THE MODIFICATION OF ANTIBODIES BY FORMALDEHYDE

Certain strains of bacteria which have only minimal zeta potentials over a wide range of pH, and upon which surface deposits can be formed, afford a favorable means of studying certain chemical and physical properties of the surface deposits. Films of specific antibody-globulin upon these bacteria possess basic groups which can combine with formaldehyde. Combination of these groups with HCHO under the conditions of the present experiments shifts the isoelectric point of the sensitizing film toward the acid side by about 0.6 to 0.8 pH unit, and reduces the agglutinating tendency of the sensitizing film. Antibodies may be formalinized before combination with antigen without marked change in their specific combining affinities. The properties of the sensitizing films are similar whether formol treatment occurs before or after the antigen-antibody combination. The nature of the basic groups has been discussed.