Studies on the Stability of Hen′s Egg Yolk Immunoglobulins

난황 항체의 안정성에 관한 연구

Immunoglobulins (IgY) were isolated from egg yolk of hens immunized with bovine serum albumin(BSA). The stability of anti-BSA IgY against heat and pH was investigated. Antibody activity was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. IgY was relatively heat-stable and most of the antibody activity remained after heating up 65$^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes. IgY was stable at pH 5-11. However, inactivation of IgY was observed below pH 4, or above pH 12. Inactivation of IgY proceeded rapidly at low pHs(pH 2-3). Most of the antigen binding activity was lost at low pHs probably because of some conformational changes.