title: Immune responses against native and chemically modified albumins in mice. I. Analysis of non-thymus-processed (B) and thymus-processed (T) cell responses against methylated bovine serum albumin.
abstract: Immune cells induced by bovine serum albumin (BSA) and its methylated derivative (MBSA) have been compared in a cooperative cell transfer system for their content of BSA-specific antibody-forming cell precursors (AFCP, B) and BSA-specific helper (T) cells. When MBSA immune cells were transferred together with hapten-primed cells into recipient mice which were stimulated by a hapten-BSA conjugate, their cooperative secondary anti-hapten response was as good as in case of transferred BSA immune cells. Their secondary anti-BSA response, however, was markedly reduced (reduction factor > 30). Hapten-MBSA conjugates had the same capacity to react with BSA-specific helper cells in the cooperative secondary anti-hapten response as hapten-BSA conjugates but had a reduced ability to react with BSA-specific AFCP cells. In spite of the pronounced reduction of the B cell response, MBSA had the same threshold dose as BSA for activating BSA-specific T cells. These data suggest that B and T cells recognize different epitopes on the BSA molecule, only those recognized by B cells being affected by the methylation procedure.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000921:Antibody-Producing Cells; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003429:Cross Reactions; D000939:Epitopes; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests; D008745:Methylation; D051379:Mice; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D000939:Epitopes; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine