Serological Characteristics and Biological Effects of Antibodies Produced by Injection of Thyroid Materials 1

Abstract

Summary

We have studied the relationship of the serological and biological effects of sera from animals immunized with thyroid materials. Thyroglobulin hemagglutinating antibodies, thyroxine (T₄) binding by gamma globulin, the serum content of T₄ and the thyroid-stimulating (McKenzie bioassay) effects of the immune sera were compared.

Use of the double-isotopic McKenzie assay made it possible to distinguish extrathyroidal from thyroidal effects of the immune serum. The extrathyroidal effects of the bioassay correlated strongly with the T₄-binding capacity of gamma globulins detectable by electrophoresis of the immune serum. This, with other evidence, indicated that the same activity was being measured with both methods. Thyroidal effects (¹³¹I-¹²⁵I) in the McKenzie bioassay appeared not to be due to T₄ binding, yet T₄ binding was always present in such sera.

Thyroglobulin (HTg) hemagglutination did not depend on thyroxine specific determinants since T₄ did not inhibit hemagglutination.