Correlation of Charge Properties of Human Reaginic Antibodies with Charge of the Corresponding Allergens

Abstract

Reaginic (skin-sensitizing) antibodies in the sera of ragweed allergic individuals show considerable heterogeneity in elution properties when chromatographed on the anion exchanger, DEAE-Sephadex (1, 2). Evidence was obtained (3) that the chromatographic heterogeneity was primarily due to charge and not to size differences between the reaginic antibody molecules. A basis for charge heterogeneity of antibody molecules in general was suggested by the recent finding of Sela and Mozes (4) that specific rabbit antibodies vary in their overall charge depending (inversely) on the net charge of the corresponding immunogen. The availability of two purified ragweed pollen allergens, antigen Ra.3 (5) and antigen E (6), which differ in net charge as well as other physicochemical and immunologic properties, made it possible to investigate whether a similar relationship might obtain for human reagins formed to the allergenic constituents of ragweed pollen.