*
D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000939:Epitopes; D007106:Immune Sera; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial