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Studies on Organ Specificity

XVIII. Immunologic and Biophysical Characterization of Canine Prostatic Fluid¹

From the Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, School of Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, and the Veterans Administration Hospital, Buffalo, New York

Abstract

It was shown that canine prostatic fluid contains strong antigenic activity, as judged from antibody response in rabbits. A significant part of this antigenic mixture represented prostatespecific antigens, as shown by passive hemagglutination with antiserum absorbed by canine serum and also by gel diffusion precipitation. The remaining activity is due to serum antigens, easily distinguished in gel diffusion and in hemagglutination by absorbed antiserum. It was shown that there is no cross-reaction with other canine tissues, such as bladder, testis, kidney, liver, spleen, heart, muscle and brain. There was a reaction with prostate extract and with seminal plasma; these reflect their content of prostatic fluid constituents. Therefore, prostatic fluid can be added to the list of tissues showing this property of tissue specificity. The antigen also seems to be species-restricted.

The prostate-specific antigens consisted primarily of three very similar components, plus a fourth antigen, which was quite distinctive.

Filter paper electrophoresis revealed four components, with the slowest-migrating peak constituting about 93% of the total. It had a mobility similar to that of serum -globulin. This major component, in ultracentrifugal examination, was seen as a sedimenting component with sedimentation coefficient of 2.7 S. A very minor peak of 15.6 S was also seen; sometimes one or two additional small peaks were present.

The degree of admixture of serum or serum-like antigens and proteins has been discussed.

Footnotes

¹ This investigation was supported in part by Research Grants CA-02357 and CA-07744 from the National Cancer Institute, United States Public Health Service, Bethesda, Maryland.

² Recipient of Research Career Award K6-AI-1377 from the United States Public Health Service, Bethesda, Maryland.