A chemical approach to the mechanism of B-lymphocyte activation. III. The B-cell-activating structure of T-independent antigens resides ultimately in the carrier.
Non-immunogenic dinitrophenyl-polymethylmethacrylate and dinitrophenyl-cellulose were rendered immunogenic by introducing, or by exposing, hydroxyl groups; i.e. hydrogen bonds. Conversely, acetylation of Ficoll yielded a polymer no longer functioning as a good carrier, and a similar result was obtained when dipole and hydrogen bond-supplying groups of polyacrylamide were replaced by more hydrophobic chains. All these findings point towards the existence of a carrier-associated lymphocyte-triggering structure. Despite the latter conclusion, the carrier need not be a polyclonal antibody inductor. The possibility of a signal not resulting in polyclonal antibody induction was tested with the system Ficoll/dinitrophenyl-Ficoll: whereas a pulse of Ficoll specifically impaired the immunogenicity of dinitrophenyl-Ficoll, it did not elicit a significant antibody level increase over background. Nevertheless, repetitive Ficoll inoculations into mice gradually increased the basal anti-trinitrophenyl antibody level, and concomitantly the anti-dinitrophenyl response to dinitrophenyl-Ficoll was specifically impaired since the anti-trinitrophenyl response to trinitrophenyl-LPS was unaffected. The two main conclusions are that (1) the ultimate lymphocyte-triggering structure resides in the carrier, and (2) the mere presence of that carrier-associated structure does not mean polyclonal antibody induction, at least under conventional test conditions (i.e. one pulse, 2 days in culture).
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D002482:Cellulose / Q000276:immunology; D004140:Dinitrophenols / Q000276:immunology; D005362:Ficoll / Q000276:immunology; D006241:Haptens / Q000276:immunology*; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D011108:Polymers; D011109:Polymethacrylic Acids; D013997:Time Factors
D002352:Carrier Proteins; D004140:Dinitrophenols; D006241:Haptens; D011108:Polymers; D011109:Polymethacrylic Acids; D005362:Ficoll; D002482:Cellulose