Homogenous rabbit 7S anti-IgG with antibody specificity for peptidoglycan

The relationship between 7S anti-IgG and antibodies to streptococcal cell wall peptidoglycan was examined for four streptococcal Group C antisera. Homogeneous 7S anti-IgG components in these sera were isolated by means of an IgG immunoadsorbent column. For two of the four antisera, the anti-peptidoglycan activity of the 7S anti-IgG had specificity for the pentapeptide, L-Ala-D-Glu-gamma-L-Lys-D-Ala-D-Ala, the antigenic determinant of peptidoglycan, as well as for the Fc of IgG. Detailed studies on the 7S anti-IgG from one of the antisera revealed that the pentapeptide inhibited the coprecipitation reaction of 7S anti-IgG R3387 with antigen-antibody complexes and the precipitin reaction between 7S anti-IgG R3387 and its anti-idiotype serum.