OBSERVATIONS AND REFLECTIONS ON IDIOTYPY OF RABBIT ANTIBODIES AND ITS POSSIBLE RELATIONSHIP TO ANTIBODY FUNCTION

Abstract

This chapter discusses observations and reflections on idiotypy of rabbit antibodies and its possible relationship to the antibody function. Idiotypy is the property of antibodies to possess antigenic specificities that appear to be different, in antibodies of one individual against different antigens and to be different, and on the other hand, in antibodies of different individuals against the same antigen. The rabbit immune serum, for example, against Salmonella typhi, which is used for the preparation of an anti-idiotypic serum in another rabbit, is termed as the immunizing serum, and the donor of this immunizing serum is termed as the immunizing rabbit. That the idiotypic specificities are carried by antibodies was suggested by the observation that each anti-idiotypic serum which precipitates the immunizing anti-typhoid serum of one given rabbit does not precipitate the serum taken from the same immunizing rabbit before its immunization against S. typhi. Moreover, in the S. typhi system, that is in the idiotypic system in which the immunizing sera were anti-S. typhi sera, it was observed that the absorption of each immunizing serum with the somatic antigen of S. typhi was followed by the disappearance of its ability to be precipitated by the corresponding anti-idiotypic sera.