Organ specificity of the heart. I. Animal immunization with heterologous heart.

Abstract

Summary 1.Rabbits, guinea pigs and rats were immunized against saline extracts of hearts of heterologous species and the antisera examined in a battery of tests. 2.Gel precipitation, complement fixation, latex agglutination and passive cutaneous anaphylaxis tests all showed cross-reactions between the immunizing heart and other organs of the immunizing species (species-specific reaction). 3.Antiheart antisera reacted in the tanned red cell hemagglutination system with all hearts examined, including that of the immunized animal itself, demonstrating the presence of an organ specific antigen. 4.The specificity of this common heart antigen was confirmed in hemagglutination-inhibition and neutralization tests.