title: Do polyclonal rheumatoid factors carry an 'internal image' of cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus and nuclear antigens?
abstract: Rabbit antisera have been prepared against isolated rheumatoid factors (RF's). It was considered that RFs are anti-idiotype antibodies and that the anti-RF antisera had anti-anti-idiotype specificity. Furthermore, it was considered that the RF's carry an "internal image" of the putative "antigen X" and that the rabbit antisera would have specificity for this "antigen-X". Reactions of the rabbit antisera with the early and late antigens of CMV, EBV antigens and nuclear antigens suggest that there may be an "internal image" of these antigens in rheumatoid factor molecules and that they all may be related to the immunogenesis of RF.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatic Diseases Unit, Northern General Hospital, Edinburgh, Scotland.
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: McCormick
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wojtacha
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Edmond
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hart
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002460:Cell Line; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000276:immunology; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000276:immunology; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D011817:Rabbits; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor