Abstract
Summary
Sera from 2 species of sharks exhibited a high degree of hemolytic activity for erythrocytes of several foreign species. Natural antibody was absorbed by trypsinized erythrocyte stromata and replaced by shark or turtle antibody. Potentiation by heterologous sensitizers and inactivation by heat, hydrazine, carrageenin, and EDTA suggested that these primitive vertebrates possess C′ systems similar to those of mammals. Quantitative C′ titers were comparable to those of guinea pig sera. Sting ray sera displayed extremely low levels of hemolytic activity which was not potentiated by heterologous sensitizers. Responses to inactivation procedures indicated that this activity might also be C′ mediated. An extreme lability to freezing was characteristic of elasmobranch sera.
Results suggested that no orderly decrease in C′ forming ability occurs as the phylogenetic scale is descended through the elasmobranch level, as has been suggested for other parameters of the immune response.
Field research facilities at Lerner Marine Laboratory, American Museum of Natural History, Bimini, Bahamas, were made available by R. F. Mathewson, Director. We thank Drs. M. M. Sigel and L. W. Clem for cooperation in intiating this research.
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