Reaginic Antibody Formation in the Mouse

Abstract

Abstract An adoptive transfer system for an IgE anti-hapten antibody response was established in DBA/1 mice with dinitrophenylated ovalbumin (DNP-OA) and keyhole lympet hemocyanin (DNP-KLH) as antigens. Maximal anti-DNP IgE antibody response was obtained by transfer of DNP-primed cells and carrier-specific cells for the secondary carrier to irradiated syngeneic mice, followed by challenge with DNP-secondary carrier conjugate in saline, a procedure which does not induce a primary IgE antibody response. Recipients of hapten-primed cells or carrier-specific cells alone showed meager or no IgE antibody response. Effect of aluminum hydroxide gel (alum) with antigen for carrier immunization and hapten priming was studied by the adoptive transfer technique. It was found that immunization of donors of carrier-specific cells with OA in saline, which did not induce either IgG or IgE antibody response, resulted in a high level of helper function for both IgE and IgG anti-hapten antibody responses in the adoptive response of DNP-KLH-primed cells to DNP-OA. Similarly, addition of a low dose alum with KLH was sufficient for carrier priming for helper function with respect to the anti-DNP IgE antibody response. It was shown, however, that alum had a significant effect on hapten priming. Recipients of the spleen cells from donors primed with DNP-OA or DNP-KLH plus a high dose (1 mg) alum gave much higher anti-hapten IgE antibody response than the recipients of DNP-primed cells obtained by priming with the same protein in saline. Animals primed with DNP-KLH with a low (50 µg) dose alum gave IgG but no IgE secondary response. In spite of the presence of both carrier-specific helper cells and hapten-primed precursors for IgE antibody response, these animals gave rise to a secondary IgG antibody response but failed to show IgE antibody response upon a booster injection with DNP-KLH in saline. If their spleen cells were transferred to irradiated animals, the recipients showed high IgE and low IgG antibody responses upon injection of DNP-KLH in saline. These results suggest that secondary IgE antibody response is enhanced in irradiated recipients.