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  • Volume 58 , Number 4
  • Page: 726
CORRESPONDENCE

Isolation and identification of a substance from serum of leprosy patients

E. Garcia Lima; C. J. Laura






To The Editor:

Sera from healthy persons and leprosy patients (5320 sera) who had various forms of the disease were examined using the reaction of Rubino (1-6). Sera from some patients which gave a positive reaction were selected and submitted to fractionation on a Sephadex column. A fraction containing agglutination activity for sheep erythrocytes was isolated. This activity was evident only after the fractionation procedure. The active fraction was immediately concentrated and lyophilized. In order to observe a positive reaction of agglutination, it was necessary to use recently prepared erythrocytes. The isolated substance had a molecular weight of 76 kDa (7), an isoelectric point (8) of 5.70, and has high activity in causing the agglutination of sheep erythrocytes. The chemical structure is being determined (9).

 

- E. Garcia Lima

Associate Professor of Immunology

- C. J. Laura

Associate Professor of Biochemistry
Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirao Preto
Universidade de Sao Paulo
14.049 Ribeirão Preto, S.P., Brasil

 

REFERENCES

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2. RUBINO, M. C. Nuevas reacciones serologicas de la lepra. Rev. Soe. Argent. Biol. 2(1926)407-416.

3. RUBINO, M. C. Nouvelle réaction sérologiquc dans la Lépre. Rev. Med. Urug. 32(1929)85-116.

4. RUBINO, M. C. Séro-diagnostique de la lépre par l'agglutino-sedimcntation des globules de mouton formoles. Ann. Immunol. 47(1931)147-172.

5. RUBINO, M. C. Ueber die antihaemolytischen Eingenschaften des Menschen serums. Zentralbl. Bakteriol. 120(1931)145-150.

6. RUBINO, M. C. Untersuchungen zur Verwendung Formol-fixiertcr Hammelblutkoerperchen in der Serodiagnostik.Zentralbl. Baktceriol. 120(1931)378-384.

7. TANFORD, C, KAWAHARA, K. and LAPANJE, S. Proteins as random coils. 1. Intrinsic viscosities and sedimentation coefficients in concentrated guanidine hydrochloride. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 89(1967)729-736.

8. VESTERBERGER, O. Isoelectric focusing of proteins in polyacrylamide gels. Biochem. Biophys. Acta 257(1972)11-19.

9. WEBER, K. and OSBORN, M. The reliability of molecular weight determinations by dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. J. Biol. Chem. 244(1969)4400-4412.

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