The Precipitin Reaction between Type III Pneumococcus Polysaccharide and Homologous Antibody: III. A Quantitative Study and a Theory of the Reaction Mechanism
Contributor(s):
Heidelberger, Michael
Kendall, Forrest E.
Journal of Experimental Medicine
Publication:
Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, April 1935
In this important article, Heidelberger and Kendall presented their quantitative theory of the precipitin reaction, from which they drew the conclusion that both antigens and antibodies were multivalent, meaning that they could form more than one bond with one another. (Scientists subsequently established that antibodies have two binding sites, while antigens can have several dozen.) This was important, as many immunologists of the time argued that antibodies were univalent, that they could bind in only one place to an antigen. Heidelberger and Kendall's findings suggested that antibodies can combine with antigens at widely differing ratios, an essential fact in evaluating the effectiveness of antisera in fighting disease.
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