NATURAL HETEROAGGLUTININS IN THE BODY-FLUIDS AND SEMINAL FLUIDS OF VARIOUS INVERTEBRATES

¹ William G. Kerckoff Laboratories of the Biological Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena

1. The body-fluids of 12 species of invertebrates (including two ascidians) and the seminal fluids of 11 species were examined for agglutinating action on the spermatozoa or blood cells of 34 species of animals.

2. All of the fluids were found to contain agglutinins for the cells of some of the species tested. Five of the fluids gave reactions with most of the species but none reacted with all of the species.

3. With one exception no heteroagglutination reactions were obtained with fluids and cells of animals belonging to the same taxonomic class.

4. Closely related (same class in most cases or same order in some) species were found to behave alike with respect to the ability or inability of their cells to react to the various fluids, and the fluids of closely related species exhibited similar reactivity.

5. The diluted seminal fluids gave reactions that in most cases paralleled those obtained with the body-fluids.

6. Absorption tests revealed the presence of at least four distinct heteroagglutinins in Patiria body-fluid, and indicated that each is characterized by a broad group-specificity similar to that previously reported for lobster-serum.

7. The general bearing of these results on fertilizin-antifertilizin reactions and on phylogenetic problems is briefly discussed.