Detection of cell surface immunoglobulin on leucocytes by agglutination

The detection of immunoglobulin (Ig) on murine peritoneal cell (PC) surfaces by an agglutination test is described. Addition of anti-mouse IgG (amIgG) to a suspension of PC results in agglutination of the cells. Trypsin or pronase treatment of the cells abrogated agglutination upon addition of amIgG. Incubation of washed murine PC with porcine IgG (pIgG) for 30 minutes resulted in agglutination of the cells upon addition of anti-porcine IgG (apIgG) to the cell suspension. This suggests that the heterologous pIgG is also able to bind to the murine cell surface. The implications of these findings are discussed and compared with respect to the agglutination test described herein and other techniques for detection of cytophilic antibody.