Immunoresponses to Neisseria meningitidis epitopes: immunomodulation by meningococcus B acts on more than one meningococcal surface epitope.
Neisseria meningitidis group B strain M986 (serotypes 2a, 7) (NMB) elicits a specific primary antiphosphorylcholine immune response in mice but not a secondary response. The ability of other serotype and serogroup meningococci to induce similar primary responses in mice was studied, as was the immunogenicity of trinitrophenyl coupled NMB (TNP-NMB) in primary and secondary antitrinitrophenyl responses. Except for NMB, all other strains tested (three serogroup B and one serogroup A meningococcal strains) were found to be very poor phosphorylcholine immunogens. TNP-NMB, however, though proving to be a very good TNP antigen, was only a weak phosphorylcholine antigen. Priming NBF1 female mice with TNP-NMB one month or more before challenging them with the same antigen induced a strong depression of anti-TNP response in the subsequent challenge. However, this effect was not observed with Xid NBF1 male mice. Furthermore, priming mice with NMB weakly affected the anti-TNP response, but greatly depressed the antiphosphorylcholine response, after TNP-NMB challenge. In addition, whereas apparently only one TNP-specific B cell subpopulation was responding in unprimed mice challenged simultaneously with TNP-NMB and TNP-Ficoll (non-additive response), priming mice with NMB appeared to facilitate the independent activation of two different TNP-specific B cell subpopulations (additive response).
D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000276:immunology*; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000276:immunology*; D010767:Phosphorylcholine / Q000276:immunology; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes / Q000276:immunology
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D000939:Epitopes; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes; D010767:Phosphorylcholine