Separation of Fc-binding serum proteins by preparative flat-bed isotachophoresis.

Preparative flat-bed isotachophoresis with discrete spacers was applied as a single-step procedure to separate 2 Fc-dependent activities of normal chicken serum, i.e., (1) the ability to raise the titre of haemagglutinating allo-antisera which is due to a high molecular weight beta-globulin (HEF), (2) the ability to activate guinea pig complement components in mixed complement reaction. The results demonstrate that the 2 activities can be clearly separated, and HEF must therefore be different from the first complement factor in the chicken. Under the chosen conditions the molecule active in the mixed complement reaction is not stacked in contrast to other serum protein including HEF. The same technique with human serum shows that human Clq behaves in the same was as the chicken complement factor. This means that by selective unstacking, flat-bed isotachophoresis can be used as an efficient single-step purification method for human and chicken Clq.