[Antigenic properties of a preparation of total calf thymus histone]

Repeated intravenous injection of total histone of calf thymus preparation led to sensitization of experimental animals accompanied by formation of complement fixing antibodies. Sera examination by the complement fixation test demonstrated antigenicity of the total histone preparation protein components to decrease in the following order: nonhistone proteins admixture greater than histone fraction HI greater than mixture of histone fractions H3 : H2b : H2a (1 : 1 : 1). The presence in the total histone preparation of nonhistone protein admixture chiefly conditioned the immunogenic, and possibly, the allergenic activity of the preparation.