Comparison of immunoelectrophoretic techniques for the analysis of cytosol antigens

Crossed immunoelectrophoresis was employed in the analysis of cytosol antigens of a human colon adenocarcinoma cell line. Other immunoelectrophoretic techniques - crossed immunoelectrophoresis in the presence of Ampholine (incorporation of Ampholine in the first dimension electrophoresis gel), crossed immunotachophoresis and crossed immunoelectrofocusing - were also investigated ad compared with crossed immunoelectrphoresis in an attempt to select the optimal immunoelectrophoretic system for the analysis of cytosol antigens. The results of these comparisons showed that each technique offered its own advantages. The maximum number of immunoprecipitin peaks were detected by crossed immunoelectrophoresis. Both crossed immunoelectrophoresis in the presence of Ampholine and crossed immunotachophoresis provided the greatest resolution of electrophoretically similar antigens. Crossed immunoelectrofocusing provided IP values for these antigens. It was concluded that these techniques, when employed in combination, provided a more complete analysis of the complex cytosol antigenic mixture and may be useful when employed in combination to other antigen-antibody systems.