Recognition of idiotypes in lymphocyte interactions. II. Antigen-independent cooperation between T and B lymphocytes that possess similar and complementary idiotypes.
Antigen-independent cooperation between T and B lymphocytes is demonstrated in vitro in two different experimental protocols: (a) B cells from A/J mice immunized in vivo either with Group A streptococcal vaccine (Strep A) or with the IgG1 fraction of guinea pig anti-idiotypic antibody to the A5A idiotype, mature into plaque-forming cells (PFC) with specificity for Group A streptococcal carbohydrate (A-CHO) during a 4-day culture together with T cells from A/J mice immunized in vivo with A5A idiotypic antibody. (b) B cells from A/J mice immunized in vivo with Strep.A generate PFC specific for A-CHO when cultured in the presence of small concentrations of anti-A5A idiotypic antibody and of T cells primed with Strep.A. In both cases, antigen-independent cooperation is idiotypically selective, such that only those B cells respond that secrete antibody with the A5A idiotype. The data are interpreted to suggest that, in addition to antigen-specific helper cells, idiotype-specific may participate in antibody responses, and that the latter type of help may be responsible for the idiotypic selectivity in T-B cooperation observed previously. Furthermore, idiotype-specific cooperation may be a means to generate and maintain B cell diversity during the evolution and ontogeny of the immune system.
D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D006462:Hemolytic Plaque Technique; D007130:Immunoglobulin Idiotypes; D008211:Lymphocyte Cooperation; D051379:Mice; D008805:Mice, Inbred A; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D000941:Antigens; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D007130:Immunoglobulin Idiotypes