Immunological properties of procollagens obtained from the culture medium of dermatosparactic cells.

Rabbit antisera were produced against purified calf dermatosparatic procollagen and against the purified procollagens obtained from the culture medium of calf dermatosparatic cells. These antisera and their derived gamma-globulins were characterized by immunoprecipitation, double immunodiffusion and immunoelectrophoresis. Antiserum directed against dermatosparatic procollagen cross-reacted with the two different forms of procollagen obtained from the culture medium of dermatosparatic calf cells. Antiserum directed against onw of these procollagens, namely (pro alpha1)2 pro alpha2, cross reacted with dermatosparatic procollagen and also cross-reacted with the other procollagen,(pro alpha1)3. Antiserum directed against procollagen (pro alpha1)3 cross-reacted with dermatosparatic procollagen and with the procollagen (pro alpha1)2 pro alpha2. None of the antisera reacted with authentic calf skin collagen, or with the collagen extracted from the cell layer of the dermatosparatic calf cells in culture. Reduction andalkylation of the procollagens abolished the antigen-antibody reactions, while prior digestion of the antigens with bacterial collagenase did not eliminate the immunological reaction. Antigenic determinants in the cell culture procollagens were found at the COOH-terminal non-collagen peptide as well as at the NH2-terminal non-collagen peptide.