Hapten-specific B cell blockade of the immune response to a thymus-independent-1 antigen produced by concomitant administration of a thymus-independent-2 antigen.

CBA/N mice harbour an X-linked B cell defect which is transmitted by CBA/N female mice to their hybrid male progeny. These mice mount normal responses to thymus-dependent (TD) and some thymus-independent (TI-1) antigens, while the response to TI-2 antigens is absent. Hapten-specific plaque-forming cell (PFC) responses to TD antigens can be blockaded by concomitant exposure of these mice to TI-2 antigens bearing the same hapten. This paper investigates in defective mice the blockade of their response to TNP₃-LPS (trinitrophenylated lipopolysaccharide, a TI-1 antigen), imposed by DNP₅₉-Ficoll (dinitrophenylated Ficoll, a TI-2 antigen). The effectiveness of the blocking agent, DNP₅₉-Ficoll, differed in various inbred mouse strains: CBA/N × C3H/HeN F₁ male > CBA/N female > CBA/N · C3H/HeN F₁ female. The role of T cells in the observed hapten-specific blockade phenomenon was investigated using athymic CBA/N nude mice and a B cell tolerogen. Our findings indicate that T cell participation is not essential for the blockade of CBA/N PFC responses and they suggest that direct blockade of TI- and TD-responsive B cell populations is likely to occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]