Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of Experimental Medicine logoLink to The Journal of Experimental Medicine
. 1965 Sep 1;122(3):517–531. doi: 10.1084/jem.122.3.517

GENETIC CONTROL OF THE ANTIBODY RESPONSE

I. DEMONSTRATION OF DETERMINANT-SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES IN RESPONSE TO SYNTHETIC POLYPEPTIDE ANTIGENS IN TWO STRAINS OF INBRED MICE

Hugh O McDevitt 1, Michael Sela 1
PMCID: PMC2138070  PMID: 5839284

Abstract

Immunization of CBA and C57 mice with a branched, multichain synthetic polypeptide, poly (tyr,glu)-poly DL-ala--poly lys, ((T,G)-A--L), in Freund's complete adjuvant results in a tenfold or more difference in the antigen-binding capacity of sera from the two strains, although they respond equally to bovine serum albumin. Immunization of CBA x C57 F1, F1 x CBA, and F1 x C57 mice reveals definite genetic control of the response to (T,G)-A--L, which appears to be due to a single major genetic factor, with perhaps one or more modifying factors. Immunization of CBA and C57 mice with (H,G)-A--L, a synthetic polypeptide in which histidine replaces tyrosine, gives the opposite result, CBA's respond and C57's do not. From this, it appears that the genetic control of the response to (T,G)-A--L is specific for the antigenic determinant. The implications of these results are discussed.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (850.9 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ARQUILLA E. R., FINN J. GENETIC DIFFERENCES IN ANTIBODY PRODUCTION TO DETERMINANT GROUPS ON INSULIN. Science. 1963 Oct 18;142(3590):400–401. doi: 10.1126/science.142.3590.400. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BURNET M. A DARWINIAN APPROACH TO IMMUNITY. Nature. 1964 Aug 1;203:451–454. doi: 10.1038/203451a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. CINADER B. DEPENDENCE OF ANTIBODY RESPONSES ON STRUCTURE AND POLYMORPHISM OF AUTOLOGOUS MACROMOLECULES. Br Med Bull. 1963 Sep;19:219–224. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.bmb.a070060. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DINEEN J. K. SOURCES OF IMMUNOLOGICAL VARIATION. Nature. 1964 Apr 4;202:101–102. doi: 10.1038/202101a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. FAHEY J. L., WUNDERLICH J., MISHELL R. THE IMMUNOGLOBULINS OF MICE. I. FOUR MAJOR CLASSES OF IMMUNOGLOBULINS: 7S GAMMA-2-, 7S GAMMA-1-, GAMMA-1A (BETA-2A)-, AND 18S GAMMA-1M-GLOBULINS. J Exp Med. 1964 Aug 1;120:223–242. doi: 10.1084/jem.120.2.223. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. FINK M. A., QUINN V. A. Antibody production in inbred strains of mice. J Immunol. 1953 Jan;70(1):61–67. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. FUCHS S., SELA M. Studies on the chemical basis of the antigenicity of proteins. 6. Antigenic specificity of some synthetic polypeptides containing tyrosine. Biochem J. 1963 Apr;87:70–79. doi: 10.1042/bj0870070. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. GREENWOOD F. C., HUNTER W. M., GLOVER J. S. THE PREPARATION OF I-131-LABELLED HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE OF HIGH SPECIFIC RADIOACTIVITY. Biochem J. 1963 Oct;89:114–123. doi: 10.1042/bj0890114. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. IPSEN J. Differences in primary and secondary immunizability of inbred mice strains. J Immunol. 1959 Oct;83:448–457. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. LEVINE B. B., BENACERRAF B. GENETIC CONTROL IN GUINEA PIGS OF IMMUNE RESPONSE TO CONJUGATES OF HAPTENS AND POLY-L-LYSINE. Science. 1965 Jan 29;147(3657):517–518. doi: 10.1126/science.147.3657.517. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. LEVINE B. B., OJEDA A., BENACERRAF B. BASIS FOR THE ANTIGENICITY OF HAPTEN-POLY-L-LYSINE CONJUGATES IN RANDOM-BRED GUINEA PIGS. Nature. 1963 Nov 9;200:544–546. doi: 10.1038/200544a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. LEVINE B. B., OJEDA A., BENACERRAF B. STUDIES ON ARTIFICIAL ANTIGENS. III. THE GENETIC CONTROL OF THE IMMUNE RESPONSE TO HAPTEN-POLY-L-LYSINE CONJUGATES IN GUINEA PIGS. J Exp Med. 1963 Dec 1;118:953–957. doi: 10.1084/jem.118.6.953. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. SELA M., FUCHS S., ARNON R. Studies on the chemical basis of the antigenicity of proteins. 5. Synthesis, characterization and immunogenicity of some multichain and linear polypeptides containing tyrosine. Biochem J. 1962 Oct;85:223–235. doi: 10.1042/bj0850223. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Stern K, Brown K S, Davidsohn I. On the Inheritance of Natural Antisheep Agglutinins in Mice of Inbred Strains. Genetics. 1956 Jul;41(4):517–527. doi: 10.1093/genetics/41.4.517. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Experimental Medicine are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES