AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF PROTEOLYSIS ON IGM ENZYME-LINKED-IMMUNOSORBENT-ASSAY TITERS

On the basis of the theory of affinity it is shown that enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay titres cannot increase as a result of proteolysis when all the antibody proteolytic fragments have approximately the sam e association constants as the intact antibody for the reaction with t he antigen and with the enzyme-conjugated antibody. This finding was e xperimentally confirmed by proteolysis experiments carried out with a monoclonal IgM antibody against Lewis(b) antigen using trypsin. The ex perimental results with this particular antibody confirmed thar proteo lysis cannot enhance ELISA titres in hybridoma cultures with serum-fre e medium or with serum-supplemented medium.