Characterization of the Fv Fragment Isolated from a Human Immunoglobulin M

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Abstract
A fragment composed of the variable regions of heavy and light chains was isolated from a Waldenström IgM(Hi) protein (κ-type). This fragment was obtained almost quantitatively either by direct peptic digestion of the IgM at pH 4.5, or by peptic digestion of the Fabµ fragment produced by papain digestion of the IgM. The fragment, which was called Fv fragment, had a molecular weight of 30,000. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the antigenicity indicated that this fragment carried essentially all the antigenicity of the variable region of the Hi protein, except some of that of the variable region of κ chain; but it carried only a trace, if any, of the antigenicity of constant region. The results showed that the variable regions of heavy and light chains of an IgM molecule were isolated in their associated form maintaining the structural integrity as in the native molecule.

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