STUDIES ON THE EFFECTS OF LENS ANTISERUM IN THE CHICK EMBRYO
This work was undertaken to examine the penetration of the immunoglobulins of antiserum to chick lens crystallins into chicken embryos, by the immunofluorescence method. The effects of lens anti- serum on the embryos were also studied. White Leghorn embryos were harvested at various times for 24 hours up to 55 hours of incubation. To examine the process of penetration of the immunoglobulin into the embryo 0.1 ml antiserum was deposited over the embryos through a small hole in the shell. After an additional incubation period of 1 or 12 hours the embryos were fixed with Carnoys and examined by the fluorescence obtained with fluorescent goat gamma-globulin directed against rabbit gamma- globulin (Difco). After observation of a sample from a 55 hour embryo, the Elvanol was removed and the section was treated with antiserum to crystallins, followed by treatment with fluorecent goat anti-rabbit globulin, in order to obtain the normal pattern of crystallin distribution for comparison. The anti-lens crystallins immunoglobulins deposited on the embryos could not penetrate into the lens cells where the lens crystallins were synthesized, but merely entered the intercellular sapces. Furthermore, the gamma-globulin itself was not likely to be the cause of the cytotoxicity observed with the antisera because the lens crystallins antibody could not enter the cells to a precipitin reaction against the lens crystallins in these cells.
