The selective transmission of bovine gamma-globulins across the gut of suckling rodents.

The anti- agglutinins of the γG-globulin class in a bovine immune serum chromatographed on DEAE-Sephadex were eluted into two fractions with differing mean electrophoretic mobilities. Although the slower agglutinins were readily transmitted across the gut of young rats fed with these proteins they were detectable in the circulation only as incomplete antibodies; the faster γG-agglutinins were barely transmitted. The transmission characteristics in young rodents of electrophoretic sub-fractions of normal bovine γG-globulin separated by chromatography from a commercial γ-globulin preparation were also studied. This preparation comprised two molecular species of γG-globulins (γ and γ) with distinct mobilities, antigenicities and transmission characteristics. Their mobilities and transmission characteristics were not related. Retrospectively, the slow anti- agglutinins which were readily transmitted in young rats were probably γ-globulins, and the fast agglutinins which were barely transmitted were γ-globulins.