Coexistence in human sera of a cell (membrane?) ANTIGEN AND Of autoantibodies directed against it.
Antibodies purified from sera of patients with Burkitt's lymphoma by absorption onto and elution from cultured lymphoblastoid cells, were labeled with 125I and repurified by repeating the absorption-elution procedure. The doubly purified antibodies could bound with a high degree of efficiency to immunoadsorbents prepared by entrapping in polyacrylamide gel normal human serum or exudate fluids from patients with ovarian or breast cancer. Binding was specific, as it could be inhibited by high dilutions of human sera but not by animal sera. Globulin fractions of human sera were strongly inhibitory. Their capacity to inhibit was lost after treatment with rabbit anti-human IgG serum, indicating that at least part of the inhibition could be ascribed to antibodies. Some inhibitory activity was also found, however, in the "albumin" fractions of sera, suggesting that an antigen was also involved. It appears, therefore, that practically all human sera contain antibodies reacting with an antigen(s) which is present on human cells and is also circulating freely in serum and other body fluids. Sera of patients with Burkitt's lymphoma contained, on the average higher concentrations of these antibodies, as compared to sera of individuals not suffering from this disease. This antigen is thought to be associated with the cell membrane and has been identified in cells of widely differing origin.
D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000941:Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000032:analysis; D001666:Binding Sites, Antibody; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000276:immunology; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
D000941:Antigens; D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens