title: Production of auto-anti-idiotypic antibody during the normal immune response to TNP-ficoll. III. Absence in nu/nu mice: evidence for T-cell dependence of the anti-idiotypic-antibody response.
abstract: Although athymic mice make an excellent immune response to the thymus-independent antigen trinitrophenyl-lys-Ficoll (TNP-F), nude mice of AKR/J and BALB/c strains lack the anti-idiotypic response that occurs in euthymic mice of both of these strains within the first 1--2 wk after injection of more TNP-F. Anti-idiotypic antibody-blocked (hapten-augmentable) anti-TNP splenic plaque-forming cells (PFC) do not occur at any time and serum anti-idiotypic antibody is absent in both congenitally athymic mice, and thymectomized, irradiated, bone marrow-reconstituted mice. Nevertheless, nu/nu mice do have PFC which can be inhibited by exposure to anti-idiotypic antibody produced in +/+ mice. As a consequence of the failure to produce anti-idiotypic antibodies, the anti-TNP PFC response is athymic as compared to euthymic mice is of greater magnitude, declines less precipitously, and shows an increase rather than a decrease in affinity between days 4 and 7 after antigen injection. It is concluded that the anti-idiotypic antibody response is thymus dependent and that athymic mice lack a helper cell required for the induction of anti-idiotypic antibodies.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005362:Ficoll / Q000276:immunology*; D007114:Immunization; D007130:Immunoglobulin Idiotypes / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008806:Mice, Inbred AKR; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009578:Nitrobenzenes / Q000276:immunology*; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D007130:Immunoglobulin Idiotypes; D009578:Nitrobenzenes; D011134:Polysaccharides; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes; D005362:Ficoll