The Antigenicity of Soluble Porcine Elasjins: I. Measurement of Antibody by A Radioevemunoassay

Abstract

Immunization of rabbits with either porcine tropoelastin, lung α-elastin, or aortic α-elastin resulted in the production of antibodies against the respective antigens. The assay of antibody activity with a radioimmunoassay indicated a high degree of cross reactivity between these three soluble elastin preparations. Through the use of competitive protein binding experiments it was possible to detect antigen-specific differences between tropoelastin and the two α-elastins. No antigenic differences were observed between lung or aortic α-elastin by any of the assay procedures used in this investigation. Absorption of the various antisera with either insolubilized tropoelastin, lung elastin or aortic elastin allowed the preparation of non-crossreactive antibodies and provided further evidence for the antigenic differences between tropoelastin and the soluble α-elastins. The implications of the findings, as they relate to our current understanding of the molecular and structural arrangement of elastin and the elastin precursor, are discussed.