Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for Heymann's antigen as a contaminating minor component in nephritogenic glycopeptide, nephritogenoside.

An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was introduced for the detection of nephritogenic glycopeptide, nephritogenoside and Heymann's antigen. In the fraction of crude nephritogenoside which induced membranous glomerulonephritis (besides proliferative glomerulonephritis) in rats, both nephritogenoside and Heymann's antigen were detected by ELISA. On the other hand, in the sample of pure nephritogenoside which induced only proliferative glomerulonephritis, Heymann's antigen was not detected at all. These results indicate that crude nephritogenoside preparation contains Heymann's antigen as an inducing factor of membranous glomerulonephritis in homologous animals. In addition to TCA treatment or DEAE-cellulose column chromatography, gel filtration on Bio-Gel P200 was a good tool for the removal of Heymann's antigen from nephritogenoside.