The limitations of immunoenzyme approaches to distinguish between 'specific' and 'non-specific' antibody-forming cells, with particular respect to immunocytochemical studies on the in situ immune response.
After antigenic stimulation, specific antibody-forming cells can be detected in situ in tissue sections of lymphoid organs using an antigen specific immunoenzyme approach. Immunoglobulin-forming cells staining positively with a particular antigen-enzyme conjugate are considered to be specific antibody-forming cells (provided that the right control conjugates show a negative staining). Immunoglobulin-forming cells, staining negatively with the same antigen-enzyme conjugate, may do so for two reasons: (i) they are in fact specific antibody-forming cells, but are not detected as such because of limitations of the technique; (ii) they are real-nonspecific immunoglobulin producing cells. In this paper, the limitations of the technique are discussed.
van Rooijen
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Department of Histology, Medical Faculty, Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
D000818:Animals; D000915:Antibody Affinity; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000921:Antibody-Producing Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007150:Immunohistochemistry