The specificity of anti-actin serum

The immunogenicity of smooth muscle actin is increased by ageing at 4 degrees for at least a week. Rabbits lacking natural smooth muscle antibodies were injected with 1 mg of aged purified actin in adjuvant. Fourteen out of thirty-six rabbits produced serum antibodies which precipitated with actin solution, but not with smooth muscle tropomyosin, myosin, light or heavy meromyosin or with other unidentified non-actin proteins in crude extracts. Analysis of crude actin extract before and after precipitation by antiserum (i) by Sephadex G-200 chromatography and (ii) for its stimulating effect on myosin ATPase activity showed that actin was selectively removed. The precipitate itself, analysed on SDS-polyacrylamide gel, showed one band in the actin position, and otherwise only bands representing immunoglobulins. The antiserum also inhibited the ability of actin to stimulate myosin ATPase activity, and prevented polymerization of G-actin to F-actin, as shown by viscosity and EM studies. On immunoflouresence with cryostat tissue sections or cell cultures, anti-actin serum stained smooth muscle fibres and many non-muscle cells, in the latter staining the microfilaments. The staining was prevented by absorbing the antiserum with actin (16 mug per 5 mul serum), and was abolished by pretreatment of the cells with cytochalasin B. No species specificity was demonstrated for these anti-actin antibodies.