Non-specific binding of mouse IgM antibodies to lipid antigens.

Galactocerebroside (GC) is a major component expressed on the surface of oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells. It plays a role in neuronal-glial interaction that results in myelinization. In this paper we describe a method to estimate anti-GC antibodies by ELISA. Furthermore we found that IgM antibodies of mice immunized with GC-unrelated antigens, and which are not specific for GC, bind in a non-specific way to this compound. Thus only assays which avoid the detection of IgM antibody can be used to estimate anti-GC antibodies. Moreover, we showed that serum of immunized mice bind also non-specifically to brain cells of newborn mice.