ON CROSS REACTIONS OF IMMUNE SERA TO AZOPROTEINS

Azoproteins have been prepared with azocomponents possessing two serologically active groups. On immunization with such antigens immune sera were obtained containing two separate, unrelated antibodies, each specific for one of the two groups and separable by absorption. In other cases one of the two structures was dominant, in that antibodies were formed only towards this and not towards the other grouping. The specificity of the antibodies was in general found to be influenced to some extent by the presence of a second group in the antigen. The relevancy of these observations for antibodies directed against natural antigens has been noted.