Immunological comparisons of the sera of chicken, turkey, pheasant, quail and their intergeneric hybrids

Sera from chicken, turkey, pheasant, quail and their intergeneric hybrids were compared by their reactions in two-dimensional immunoelectrophorsis with homologous and heterologous antisera. As many as 44 antigenically distinguishable components were resolved in these sera by use of this technique. Sera from the intergeneric hybrids, when allowed to react with rabbit anti-White Leghorn antiserum, gave more precipitin peaks than did any of the parental sera in reaction with this same antiserum. Thus it appeared that intergeneric hybridization induced a propagation of avian serum antigens recognized by rabbit antiserum to a single parental serum. For example, all parental sera, in reaction with homologous or heterologous antisera, appeared to contain only one precipitin peak which migrated in the albumin area. Sera from the intergeneric hybrids of chicken X turkey, chicken X pheasant, and chicken X quail had two antigenetically distinguishable peaks in the albumin area. Sera from turkey X pheasant and pheasant X quail had only one peak in this region. These results agree with the observations obtained from polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis of the plasma proteins.