A Continuously Recording Scanning Device for Radio-Chromatographic Analysis of Labelled Antigen-Antibody Reactions.

Abstract

An evaluation is presented of a continuously recording counter device which has been adapted to the scanning of radio chromatograms. This method has been applied to a chromatographic method of demonstrating and measuring the reaction between I131-labelled bovine serum albumin and its antiserum. Substantial agreement has been obtained between the maximum precipitation zone found by this method and that obtained by a standard method. The method permits quantitative measurement of precipitin reactions with 1% of the quantity of antiserum required by the usual methods. Further it has been possible to demonstrate soluble antigen-antibody complexes in the region of antigen excess and has facilitated the study of other protein-protein complexes under conditions in which all components are soluble. Studies are in progress which promise to provide some theoretical treatment of the chromatography of proteins.