ANTIGENS IN IMMUNITY

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Abstract
Summary: Flagella were isolated from Salmonella adelaide and purified. The soluble protein, flagellin, was prepared by treatment of flagella with dilute acid. In the presence of salt, flagellin polymerized to form linear aggregates. Acid dissociation of this polymerized flagellin again yielded flagellin.Flagellin prepared from polymerized flagellin was characterized by analytical ultracentrifugation, column chromatography, cellulose acetate electrophoresis, amino acid and N.‐terminal amino acid analyses. Electron microscopy of polymerized flagellin showed rods similar in appearance and dimensions to native flagella. Zone centrifugation showed both polymerized flagellin and flagella to be polydisperse.Flagella contained about 1 per cent of a substance rich in carbohydrate and phosphorus. Flagellin and polymerized flagellin contained, at most, traces of this substance.Each preparation caused the production of precipitating antibodies in rabbits, and in various serological tests reacted with antibodies to itself and to the other preparations. Double immunodiffusion tests showed that each preparation contained a major and a minor antigen.It was concluded that the three preparations contained the same protein unit but differed mainly in size and structural organization.

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