[The anodically moving thermolabile antigen (ATA) of gram-negative bacteria: its molecular heterogeneity and its chemical composition].

The anodically-moving thermolabile antigen (ATA) of gram-negative bacteria represents a glycolipoprote in. In aqueous solution ATA exhibits heterogeneity of the molecular size, the range varying between 2.10(4) and 8.10(5) Daltons. In the molecular range between 5.10(4) and 8.10(5) all the molecular states give precipitation lines with the corresponding antisera. It could be shown that all the molecular states of ATA are formed by different aggregation of the same subunit with a molecular weight of approximatively 22000.