T-Proteine des Streptococcus pyogenes II. Mitteilung: Präparation spezifischer Immunadsorbentien zur Isolierung von T-Antikörpern und Untersuchungen der T4/24… Agglutinationsgruppe

The T4-antigen(s) in Streptococcus pyogenes standard type strains of the T4/24… pattern was (were) investigated in regard to the uniformity or diversity of the antigen(s) in this T-complex. Tryptic T-extracts of types 4, 24, 26, 28, 29, 46, 48, 60 were purified by ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. Anti-T4-antibodies were isolated by immunoadsorption chromatography on AH-sepharose linked T4-antigen.

Purified T4-antigen showed in SDS-electrophoresis a similar multiple molecular size structure as T1-antigen described earlier. Comparative serological studies of T-antigens of types 4, 24, 29 and 46 revealed reactions of identity to anti-T 4-antibodies in Ouchterlony tests. Extracts of types 26, 28, 48 and 60 did not precipitate with anti-T 4-antibodies, but types 28 and 48 showed crossreaction to the relevant antisera (anti-T28 and anti-T48, resp.) obviously caused by traces of R-28 antigen in both antigen preparations. Strains of the types 4, 24, 29, 46, 48 and 60 were agglutinated by anti-T 4-antibodies. The reaction could be inhibited by T4-antigen. The strains of types 26 and 28 used in our experiments did not contain T4-antigen.

Agglutination as well as immunoprecipitation reactions with specific antibodies prepared by immunochromatography proved the existence of common T4-antigenic determinants in types 4, 24, 29, 46, 48 and 60.