Electrophoretic Patterns from X-irradiated Blood Serums

Summary

Rat, rabbit, and human blood sera, when analyzed by paper electrophoresis, showed marked changes after they had been irradiated in vitro at 6 dose levels from 10^6.07 to 10^6.48 r. In general, as the dose of X-radiation was increased, the percent of albumin and gamma globulin in the total protein decreased as alpha and beta globulins increased. It is suggested that perhaps albumin and gamma globulin molecules are so altered by irradiation that they become electrophoretically indistinguishable from alpha and beta proteins. Similar changes occurred 2 to 7 days after irradiation when rabbits were given doses of 750 r to 5000 r. Differences between types of sera as a result of in vitro irradiation were (1) less pronounced increases in the alpha₂ and beta globulins for the human serum than for the others, (2) a more marked increase in the alpha₁ globulin of human plasma than for the other sera tested, (3) a more marked decrease in the albumin fraction of the rat serum than of the other sera tested.

The author is grateful to Dr. W. H. Taliaferro and to Dr. L. G. Taliaferro for advice and helpful criticisms.