The injection into newborn rabbits of a small quantity of human albumin, associated with red blood corpuscles or nucleated rabbit cells, induces an antibody response in the majority of animals, whereas the same quantity of antigen in solution fails to stimulate antibody formation or induces tolerance. The promoting capacity of the cells depends on attachment of antigen to them. The antibody produced after the injection of albumin, associated with nucleated cells, is of recipient origin. However, immunoglobulin carrying the marker of donor cells can be demonstrated in the recipient animals, and may reach serum concentrations similar to those normally present in animals which are heterozygous with respect to the marker. It appears that the antibody-promoting function and the synthetic capacity for allotype are quite distinct and that the period required for allotype formation is very short with mononuclear peritoneal exudate cells and is very much longer with cells from the thymus. The capacity of cells from lymph nodes for sustained allotype formation is less than that of thymus cells but greater than that of mononuclear peritoneal exudate cells.

Animals↗

PubMed1967

The effect of tolerance on the specificity of the antibody response and on immunogenicity. Antibody response to conformationally and chemically altered antigens.

Animals were rendered tolerant to human albumin and were then immunized with azo derivatives of human albumin which differed in the number of hapten groups per molecule and in the extent of conformational change. The incidence and specificity of the resulting antibody response was studied and the presence of antibody to azo groups and to conformationally altered protein determinants was demonstrated. Reactivity with the tolerance-inducing antigen was shown to be due to antibodies directed against conformationally altered protein determinants. The difference in the response of tolerant animals to hapten-poor and hapten-rich derivatives was attributed to the extent of conformational alteration. A genetic factor appeared to be implicated in the capacity of tolerant animals to respond to an antigen which cross-reacts with tolerance-inducing macromolecules.

Agglutination↗

PubMed1967

The effect of cross-reacting antigens on the tolerant state.

Rabbits were rendered tolerant to human albumin (HA) and were then injected with azo and oxazolonated derivatives of human albumin. These injections were continued to a time at which all animals would have lost tolerance if they had not been injected. Injection of cross-reacting antigens prolonged the duration of tolerance, as judged by the mode of elimination of lightly iodinated human albumin (HA.(131)I). Different derivatives of HA differed in their capacity to prolong tolerance. Those neonatally injected rabbits which were immunized with cross-reacting antigens and lost tolerance, responded much more promptly to HA.(131)I than animals which were not immunized. Animals immunized with cross-reacting antigen which went on to eliminate HA.(131)I triphasically, usually had responded earlier by making antibodies. These antibodies contained a fraction which was reactive with HA, and which was usually equally well adapted to determinants on HA and on the cross-reacting antigen.

Animals↗

PubMed1966