Specificity of Antibodies Produced by Linear Antigenic Polypeptides of a Known Primary Structure: Synthesis and Use of Poly(L-tyrosyl-γ-glycyl-L-glutamyl-L-alanylglycyl)glycine Methyl Ester

Abstract

The specificity of antibodies formed in rabbits in response to the antigenic challenge of poly(l-tyrosyl-l-glutamyl-l- alanylglycyl)glycine-l-"C ethyl ester (I) was studied with respect to the role of the glutamyl residue. For this purpose the polypeptide poly(l-tyrosyl-7-glycyl-l-glutamyl-l-alanylglycyl)glycine methyl ester (II) was prepared. When using this material, it was found by cross-reaction and absorption studies that the antibodies to the antigen I possess a high affinity for the 7-carboxyl groups of the glutamyl residue.