Induction and characterization of “autologous” anti-idiotypic antibodies

✍ Scribed by H. Cosenza; A. Augustin; M. H. Julius

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1977
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 625 KB
• Volume: 7
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0014-2980
• DOI: 10.1002/eji.1830070506

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Upon immunization with phosphorylcholine (PC), conventional BALB/c mice produce anti‐PC antibodies bearing predominantly the idiotype characteristic of the BALB/c PC‐binding myeloma protein TEPC 15 (T1 5). To investigate whether BALB/c mice are able to produce antibodies to the autologous T15 idiotype, conventional (T1 5‐positive) and neonatally suppressed (T1 5‐negative) BALB/c mice were immunized with purified T15 myeloma protein. Both groups of mice produced IgG antibodies specific for the T1 5 idiotype. However, anti‐T 15 antibodies were more readily induced in neonatally suppressed mice which in turn produced higher anti‐T15 titers than conventional mice. Such “autologous” anti‐T 15 antibodies are able to (a) change the idiotypic pattern of the anti‐PC response of conventional BALB/c mice in situ and, (b) inhibit the induction of an anti‐PC response in vitro by spleen cells from T15‐positive but not T15‐negative BALB/c mice. Thus, BALB/c mice are capable of producing anti‐T 15 antibodies upon immunization with an isologous myeloma protein which bears the autologous T1 5 idiotype. We suggest that idiotypes should not be strictly considered as “self‐antigens” since the dramatic increase in their concentration, subsequent to antigen stimulation, might confer upon them immunogenic properties not shared by self‐antigens.