IgG and IgM autoantiidiotype antibodies against antibody to HBsAg in chronic hepatitis B

✍ Scribed by Miren Zuriñe Ibarra; Ignacio Mora; Dr. Juan Antonio Quiroga; Dr. Javier Bartolomé; Faustino La Banda; Juan Carlos Porres; Vicente Carreño

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 597 KB
• Volume: 8
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0270-9139
• DOI: 10.1002/hep.1840080413

✦ Synopsis

Antibody directed against HBsAg carries idiotypic determinants that may induce an autoantiidiotype antibody response. We describe a solid-phase radioimmunoassay which allows specific detection of either IgG or IgM antibody to antibody directed against HBsAg. Among 138 chronic hepatitis B virus carriers, IgG autoantiidiotype was detected in 98 (71%) and IgM autoantiidiotype in 110 (80%). The autoantiidiotype reaction was blocked with antibody directed against HBsAg after removal of immune complexes by polyethylene glycol precipitation. The prevalence and levels of both classes of autoantiidiotype antibodies were highest in patients with hepatitis B virus DNA or HBeAg in serum. During follow-up, patients who lost hepatitis B virus DNA and HBeAg from serum had lower titers of autoantiidiotype and were less likely to have autoantiidiotype than patients who persisted in having hepatitis B virus DNA and HBeAg in serum. Thus, the presence and titer of autoantiidiotype correlated with serologic evidence of active viral replication in chronic hepatitis B. These findings suggest that the antibody directed against HBsAg response may play a role in modulating viral replication in chronic hepatitis B.

Immunoglobulin idiotypes (Id) have been studied extensively since they were described by Kunkel et al. (1) and by Oudin and Michel (2). In 1974, Jerne (3) postulated the existence of an Id/anti-Id network as a consequence of immune response to an antigen. Located on or near the antigen-binding site of the antibody molecule, the Id can limit or enhance the immune response to the antigen (4,5).

Kennedy and Dressman ( 6) have demonstrated that antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs) may induce in mice an anti-Id [anti-(anti-HBs)] response that is the internal image of HBsAg. These authors have also shown that