Assay of S-antigen immunoreactivity in mammalian retinas in relation to age, ocular dimension and retinal degeneration.
The immunoreactivity of S-antigen was assayed in the developing and adult retinas of a variety of mammals, including man. An electroimmunoassay was used with bovine S-antigen (in Triton X-100) as a standard and rabbit antiserum to this antigen was used for precipitation. In the newborn mouse, rat and rabbit retina no S-antigen was detected. During the second to fifth postnatal week a rapid increase in the immunoreactivity of this protein was found, which ran largely parallel to the development of photoreceptors and the increase in retinal rhodopsin content. In the rat, rabbit and guinea pig the adult level of retinal S-antigen remained constant for a long period of life. In many mammalian species the amount of retinal S-antigen immunoreactivity appeared to increase proportionally to the square of the radius of the eye globe, which is closely related to the retinal surface area. Possible implications of this relationship are discussed. Specific anatomical and morphological characteristics of the eye and its tissues, rods/cones ratio, retinal degeneration and anomalous crossreactivity of S-antigens cause deviations from the relationship. For the S-antigen content of adult human retina a value of 950 micrograms was found if purified human S-antigen was used as a standard. Very low values were found in the retina of a mouse strain homozygous for retinal degeneration-slow.
Institute of Ophthalmology, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
R M
RM
Broekhuyse
E D
ED
Kuhlmann
D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D019393:Arrestin; D001835:Body Weight; D002415:Cats; D002417:Cattle; D004285:Dogs; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D006041:Goats; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D008322:Mammals; D051379:Mice; D009929:Organ Size; D010786:Photoreceptor Cells / Q000254:growth & development; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D012160:Retina / Q000254:growth & development*; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000276:immunology*; D012756:Sheep; D013997:Time Factors
D000941:Antigens; D019393:Arrestin; D005136:Eye Proteins