Specificity and purification of antibodies to adenylic acid

Anti-adenylate antibodies were elicited in rabbits using a conjugate of adenylic acid and bovine serum albumin as immunogen. The specificity of the antibodies was determined by monitoring the inhibition of the binding of [3H]AMP to the antibodies by various nonradioactive nucleic acid components, using a nitrocellulose filter assay. The antibodies were found to be directed against the whole molecule of AMP. They were reactive to polyadenylic acid, RNA, and denatured DNA. The hapten-specific antibodies were isolated by employing an AMP-AH-Sepharose affinity column.