Host specificity of a serum marker for hepatitis B: evidence that "e antigen" has the properties of an immunoglobulin.

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Abstract
A family of antigens, referred to collectively as e antigen (eAg), can be detected in sera of some individuals with liver disease who test positive for hepatitis B surface antigen. Studies on eAg partially purified by affinity chromatography on insolubilized antibodies to eAg revealed that eAg has the physicochemical and immunologic properties of an immunoglobulin [Ig], predominantly of the IgG4 subclass, and specific antigenic sites, designated as e determinants, differentiate eAg from other Ig. These determinants may represent idiotypic determinants on antibodies that are formed in response to hepatitis B virus infection and that block the host''s immune surveillance mechanisms by which virus proliferation is stopped.