Some notes concerning serum β1-haptoglobin

Abstract In accordance with the observations of Tombs we demonstrated independently a haemoglobin-binding β 1 -globulin in the serum of healthy individuals and determined the precipitation line in the immunoelectrophoretic spectrum. In two cases of hyposiderophilinaemia β 1 -haptoglobin could not be detected, β 1 -Haptoglobin is characterized by solubility in rivanol under the conditions of the experiment and by crystallization from 64% saturated ammonium sulphate after adjustment of the pH to pH 3.9, together with transferrin. In the preparation containing two antigens of β 1 -globulin, transferrin and β 1 -haptoglobin, two components of about the same concentration could be revealed by ultracentrifugation, a lighter component of S 20 , w = 3.2 · 10 -13 and a heavy one of S 20 ,w = 6.25 · 10 -13 . The heavy component corresponds probably to β 1 -haptoglobin, and the light to serum transferrin.