Neurath A R, Strick N
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Apr;74(4):1702-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.4.1702.
A family of antigens, referred to collectively as e antigen (eAg), has been detected in sera of some individuals with liver disease who test positive for hepatitis B surface antigen. Studies on eAg partially purified by affinity chromatography on insolubilized antibodies to eAg revealed the following: (i) eAg has the physicochemical and immunologic properties of an immunoglobulin, predominantly of the IgG4 subclass, and (ii) specific antigenic sites, designated as e determinants, differentiate eAg from other immunoglobulins. We suggest that these determinants represent idiotypic determinants on antibodies that are formed in response to hepatitis B virus infection and that block the host's immune surveillance mechanisms by which virus proliferation is stopped.
在一些乙型肝炎表面抗原检测呈阳性的肝病患者血清中，已检测到一类统称为e抗原（eAg）的抗原。对通过针对e抗原的不溶性抗体进行亲和层析部分纯化得到的e抗原的研究显示如下：（i）e抗原具有免疫球蛋白的物理化学和免疫学特性，主要为IgG4亚类；（ii）特定的抗原位点，称为e决定簇，可将e抗原与其他免疫球蛋白区分开来。我们认为，这些决定簇代表了针对乙型肝炎病毒感染产生的抗体上的独特型决定簇，它们会阻断宿主阻止病毒增殖的免疫监视机制。
