Immunochemical Studies on Tobacco Mosaic Virus. VI. The Effect of Papain on the Antibody-Antigen Complex

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Abstract
Summary: The papain treatment of the antibody-antigen complex of tobacco mosaic virus results in digestion of the antibody and release of the virus which, physically, behaves as native, intact virus. Supporting evidence is presented by which it is shown that stubs of antibody still remain attached. The identification of both methionine and histidine in the complex isolated virus indicates the presence of antibody globulin, for neither of these amino-acid residues is found in native virus. In addition, the specific serological reaction with anti-rabbit-globulin serum reveals antibody to be a part of the papain-isolated complex. This attached residual antibody accounts for the decreased infectivity of the isolated preparations, but no plausible explanation can be offered for the greater serological activity of the virus thus isolated.