title: Antigenic determinants of bovine myelin encephalitogenic protein recognized by rabbit antibody to myelin encephalitogenic protein.
abstract: The antigenic determinants of bovine myelin encephalitogenic protein were investigated by quantitative complement fixation and hapten inhibition using rabbit anti-monkey protein and anti-bovine protein and purified and characterized fragments of bovine protein. The two regions of bovine encephalitogenic protein containing determinants were sequences 1 to 43 and 90 to 170. One rabbit antiserum recognized a determinant(s) probably in residues 15 to 40 while for another rabbit antiserum the determinant of 1 to 43 resided in 1 to 20. The determinant(s) of residues 90 to 170 involved the region around the tryptophan at position 116. Fragment 44-89, which contains the major encephalitogenic determinant for the rabbit, was virtually devoid of any reactivity with the rabbit anti-encephalitogenic protein. It appears that portions of the protein other than the encephalitogenic site are responsible for stimulation of bone marrow-derived cells and antibody production. In demonstrating selected regions of the protein as sites for antigenic determinants, the present immunochemical studies also suggest that the protein might have a more folded conformational alignment than previously suspected.
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003168:Complement Fixation Tests; D003488:Cyanogen Bromide; D000939:Epitopes; D008970:Molecular Weight; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000276:immunology; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000032:analysis; D011817:Rabbits / Q000276:immunology; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D000939:Epitopes; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D003488:Cyanogen Bromide