Antigenic Analysis of Extracts of Human Heart Tissue: Cardiac Antigens with Limited Distribution in other Organs

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Abstract
Summary: The organ specificity of antigenic constituents of human myocardial extracts were studied by immunodiffusion. An antigen limited to heart and kidney (HK) and variably detectable in liver, and a second antigen limited to heart and skeletal muscle (HM) were present in saline extracts of adult human hearts. HK related antigen was present also in extracts of monkey heart but not in hearts of other mammalian species tested. HK antigen could not be detected in the hearts of newborn human infants but was found regularly present in hearts of adults, and was considered to be elaborated sometime after birth. HM antigen was identified as myoglobin. All mammalian species tested showed HM related antigen. The HM antigen was present in human fetuses as early as the 16th week of gestation. The cross-reaction between a streptococcal cell wall antigen and human heart could not be related to HM or HK antigens or to other saline-soluble extractives of human heart, but rather to the particulate sedimentable fraction.

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