Abstract
Summary
The “transfer”to soluble I∗BSA-anti BSA complexes of guinea pig complement which had previously been fixed to S III-anti S III and Ea-anti Ea precipitates has been demonstrated. This “transfer”of complement was achieved if the complement containing precipitates were added directly to the complexes or first dissociated with excess antigen. It was found that Ca++ and Mg++ inhibited this “transfer”of complement. The only detectable component of complement released from antibody-antigen-complement precipitates by excess antigen was hemolytically active C′1. Complement which had been fixed to Ea-anti Ea precipitates retarded the establishment of the equilibrium between antibody and antigen when excess antigen was added to these precipitates. It was also shown that the time during which precipitates (antibody + antigen or antibody + antigen + complement) were incubated had only a minor effect on the rate of dissociation of the precipitates with excess antigen.
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