title: Characterization of the limited specificity of antigen recognition in earthworms.
abstract: Earthworms respond to parenteral stimulation with a protein antigen by the formation of an antigen-binding protein. Earthworms were parenterally stimulated with different proteins and the protein binding was estimated in vitro on both humoral and cellular levels. The binding was significantly higher when the same protein was used for in vivo stimulation. The degree of specificity of the antigen-binding protein after the secondary in vivo challenge increased, but even so it was considerably lower than that of vertebrate immunoglobulins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Gnotobiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bilej
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tucková
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Romanovský
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001147:Arsanilic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D000939:Epitopes; D006241:Haptens / Q000494:pharmacology; D007114:Immunization; D009835:Oligochaeta / Q000276:immunology*; D011506:Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000939:Epitopes; D006241:Haptens; D011506:Proteins; D012709:Serum Albumin; D001147:Arsanilic Acid