I. Heterogeneity of V-Antigens Obtained by Disruption Influenza Viruses

Abstract

Disruption of four different influenza viruses (strains A/PR8, A1/Ann Arbor/1/57, A2/Japan/170/62 and B/Maryland 1/59) by Tween-ether or sodium deoxycholate leads to polydisperse populations of strain-specific immunoprecipitating antigens which occur both associated with or separately from hemagglutinins and which seem to be heterogeneous with respect to antibody binding sites. Besides yielding hemagglutinins with a sedimentation coefficient of about 70 s, Tween-ether treatment also yields smaller 9 s antigens. A similar antigen is released from A/PR8 virus by trypsin treatment. Treatment of the B/Maryland/1/59 virus with sodium deoxycholate results in the release of a 9 s precipitating antigen, but more rapidly sedimenting antigens are obtained with the other virus strains.