title: Non-major histocompatibility complex control of antibody isotype and Th1 versus Th2 cytokines during experimental infection of mice with Mycobacterium avium.
abstract: Infection of different strains of mice with Mycobacterium avium has revealed genetic control of the immunoglobulin isotype induced and of the balance between Th1 and Th2 cytokines. Female BALB/c or C57BL/10 mice were infected intranasally with 10(5) M. avium organisms. The antibody response was measured over 18 weeks by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting, while numbers of cytokine-producing cells were assessed at 12 to 15 weeks by ELISPOT assay. Upon infection, C57BL/10 mice produced a clear Th1 response with strong gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) production, no interleukin-4 (IL-4), and almost entirely immunoglobulin G2a (IgG2a) antibody. In contrast, BALB/c mice developed T cells producing IL-4, as well as those producing IFN-gamma, while the antibody response was a mixture of IgG1 and IgG2a. Antibodies from BALB/c mice were also able to recognize a greater range of antigens than were C56BL/10 mice. B10D2 mice, which carry the BALB/c major histocompatibility complex haplotype on a C57BL/10 background, followed the C57BL/10 cytokine pattern. Mice infected with Listeria monocytogenes did not show a similar response dichotomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nagabhushanam
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cheers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007132:Immunoglobulin Isotypes; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009162:Mycobacterium avium / Q000276:immunology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D016207:Cytokines; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007132:Immunoglobulin Isotypes; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma