Reaginic Antibody Production to <i>Ascaris suum</i> Allergen, ASC-1

Abstract

Wistar/Furth rats were immunized with DNP-Asc-1 in various hapten-to-carrier ratios. The kinetics and intensity of the anti-DNP and anti-carrier IgE responses were dependent on the extent of carrier substitution. Lightly substituted conjugates induced excellent primary antihapten and anticarrier IgE antibodies while heavily substituted conjugates induced an early, short-lived and low antihapten response, but not anticarrier antibodies. The pattern of IgG antibody production was not dependent on the degree of substitution in the ranges tested. A single injection of carrier in CFA induced suppression of IgE antibodies following an injection with hapten-carrier conjugate, but enhanced the IgG antibody response to the hapten. Preimmunization or supplemental immunization with carrier in Al(OH)<sub>3</sub> suppressed the IgE anti-DNP response but did not prevent the appearance of anticarrier antibodies. The suppression of the antihapten IgE response was also demonstrated in an adoptive transfer system when donors of carrier-primed spleen cells were injected with carrier in CFA or with carrier in Al(OH)<sub>3</sub>. On the other hand, excellent collaboration between carrier-primed helper cells and hapten-primed antibody-forming cell precursors was demonstrated for both IgE and IgG antibody production when donors of either carrier-primed or of hapten-primed cells received <i>Bordetella pertussis</i> as adjuvant. The results are consistent with the concept that intrinsic differences between the induction patterns of the IgE and IgG antibodies exist and that various factors contribute each in a different fashion to the dissociation of these responses.