ANTIGENIC COMPOSITION AND SOURCE OF SOLUBLE-PROTEINS ON THE SURFACE OF THE SKIN OF SHEEP

Skin washings from the wooled skin of sheep were found to contain a complex mixture of antigenic substances, some of which were apparently derived from the blood. The mixture, although quantitatively variable, was qualitatively the same in all animals and was similar to that found on the haired skin of cattle. The main sources of the soluble proteins on ovine skin, which include albumin, transferrin, IgA, IgG and IgM, were the sweat gland and to a lesser extent the epidermis. Transferrin was also demonstrated in bovine skin washings. © 1979.