Immunogenic collagen in induced ascitic fluid: concurrent preparation of anti-murine immunoglobulin E.

Antiserum to murine immunoglobulin (Ig) E was produced by inoculation of goats with a pool of partially purified IgE from serum and adjuvant-induced ascitic fluid. Antibodies to collagen were found to be present in the antiserum when the latter was conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate and applied to mouse pulmonic tissue. The intense connective tissue fluorescence was eliminated following absorption with mouse collagen. Immunogenic collagen components were presumed to arise in ascitic fluid as a consequence of the adjuvant-induced inflammation. Ascitic fluid is commonly used when large volumes of serum proteins are collected from small mammals. It is suggested that ascitic fluid may not be an ideal antigen source when antiserum is to be used for immunofluorescence studies on tissue.