Differences in the genetic control of primary and secondary antibody responses.
Primary and secondary antibody responses to f and s antigens of Salmonella typhimurium have been studied in H and L lines of mice genetically selected for primary reponse to sheep erythrocytes (SE) (Selection I). The range of interline separation obtained (non-specific effect of Selection I) was as large as for the selection antigen in the primary response to f antigen and slightly smaller in the primary response to s antigen. For these two antigens the interline difference was reduced after booster. The kinetics of responses were compared with those obtained in H and L lines of Selections III and IV carried out for secondary responses to f and s antigens of S. typhimurium respectively (specific effect of Selection III and IV). The genetic analysis was made in Selection I from the variances of individual agglutinin titres obtained in large groups of interline hybrids immunized with S. typhimurium. These calculations gave a reliable estimate of the effective number of independent loci regulating primary and secondary responses. The results demonstrated a major difference in the genetic control: a single locus regulated the secondary response to f antigen while six loci were involved in the control of the primary response. A similar difference was evident for s antigen. The primary response was likely to be under polygenic regulation although the effective number of loci could not be calculated, while the secondary response was under monogenic control.
D000373:Agglutinins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D005802:Genes, MHC Class II; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010641:Phenotype; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000276:immunology; D012641:Selection, Genetic
D000373:Agglutinins; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial