Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Clinical Investigation logoLink to The Journal of Clinical Investigation
. 1974 Jul;54(1):122–127. doi: 10.1172/JCI107733

Antibodies to Human Albumin in Cirrhotic Sera

S Hauptman 1, T B Tomasi Jr 1
PMCID: PMC301531  PMID: 4857904

Abstract

In a previous paper we described a monoclonal IgM protein with antibody-like activity towards aggregated and native albumin. The present study was initiated to determine whether sera, other than that from patients with macroglobulinemia, contained similar antibody-like activity. It was demonstrated that approximately 40% of the sera from patients with classical Laennec's cirrhosis contained antibodies which agglutinate sheep red blood cells coated with aggregated albumin. The hemagglutinating activity was present in the void volume on Sephadex G-200 chromatography and was shown to be an immunoglobulin by its removal on passage over an anti-L-chain immunoadsorbent column. The immunoglobulin was isolated from cirrhotic sera by chromatography on an albumin immunoadsorbent column. The acid eluate from the albumin affinity column contained only IgA. After labeling this IgA with 125I and obtaining the Fabα fragment by proteolysis, it was shown that the labeled Fabα complexed noncovalently with aggregated albumin. Complex formation between albumin and the cirrhotic IgA and Fabα could also be demonstrated utilizing facilitation of hemagglutination of sheep red blood cells coated with aggregated albumin. Appropriate controls consisting of normal and myeloma IgA and myeloma Fabα fragments failed to show evidence of complex formation with albumin. We propose that the restriction of the antibody response to the IgA class may result from the formation of antibodies against albumin altered during metabolism in the gastrointestinal tract. A possible role for anti-albumin antibodies in normal albumin catabolism and in the pathogenesis of Laennec's cirhosis is discussed.

Full text

PDF
122

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Allen J. C., Kunkel H. G. Hidden rheumatoid factors with specificity for native gamma globulins. Arthritis Rheum. 1966 Dec;9(6):758–768. doi: 10.1002/art.1780090603. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BOYDEN S. V. The adsorption of proteins on erythrocytes treated with tannic acid and subsequent hemagglutination by antiprotein sera. J Exp Med. 1951 Feb;93(2):107–120. doi: 10.1084/jem.93.2.107. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Fudenberg H., Mandy W. J., Nisonoff A. SEROLOGIC STUDIES OF PROTEOLYTIC FRAGMENTS OF RABBIT AGGLUTINATING ANTIBODIES. J Clin Invest. 1962 Dec;41(12):2123–2134. doi: 10.1172/JCI104670. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. HEIMER R., LEVIN F. M., RUDD E. GLOBULINS RESEMBLING RHEUMATOID FACTOR IN SERUM OF THE AGED. Am J Med. 1963 Aug;35:175–181. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(63)90208-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. HOROWITZ M. I., HOLLANDER F. Serum proteins in anacid gastric mucinous secretions. J Biol Chem. 1961 Mar;236:770–773. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hadziyannis S., Feizi T., Scheuer P. J., Sherlock S. Immunoglobulin-containing cells in the liver. Clin Exp Immunol. 1969 Nov;5(5):499–514. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hauptman S., Tomasi T. B., Jr A monoclonal IgM protein with antibody-like activity for human albumin. J Clin Invest. 1974 Mar;53(3):932–940. doi: 10.1172/JCI107634. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. JEFFRIES G. H., HOLMAN H. R., SLEISENGER M. H. Plasma proteins and the gastrointestinal tract. N Engl J Med. 1962 Mar 29;266:652–660. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196203292661307. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. KRITZMAN J., KUNKEL H. G., MCCARTHY J., MELLORS R. C. Studies of a Waldenstrom-type macroglobulin with rheumatoid factor properties. J Lab Clin Med. 1961 Jun;57:905–917. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lawrence T. G., Jr, Williams R. C., Jr Studies of human anti-gamma-globulin factors reacting with pepsin-digested gamma-globulins. J Exp Med. 1967 Feb 1;125(2):233–248. doi: 10.1084/jem.125.2.233. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Mannik M., Stage D. E. Antibody-agarose immunoadsorbents: complete removal of classes of immunoglobulins from serum. J Immunol. 1971 Jun;106(6):1670–1672. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. McConahey P. J., Dixon F. J. A method of trace iodination of proteins for immunologic studies. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1966;29(2):185–189. doi: 10.1159/000229699. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Metzger H. Characterization of a human macroglobulin. V. A Waldenström macroglobulin with antibody activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1967 May;57(5):1490–1497. doi: 10.1073/pnas.57.5.1490. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Murgita R. A., Mattioli C. A., Tomasi T. B., Jr Production of a runting syndrome and selective A deficiency in mice by the administration of anti-heavy chain antisera. J Exp Med. 1973 Jul 1;138(1):209–228. doi: 10.1084/jem.138.1.209. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. OSTERLAND C. K., HARBOE M., KUNKEL H. G. Anti-gamma-globulin factors in human sera revealed by enzymatic splitting of anti-Rh antibodies. Vox Sang. 1963 Mar-Apr;8:133–152. doi: 10.1111/j.1423-0410.1963.tb03290.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Rothschild M. A., Oratz M., Schreiber S. S. Albumin metabolism. Gastroenterology. 1973 Feb;64(2):324–337. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Solomon A., Kunkel H. G. A "monoclonal" type, low molecular weight protein related to gamma-M-macroglobulins. Am J Med. 1967 Jun;42(6):958–967. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(67)90076-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Vaerman J. P., Heremans J. F. Origin and molecular size of immunoglobulin-A in the mesenteric lymph of the dog. Immunology. 1970 Jan;18(1):27–38. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Waldmann T. A., Johnson J. S., Talal N. Hypogammaglobulinemia associated with accelerated catabolism of IgG secondary to its inteaction with an IgG-reactive monoclonal IgM. J Clin Invest. 1971 Apr;50(4):951–959. doi: 10.1172/JCI106567. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Waller M., Curry N., Mallory J. Immunochemical and serological studies of enzymatically fractionated human IgG globulins. I. Hydrolysis with pepsin, papain, ficin and bromelin. Immunochemistry. 1968 Nov;5(6):577–583. doi: 10.1016/0019-2791(68)90093-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Investigation are provided here courtesy of American Society for Clinical Investigation

RESOURCES