The separation and analysis of hepatitis B e antigen.
A solid-phase radioimmunoassay has been used successfully for detecting hepatitis B e antigen in fractionated hepatitis B virus-containing serum. Ammonium sulphate precipitation followed by gel filtration through a column of Sepharose CL-6B resulted in two fractions of antigen-containing material with molecular weights of 220,000 and 130,000. The smaller of these two fractions was found to possess an average isoelectric point of 4.9 and consisted of two major polypeptide species with estimated molecular weights of 66,000 and 17,000 respectively. Affinity chromatography on Blue Sepharose showed that e antigen was not retained under conditions which bound serum albumin. These results are discussed in relation to the immunopathogenesis of hepatitis B.
D002353:Carrier State / Q000276:immunology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D005779:Immunodiffusion; D007526:Isoelectric Point; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens; D010455:Peptides