Protease inhibitors in porcine serum and their immunological relationships to human protease inhibitors.

A close molecular relationship exists between the protease inhibitors of porcine serum and those of human serum as shown by studying their immunological cross-reactivities with gel diffusion and immunoelectrophoretic methods. On studying seven different antisera to human protease inhibitors, five were found to cross-react with porcine serum, and on this bisis it was possible to identify alpha 2 -macroglobulin f, alpha 2 -macroglobulin s, alpha 1 -protease inhibitor, inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor, antithrombin and alpha 2 -antiplasmin in porcine serum. Antisera to four of these porcine serum inhibitors (alpha 2 -macroglobulin f, alpha 2 -macroglobulin s, alpha 1 -protease inhibitor and inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor) were produced and were shown to react immunologically with their human serum protease inhibitor counterparts.