Immunochemical studies of human erythrocyte proteins: erythrocuprein and catalase.

The immunochemical properties of chromatographically prepared human erythrocuprein differ from those of the chloroform-ethanol-treated protein. Losses of copper also appear to modify its immunochemical reactivity. The result of the immunochemical reactions of rabbit antibody to human erythrocuprein with human liver and brain extracts suggests a common antigen in the two tissues. Human erythrocyte catalase is not immunochemically identical with human liver catalase. Rabbit antisera to erythrocyte catalase fail to precipitate with hemolysates from some higher primates but give a cross-reaction with lysates from the cat and pig. Human erythrocuprein antisera give a cross-reaction only with hemolysate from the higher primates.