title: Immunoresponses to Neisseria meningitidis epitopes: primary versus secondary antiphosphorylcholine responses.
abstract: Specific antiphosphorylcholine immune responses were found to be elicited by different Neisseria meningitidis group B M986 preparations. Our results suggest the functional presence of phosphorylcholine in the bacteria. The immune responses, mostly immunoglobulin M, were measured with a plaque-forming cell assay. The secondary phosphorylcholine-specific immune response induced by intact meningococci was significantly lower than the primary phosphorylcholine-specific immune response induced by the same antigens. This suppression is priming time dependent and does not represent an early switching to the expression of other classes of immunoglobulins.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Faro
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seoane
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Puentes
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martínez Ubeira
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Regueiro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002794:Choline / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D007114:Immunization; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000276:immunology*; D010767:Phosphorylcholine / Q000276:immunology*; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000939:Epitopes; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; D010767:Phosphorylcholine; D002794:Choline