Passive sensitization of skin and lung by guinea-pig immunoglobulins.

Guinea-pig γ1- and γ2-globulins have been purified by preparative electrophoresis followed by chromatography. No γ1-globulin was detectable in purified γ2-globulin, but purified γ1-globulin always contained fast γ2-globulin. Normal guinea-pig serum contained much less γ1-globulin than immune serum. Antisera prepared against normal guinea-pig serum did not contain useful amounts of antibody specific for γ1-globulin. Guinea-pig lung tissue was sensitized by very low concentrations of guinea-pig γ1-globulin (of the order of 6×10-10 molar) but γ2-globulin antibodies were almost inactive. No evidence was found that the trace of activity in γ2-globulin was not due to very slight contamination with γ1-globulin antibodies. The finding that γ1-globulin antibodies are far more potent than γ2-globulin antibodies in sensitizing skin has been confirmed, but several lines of evidence suggest that γ2-globulin antibodies may also have weak activity. Thus quantitative passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) tests showed that whenever the γ2-globulin fraction contained antibody it appeared far more potent relative to γ1-globulin than when the same proteins were tested on lung tissue. The PCA activity of moderate amounts of purified γ2-globulin antibodies disappeared faster than the skin sensitization produced by small amounts of γ1-globulin antibodies, and the γ2-globulin preparations did not contain enough γ1-globulin impurity to account for their PCA activity. No inhibition of skin responses was observed with the largest doses of antigen tested. The most plausible explanation of these results is that, under the conditions of our experiments, γ2-globulin antibody had weak PCA activity. Objections to this hypothesis are discussed. The PCA activity of γ2-globulin antibody probably involves a mechanism different from that of the sensitization produced by the highly potent γ1-globulin antibody.