Idiotypic vaccines are discussed in relation to those produced conventionally or those which are genetically engineered. The potential value of antiidiotypic antibodies as vaccines has been demonstrated in various animal models of infectious agents. These antibodies represent a heterogenous population: those which bear an internal image of the antigen and those which do not. These groups are discussed in terms of their immunochemical properties, relative frequencies and efficacy as vaccines. The infectious diseases in which antiidiotypic vaccines would be most useful are discussed, as well as problems which may be encountered in the use of such vaccines in humans. Some solutions to these problems are envisaged and an ideal idiotype vaccine is described.

Age Factors↗

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Questions related to a functional idiotype-network.

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Animals↗

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Expression of activation-induced cytidine deaminase decreases throughout the life.

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is an RNA editing enzyme, which contributes to generation of new functional genes from a restricted number of genes of plant and animal genome. This enzyme was involved in the process of somatic mutation and class switching in vertebrate. Since the rate of somatic mutations is variable throughout ontogeny, we have studied the transcription of AID in 3 to 24 month-old Balb/c mice. Our results demonstrate a significant decrease of the transcription of the AID gene with aging. The decreased AID activity is not related to variation of phenotypic and functional properties of B cells throughout the life. This observation can explain the low rate of somatic mutation in aged animals.

Aging↗

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[Influence of injection of cortisone acetate on blast transformation and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity in rabbit (author's transl)].

Inhibition of circulating antibody production by steroids has been repeatedly shown in steroid-sensitive animals such as mice or rabbits. It is well known that after a single injection of 5 mg of cortisone acetate, mouse spleen cells loose their ability to be transformed by B cell mitogens such as lipopolysaccharides or Nocardia water soluble mitogen. Therefore it was of interest to study in the rabbit the influence of cortisone on the reactivity of spleen cells to a B cell mitogen (blast transformation and polyclonal strimulation) and their ability to be cytotoxic in the antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity assay. Our data demonstrate that the cells which mediate such a cytotoxicity are cortisone-resistant whereas the B lymphocytes--which can be transformed and polyclonally activated by these mitogens--are sensitive to cortisone treatment.

Animals↗

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Stimulation by haptenic Salmonella polysaccharides of murine and rabbit lymphocytes.

The Freeman polysaccharide - the hapten of lipopolysaccharide - induced a blast transformation of mouse and rabbit spleen lymphocytes. The magnitude of the response in rabbit was quite similar to that obtained by lipopolysaccharide whereas in mice it was weaker. The stimulation of lymphocytes of both species did not require the presence of macrophages. Similar results were obtained with four LPS and their correspondent haptens prepared from S. typhi-murium, S. abortus-equi, S. johannesburg R+ and R-.

Animals↗

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