Analysis of wall antigens of Aspergillus fumigatus by two-dimensional immunoelectrophoresis.

Water-soluble and surface-located antigens from Aspergillus fumigatus mycelium were analysed by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2D IEP) with selected sera. A complex pattern was seen when a water-soluble fraction reacted with hyperimmune sera. Significantly fewer precipitin peaks were seen when wall-located antigens were used in the 2D IEP system; this made possible the detection of a small number of recurring antigen-antibody interactions when sera from patients with aspergilloma or allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis were analysed. Many of these recurring precipitates were affected by lectins with specificity for alpha-D-glucose, alpha-D-mannose or N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. All the antigens were susceptible to hydrolysis by pronase, confirming the glycoprotein composition of many of these macromolecules.