title: Immunological studies with human aortic elastin.
abstract: Antibodies to human fetal aortic elastin were isolated from sheep immunized with alpha-elastin peptides. In preliminary tests of specificity using passive hemagglutination, partial cross-reactivity was demonstrated with alpha-elastin from other species. However, in a double antibody radio-immunoassay alpha-elastin peptides from other mammalian species failed to compete with 125I-labelled human alpha elastin. These results suggest the existence of at least two different antigenic sites on the elastin molecule. One, a high affinity site, demonstrates species specificity at low antigen/antibody concentrations. The other, a low affinity site, is common to mammalian elastins and is demonstrated at high antibody/antigen concentrations. In the radioimmunoassay the antibodies showed considerably less avidity for adult human alpha-elastin than for the fetal antigen. This implies that the species specific site is age-dependent and probably involves the cross-linking region of the elastin molecule. Using the sheep antiserum immunohistochemical staining of elastic tissue has been developed. This should prove to be a useful technique for studying polymeric elastin in intact tissue by light microscopy and at the ultrastructural level.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001011:Aorta / Q000276:immunology*; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004549:Elastin / Q000276:immunology*; D000939:Epitopes; D005333:Fetus / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007158:Immunologic Techniques; D008322:Mammals / Q000276:immunology; D011487:Protein Conformation; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D000939:Epitopes; D004549:Elastin