34] The raji, conglutinin, and anti-C3 assays for the detection of complement-fixing immune complexes

Abstract

This chapter describes the Raji, conglutinin, and anti-C3 assays for the detection of complement-fixing immune complexes. The notion that immune complexes (ICs) play a part in the pathogenesis of infectious, autoimmune, and neoplastic disorders have good circumstantial support on immunological grounds and from various experimental animal models. Two main approaches have been used in order to demonstrate the occurrence of ICs in human and animal diseases. The approaches include the analysis of tissue specimens and the serological analysis of samples, from various biological fluids. In tissues, the deposition of ICs is established, by conventional histological or histochemical methods. Antiserum to human IgG is prepared in rabbits and the IgG fraction is isolated, by ammonium sulfate precipitation, followed by fractionation on a column containing DEAE-52. The Raji cell technique is easy to perform, reproducible, and requires only small amounts of serum. The antigens related to the diseases under study can be demonstrated on the surface of these cells, by using immunofluorescence and radiolabeled-antibody techniques.