Recognins and their chemoreciprocals

Claim 1

A process for the production of a product, Astrocytin, which comprises extracting brain glioma tumor tissue with a neutral buffer by repeated disruption of the tissue to solubilize protein fractions, separating from the resulting extract of solubilized proteins the fraction having a pK range of from about 1 to 4, and isolating therefrom a product having a molecular weight of about 8000, said product, Astrocytin, characterized by forming a single line precipitate with its specific antibody in quantitative precipitin tests and Ouchterlony gel diffusion tests, being soluble in water and aqueous solutions having an acid or neutral pH, and insoluble at an alkaline pH, having a spectrophotometric absorption peak wave length of 280 mu, a molecular weight of about 8000 and further having an amino acid composition approximately as follows: ______________________________________ Approximate Number of Residues ______________________________________ Aspartic Acid 9 Threonine 5 Serine 6 Glutamic Acid 13 Proline 4 Glycine 6 Alanine 9 Valine 4 1/2 Cysteine 2 Methionine 1 Isoleucine 2 Leucine 8 Tryosine 2 Phenylalanine 3 Lysine 8 Histidine 2 Arginine 4 Approximate Total = 88 ______________________________________ the amino acids cysteic acid, hydroxyproline, norleucine, ammonia, isodesmosine, desmosine, hydroxylysine, lysinonorleucine and gamma-aminobutyric acid being absent in detectable amounts.

Claim 19

A method of detecting malignant cancer tumors in living mammals which comprises: a. dividing a sample of body fluid into a first and second aliquot; b. contacting said first aliquot with a complex of Astrocytin and an inert carrier for about two hours to allow protein to bind to said complex; c. separating from said first aliquot said complex and the protein bound to it; d. cleaving the bound protein from said complex; e. quantitatively determining the amount of protein cleaved from said complex; f. contacting said second aliquot with a complex of Astrocytin and an inert carrier for about 10 minutes to allow protein to bind to said complex; g. separating from said second aliquot said complex and the protein bound to it; h. cleaving the bound protein from said complex; i. quantitatively determining the amount of protein cleaved from said complex; j. comparing the amount of protein determined in step e, above, with that determined in step i, above; and correlating the difference between the two amounts with a predetermined standard value indicative of the tumor, wherein said Astrocytin is a product derived from brain tumor cells and is characterized by forming a single line precipitate with its specific antibody in quantitative precipitin tests and in Ouchterlony gel diffusion tests, being soluble in water and aqueous solutions having an acid or neutral pH, and insoluble at an alkaline pH, having a spectrophotometric absorption peak wave length of 280 mu, a molecular weight of about 8,000 and having an amino acid composition approximately as follows: ______________________________________ Approx. No. of Residues ______________________________________ Aspartic Acid 9 Threonine 5 Serine 6 Glutamic Acid 13 Proline 4 Glycine 6 Alanine 9 Valine 4 1/2 Cystine 2 Methionine 1 Isoleucine 2 Leucine 8 Tryosine 2 Phenylalanine 3 Lysine 8 Histidine 2 Arginine 4 Approximate Total = 88 ______________________________________ the amino acids cysteic, hydroxyproline, norleucine, ammonia, isodesmosine, hydroxylysine, lysinonorleucine and gamma-aminobutyric acid being absent in detectable amounts.

Claim 20

A method of detecting malignant cancer tumors in living mammals which comprises: a. dividing a sample of body fluid into a first and second aliquot; b. contacting said first aliquot with a complex of Astrocytin and an inert carrier for about two hours to allow protein to bind to said complex; c. separating from said first aliquot said complex and the protein bound to it; d. cleaving the bound protein from said complex; e. quantitatively determining the amount of protein cleaved from said complex; f. contacting said second aliquot with a complex of Astrocytin and an inert carrier for about 10 minutes to allow protein to bind to said complex; g. separating from said second aliquot said complex and the protein bound to it; h. cleaving the bound protein from said complex; i. quantitatively determining the amount of protein cleaved from said complex; j. comparing the amount of protein determined in step e, above, with that determined in step i, above; and correlating the difference between the two amounts with a predetermined standard value indicative of the tumor, wherein said Astrocytin is a product derived from brain tumor cells and is characterized by forming a single line precipitate with its specific antibody in quantitative precipitin tests and in Ouchterlony gel diffusion tests, being soluble in water and aqueous solutions having an acid or neutral pH, and insoluble at an alkaline pH, having a spectrophotometric absorption peak wave length of 280 mu, a molecular weight of about 8,000 and having an amino acid composition approximately as follows: ______________________________________ Approx. No. of Residues ______________________________________ Aspartic Acid 9 Threonine 5 Serine 6 Glutamic Acid 13 Proline 4 Glycine 6 Alanine 9 Valine 4 1/2 Cystine 2 Methionine 1 Isoleucine 2 Leucine 8 Tryosine 2 Phenylalanine 3 Lysine 8 Histidine 2 Arginine 4 Approximate Total = 88 ______________________________________ the amino acids cysteic, hydroxyproline, norleucine, ammonia, isodesmosine, hydroxylysine, lysinonorleucine and gamma-aminobutyric acid being absent in detectable amounts.