Immunological Properties of Amylose, Dextran and Polyvinylalcohol Conjugated with Polytyrosyl‐Peptides

Tyrosyl‐peptide side‐chains were linked to amylose, dextran and polyvinylalcohol in order to study their influence on the immunological properties of these polymers. For this purpose aminoethyl groups were introduced by reacting the polymers with ethylenimine. Side‐chains consisting on the average of six to eight tyrosine residues were bound to these amino groups by polymerization of N ‐carboxy‐L‐tyrosine‐anhydride. The polytyrosyl conjugates were found to be weakly immunogenic in rabbits with respect to the antibody response obtained upon primary and secondary injections. The antibodies formed were directed against the polytyrosyl side‐chains and in the case of polytyrosyl‐aminoethyl‐dextran also against the dextran backbone. These results indicate that the polytyrosyl side‐chains are of major importance in determining the immunological properties of these conjugates.