Specific Antibody-Mediated Effect on the Immune Response.

The effect of prior administration of two classes of 7S mouse anti-sheep red blood cell (SRBC) antibodies on the primary immune response to SRBC was studied. Mouse γG1 and γG2 immunoglobulins were isolated from serum by zone electrophoresis and density gradient isolectric focusing. The immunoglobulins were defined by qualitative and quantitative studies, and their effects on the primary response were determined by administering doses ranging from 0.5 to 0.001 mg of immunoglobulin 2 hours before injection of antigen. Gamma G1, antibody suppressed the response to SRBC at all concentrations. High doses of γG2 antibody partially suppressed 19S plaque-forming cells (PFC), but had no significant effect on serum haemagglutinin (HA) levels. Low doses of γG2 antibody specifically augmented both the 19S PFC and serum HA levels. It is concluded that the specific suppressing and augmenting influences of antibodies on the primary response are a function of class. In addition, it is proposed that &gammaG1, and γG2 antibodies can aet as specific regulatory elements during the primary response by exerting these two competing biological effects on antibody synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]