Antigenicity of a Carboxymethylcellulose Bovine Serum Albumin Glycoprotein in Conventional and Germ-free Mice

Abstract

DURING the course of studies on the biological properties of synthetic glycoproteiris it seemed desirable to obtain information as to their antigenic properties. Micheel and co-workers showed that a number of compounds in which carbohydrate was covalently bound to protein were antigenic in their entirety when injected into rabbits^1,2. Good antibody response to Pneumococcal Type III polysaccharide, the components³ of which are structurally similar to those found in carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), has been shown in mice⁴. Since little is known with respect to the antibody response of germ-free animals in general and since mice are one of the easiest animal species to raise under germ-free conditions, it was hoped that this investigation would provide information with respect to the immunological responses of gnotobiotic mice in addition to the antigenic properties of CMC.