Precipitin Reactions of Highly Purified Influenza Viruses and Related Materials

Abstract

Antisera to purified PR8 virus, to purified protein from normal allantoic fluid, and to purified normal mouse lung particles were obtained from hyper-immunized rabbits and used in quantitative precipitin tests employing various purified preparations of influenza virus and related materials as antigens. The results of those tests indicated that the most highly purified preparations of PR8 or of Lee influenza virus obtained from infectious allantoic fluid contain an antigen characteristic of normal allantoic fluid and likewise that highly purified mouse lung PR8 virus contains an antigen characteristic of normal mouse lungs. Since the infectivity of virus preparations which were ultracentrifugally and electrochemically homogeneous was precipitated by the appropriate antisera to normal antigens, it was concluded that the normal antigens constitute a part of the 100 mµ particles with which influenza virus activity is at present deemed to be associated. It was estimated from quantitative precipitin data that the most highly purified preparations of PR8 and of Lee influenza viruses obtained from infectious allantoic fluid contain at least about 20 and 30 per cent, respectively, of an antigenic structure characteristic of the sedimentable protein of normal allantoic fluid.

Viral Oncolysis: Increased Immunogenicity of Host Cell Antigen Associated With Influenza Virus

“…Influenza and Newcastle disease viruses are known to incorporate host materials into their envelopes (1,2,3,4,5,6,30,31,32). Sindbis, an arbovirus, contains host-derived antigens (4).…”

Amino Acid Composition of Highly Purified Viral Particles of Influenza a and B

“…In this connection, it can be seen from the results shown in Table I that the composition of the sedimentable particles of normal allantoic fluid closely resembles that of Lee virus in eight or nine cases and that of PR8 virus in four or five respects. However, a dose and perhaps fundamental relationship has been established among these materials by immunochemical studies (11).…”

“…Preparation of Virus for Assay.--Higldy purified preparations of the PR8 and Lee strains of influenza virus were obtained from allantoie fluids of infected chick embryos by a combination of the methods of differential centrifugation and adsorption on and elution from chicken red cells (8)(9)(10)(11)(12). Such preparations were found to consist of particles which were highly active biologically and which were uniform in size, in electrochemical behavior, and in serological reactions (11).…”

“…Such preparations were found to consist of particles which were highly active biologically and which were uniform in size, in electrochemical behavior, and in serological reactions (11). The purified viruses were freed of salt and dried as recently described (15).…”

“…In view of these findings, it was naturally of interest to determine whether or not similar chemical differences exist between strains or types of an animal virus. Highly purified preparations of influenza viruses (8)(9)(10)(11)(12) were available for this purpose and the PR8 strain of influenza A and the Lee strain of influenza B were chosen for comparison. These viruses produce clinically indistinguishable diseases (13) and appear t 9 be very similar in gross chemical properties (9).…”