Artificial Radioactive Antigens: II. The Metabolism of S35-Sulfanilic Acid-Azo-Bovine- -Globulin in Normal and Immune Mice

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Abstract
The in vivo distribution and excretion of this antigen is studied by following the amt. of S35 present in various organs and in the excreta at intervals from 0.5 to 200 days after intraven. injn. A significantly larger fraction of antigen is retained in the livers of normal than of immune mice while the reverse is true for the skeletal lymph nodes. Radioactivity is not eliminated from the liver or spleen according to a continuous 1st order process and it is suggested that the net rate observed for the liver may be the sum of 2 processes, one giving a half-life of about 1.5 days and the other about 15 days. Evidence that both of these processes may be concerned with the elimination of antigenically active material is discussed. About 1% and 4% of the S35-labeled sulfur present in the liver and spleen, respectively, at 24 hrs. after injn. remained for 200 days. The antigen is preferentially concd. in the mitochondria of the liver and the red pulp of the spleen. A large proportion of the S35 present in supernatents from liver homogenates 17 days after injn. is bound to material too small to sediment at 18,000 g but too large to pass through the wall of Visking cellulose tubing. This S35 activity does not precipitate with anti- 7 globulin serum in the presence of carrier antigen.