Immunochemical Study of Antigenic Specificity in Delayed Hypersensitivity

Abstract

Heating, iodination, dinitrophenylation and disulfide bond cleavage, in increasing order, were found to reduce the ability of bovine serum albumin and ribonuclease to precipitate with rabbit antibody. A parallel decrease was noted in the ability of these modified antigens to produce anaphylactic sensitivity in guinea pigs to the native antigens. Ability to produce delayed hypersensitivity in guinea pigs to native antigens was markedly diminished in all cases. It was concluded that no dissociation of antigenic properties in respect to precipitation with antibody and production of anaphylactic or delayed sensitivity was produced by these alterations.