Immunochemical Properties of Cold Haemagglutinins

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Abstract
In six cases of the cold haemagglutinin syndrome, the isolated cold haemagglutinin was electrophoretically markedly homogeneous when compared with the total γ1‐macroglobulin of the same sera and consisted of group I molecules only. In three of the cases, individually specific antigenic determinants were demonstrated on the isolated cold haemagglutinin. These determinants were unrelated to the antibody specificity. In one serum it could be demonstrated that only cold haemagglutinin molecules contained the individually specific antigenic determinants, and they were present on all molecules with cold haemagglutinin activity. By dissociation of the γ1‐macroglobulin molecules, cold haemagglutinin activity and individually specific antigenic determinants were lost. By removal of the reducing agent, the macroglobulin molecules reassociated with return of both phenomena.
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