title: Polyclonal anti-idiotypes induce specific anti-saxitoxin antibody responses.
abstract: Polyclonal BALB/C mouse and New Zealand White rabbit anti-idiotypic antibodies were raised by immunization with a protein G-purified burro anti-saxitoxin IgG antibody preparation. Following absorption of non-anti-idiotype reactivity, murine and rabbit IgG were purified by protein A chromatography and used to immunize BALB/C mice for the induction of anti-saxitoxin antibody responses. Unconjugated BALB/C anti-idiotypes did not induce significant anti-saxitoxin reactivity in BALB/C mice, even after repeated immunizations. However, BALB/C mice immunized with purified BALB/C anti-idiotypes conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin, or with purified, unconjugated rabbit anti-idiotypes, as aluminum hydroxide precipitates, induced significant and specific anti-saxitoxin immune responses. Saxitoxin, a sodium channel blocker, can protect cells treated with veratridine and ouabain, whose respective actions are to open sodium channels and to block the activity of Na/K-ATPase. The anti-idiotype-induced anti-saxitoxin antibodies inhibited saxitoxin from protecting against cell death induced by veratridine and ouabain treatment. These and other published experimental results strengthen the concept of anti-idiotype-based vaccines in eliciting protective immunity against a variety of low molecular weight, nonproteinaceous biological and chemical toxins, whose extreme toxicity does not allow their use as safe immunogens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology and Immunology, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, TX 78228.
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Chanh
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Hewetson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D000917:Antibody Formation; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D007114:Immunization; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010042:Ouabain / Q000494:pharmacology; D011817:Rabbits; D012530:Saxitoxin / Q000276:immunology* / Q000494:pharmacology; D013045:Species Specificity; D013205:Staphylococcal Protein A; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014701:Veratridine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D013205:Staphylococcal Protein A; D012530:Saxitoxin; D010042:Ouabain; D014701:Veratridine