Specificity of anti-LH-RH antisera induced by different immunogens

Abstract

Immunochemical studies often anti-LH-RH antisera induced by four different immunogens in rabbits are reported. The apparent association constants of the hapten-antibody complexes ranged from 1.3 × 10 8 to 4.3 × 10 11 M −1. The specificity was investigated by testing cross-reaction of twenty LH-RH fragments in a LH-RH radioimmunoassay system. The antisera raised by the synthetic decapeptide linked to bovine serum albumin by carbodiimide or bisdiazotized benzidine showed similar C-terminal specificities. The 3–10 LH-RH sequence was the immunodominant group of the antigenic determinant. Opposite results were observed with an antiserum elicited by charcoal-adsorbed LH-RH. This antiserum recognized an N-terminal antigenic determinant encompassing at least the 1–7 sequence. One of the antisera produced by injection of an azoderivative of LH-RH coupled to BSA by carbodiimide specifically recognized the entire decapeptide.