Genetic control of the immune response: ability of antigens of defined amino acid sequence to be recognized by the Ir-1 gene system.
Mice were injected with a series of (T,G)-A--L[poly (L Tyr, L Glu)-poly DL Ala)--poly (L Lys)]-like compounds with side chains of homogeneous sequences: T-A--L, GT-A--L, GGT-A--L, and TG-A--L. T-A--L was not immunogenic. However, T-A--L was able to bind antibodies to (T, G)-A--L 509, and this binding could not be blocked by A--L. When complexed with bovine serum albumin, T-A--L, was immunogenic in both responder and nonresponder strains of mice. GT-A--L and GGT-A--L were both immunogenic and elicited the characteristic responder-nonresponder difference induced by (T,G)-A--L. TG-A--L was also immunogenic, but there was considerable overlap in the response of responder and nonresponder strains. On the average, responder mouse serum had a slightly higher antigen-binding capacity than nonresponder mouse serum. In contrast to antibodies against GGT-A--L, antibodies against TG-A--L bound heterologous antigens poorly. These data, along with the results of other investigators, are consistent with the hypothesis that there are multiple Ir- 1 genes which recognize different sequences. The specificity of the Ir- 1 genes is extraordinary. The polypeptides TG-A--L, TGTG-A--L and GTTG-A--L do not appear to be recognized by these genes.
D000409:Alanine; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000941:Antigens; D005260:Female; D005796:Genes; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D005971:Glutamates; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens; D008239:Lysine; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014443:Tyrosine
D000941:Antigens; D005971:Glutamates; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens; D010455:Peptides; D014443:Tyrosine; D008239:Lysine; D000409:Alanine