title: The specificity of antibody formation in mice following immunization with hapten-carrier complexes mixed with the surfactant, dimethyl dioctadecyl ammonium bromide.
abstract: Mice were immunized i.c. with various enlarged haptens conjugated to bovine serum albumin and mixed with the cationic, surface active lipid, dimethyl dioctadecyl ammonium bromide (DDA). This immunization generated delayed-type hypersensitivity (DH) in these mice without detectable concomitant antibody formation. The DH was measured as footpad swelling. However, both direct and indirect hapten-specific PFC could be detected in peripheral lymph nodes and in spleens 4 days after a challenge injection. Although the adjuvant, DDA, promotes a strong cross-reactivity in DH between heterologous hapten-carrier complexes, the antibody-forming cells produced 4 days after challenge showed relatively high specificity for the immunizing hapten. This indicates only weak cross-reactivity at the antibody-forming cell level co-existent with high cross-reactivity in DH expression to the same hapten-carrier complexes. These results are consistent with the possibility that B-cell receptors may be capable of expressing a greater degree of hapten specificity than T-cell receptors. It is tentatively concluded that Thelper cells participating in antibody formation may represent a subset of the T cells involved in DH.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D003429:Cross Reactions; D005260:Female; D006241:Haptens / Q000276:immunology*; D006462:Hemolytic Plaque Technique; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology; D007114:Immunization; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D006241:Haptens; D013501:Surface-Active Agents