Title:

A Quantitative Study of the Precipitin Reaction between Type III Pneumococcus Polysaccharide and Purified Homologous Antibody

Creator:

Heidelberger, Michael
Kendall, Forrest E.

Date:

December 1929

Description:

In this article, Heidelberger detailed his findings of what happened when he conducted a precipitin reaction between the polysaccharides of type III pneumococcus and its homologous antibody (an antibody formed against a specific antigen, here type III pneumococcal polysaccharide). Heidelberger demonstrated that when an antigen in solution is exposed to its homologous antibodies, a solid precipitant is formed which can be analyzed by chemical methods to identify its components. Heidelberger developed this so-called precipitin reaction into a powerful experimental method in immunochemistry. It was part of his effort to persuade critics that the polysaccharides, not rogue protein contaminants, were responsible for the antigenic effect he had previously observed.

Periodical:

Journal of Experimental Medicine

Publisher:

Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research

Rights:

Reproduced from the Journal of Experimental Medicine, 1929, 50, 809-823 by copyright permission of the Rockefeller University Press.

Genre:

Articles

Subject:

Streptococcus pneumoniae, Antibodies, Pneumococcal Infections, and Polysaccharides

Format:

Text

Extent:

15 pages

Language:

English

Legacy Source Citation:

Periodical. Heidelberger, Michael, and Forrest E. Kendall. "A Quantitative Study of the Precipitin Reaction between Type III Pneumococcus Polysaccharide and Purified Homologous Antibody." Journal of Experimental Medicine 50, 6 (December 1929): 809-823. Article. 15 Images.. Journal of Experimental Medicine

Legacy ID:

DHBBBM

NLM ID:

101584940X10

Profiles Collection:

The Michael Heidelberger Papers

Shareable Link:

https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/101584940X10

Story Section:

Antigens and Antibodies: Heidelberger and The Rise of Quantitative Immunochemistry, 1928-1954