An electron microscope study of three-component immune complexes.
Immune electron microscopy has been used to examine the appearance of three-component complexes. The three components are antigen, supplied by two dissimilar viruses, antibody, and a secondary immune reactant. Secondary reagents used in the study are antispecies immunoglobulin (anti-IgG), rheumatoid factor (RF), and complement. Each of these secondary reagents produced cross-linking between antigenically unrelated immune complexes, and it was found possible to distinguish visually the mixed complexes produced by each of them. The significance of the appearance of these mixed complexes is discussed and related to the neutralisation enhancement that can occur in the presence of secondary immune reactants. The appearance of the complexes is also related to the false positive results that can be obtained in carrying out solid phase immunoassays.
D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000276:immunology; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D010222:Parainfluenza Virus 1, Human / Q000276:immunology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor / Q000276:immunology; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D003165:Complement System Proteins; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor