Studies on Egg White and Its Constituents by Immunochemical Techniques in Gelified Media: Specific Precipitation by Double Diffusion and Immunoelectrophoretic Analysis

Abstract

Summary The constituents of egg white and certain of its fractions were studied immunochemically, principally by double diffusion in agar and immunoelectrophoresis. Ovomucoid was electrophoretically homogenous, but by specific precipitation in agar it appeared to contain two constituents with immunochemical specificities related to ovalbumin. Lysozyme was found among the α-globulins but, because of its partial insolubility under the experimental conditions, its electrophoretic behavior in agar was abnormal. Egg white contained three groups of ovoglobulins, according to their electrophoretic mobilities in agar, each of which was composed of at least two or three constituents. The fraction precipitated by 40% saturation with ammonium sulfate was the fraction rich in globulins. The immunoelectrophoretic composition of euglobulin preparations was different from that of pseudoglobulin preparations. The chief difference was in the absence of demonstrable γ-globulin in the euglobulin preparations. The solubilization of ovomucin in alkaline solution gave a preparation containing an antigen fround only in this fraction. Avidin did not precipitate antibodies in any of the sera used in these studies.