Purification and characterization of tuberculin-active components from BCG

Abstract

The tuberculin activity of protoplasmic extracts isolated from living BCG was purified successively by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 and G-75, and by electrophoresis on 7.5% and on gradient (6–18%) polyacrylamide gels. The tuberculin-active fractions, as determined in BCG-sensitized guinea pigs, were used as the starting material for each of the following fractionation steps.The physicochemical properties and the antigenic activity of the biologically active fractions have shown that a single component, or only a few ones with similar properties, possessed high tuberculin activity. These active components were proteins having relatively high molecular weights (about 72 000) and could behave as antigens.