19S Antibodies as Mediators of Pulmonary Edema Produced in Rats by Nephrotoxic Serum 1

Abstract

Summary

Nephrotoxic sera were prepared in rabbits with rat kidney cortex homogenate in complete Freund adjuvant. The γ-globulins were precipitated with (NH₄)₂SO₄ and fractionated through gel filtration in Sephadex G-200. Antibodies responsible for the production of pulmonary edema in rat and capable of fixing complement were consistently associated with the 19S form of immunoglobulins; both these activities were destroyed by reduction with 2-mercaptoethanol followed by alkylation with iodoacetamide. The antibodies associated with the 7S immunoglobulins were revealed by gel double-diffusion analysis, possessed low capacity to fix complement, and only occasionally produced slight symptoms of pulmonary edema. The 19S antibodies were present in rabbit serum 8 days after the immunization and reached peak titers by days 15–18. The 7S antibodies, on the other hand, only were present 1 week after the booster.