Effect of reduction and alkylation on the antigenicity of cartilage proteoglycans.

Immunological studies were carried out on the proteoglycans from chick epiphyseal cartilage and rat chondrosarcoma. The results from immunodiffusion and direct radioimmune precipitation assays appear to indicate that each proteoglycan subunit has both species-specific and species-common antigenic determinants. Reduction and alkylation abolished the antigenicity of the species-specific antigenic determinants of both proteoglycan preparations as determined by immunodiffusion and radioimmune inhibition assays. Some, not all, of the species-common antigenic determinants also were sensitive to the treatment.