Studies on immune responses to parasite antigens in mice. IV. Inhibition of an anti-DNP antibody response with the antigen, DNP-Ficoll containing phosphorylcholine.
Several nematode parasites contain phosphorylcholine (PC), and mice infected with Ascaris suum and Nippostrongylus brasiliensis produce IgM anti-PC antibodies. PC is a hapten which usually induces highly restricted antibody responses in mice and the conjugate DNP-Ficoll-PC inhibits an adoptive secondary anti DNP antibody response to DNP-flagellin whereas comparable doses of DNP-Ficoll and Ficoll-PC do not. The finding suggests that the restricted anti-PC responses to PC-containing antigens described in the literature may involve a degree of inhibition within the B-cell population (partial tolerance induction), that uni- and multi-cellular parasites of various types may 'utilize' molecules such as PC to induce a state of selective tolerance to parasite antigens, and that such a mechanism may be one means of facilitating survival of the parasites in their hosts and the production of antigenic variants of the parasite.
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects*; D000941:Antigens; D002794:Choline / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D004136:Dinitrobenzenes / Q000276:immunology; D005362:Ficoll; D006462:Hemolytic Plaque Technique; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008239:Lysine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D010767:Phosphorylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D014439:Tyramine / Q000494:pharmacology
D000941:Antigens; D004136:Dinitrobenzenes; D010767:Phosphorylcholine; D005362:Ficoll; D008239:Lysine; D002794:Choline; D014439:Tyramine