41820
Accession Number
33122
Author
Prager, Ellen M.; Wilson, A.C.; Lowenstein, Jerold M.; Sarich, Vincent M.
Title Of Article Chaper
Mammoth albumin
Title Of Journal Book
Science
Volume
209
Issue
4453
Pages
287-289
Reference Bibliography
Includes bibliog. refs.
Language Of Text
English
Language Of Summary
English
Literature Type
Serial
Literature Level
Analytic
Abstract
Serum albumin was detected immunologically in muscle from a mammoth that died about 40,000 years ago. Rabbits injected with ground mammoth muscle produced antibodies that react strongly with elephant albumin, weakly with sea cow albumin, and still more weakly or not at all with other mammalian albumins. Since elephant albumin elicited antibodies with the same specificity, some of the surviving mammoth albumin molecules evidently have antigenic sites identical to those on native elephant albumin. Much of the mammoth albumin has, however, undergone postmortem change. The small amount of soluble albumin extractable from mammoth muscle is heterogeneous in size, charge, and antigenic properties.
pub_id
41820