Abstract
To identify mating type-specific glycoproteins associated with the flagellar membrane of Chlamydomonas eugametos, which could be involved in sexual agglutination, antibodies were raised in rabbits against purified gamete flagella of either mating type. The immunoglobulin (Ig) fractions exhibited partial mating-type specificity in agglutinating gametes, in the indirect immunofluorescence test and in the crossed immunoelectrophoresis test. This specificity was strongly enhanced by absorbing the fractions with flagella of the opposite mating type. Absorbed Ig fractions produced a single precipitation line with Triton extracts of gamete flagella in the crossed immunoelectrophoresis technique. On polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis this line appeared to contain two flagellar glycoprotein fractions, PAS 1 and PAS 4. Polyacrylamide gels of flagellar extracts incubated with these Ig fractions, followed by staining with peroxidase-anti-rabbit Ig resulted in the staining of only the PAS 1 and PAS 4 bands, which confirms that these components of the flagellar membrane are mating type-specific antigens.
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The investigations were supported by the Foundation for Fundamental Biological Research (BION), which is subsidized by the Netherlands Organization for the Advancement of Pure Research (ZWO).
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Lens, P.F., van den Briel, W., Musgrave, A. et al. Sex-specific glycoproteins in Chlamydomonas flagella an immunological study. Arch. Microbiol. 126, 77–81 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421894
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421894