Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of Experimental Medicine logoLink to The Journal of Experimental Medicine
. 1969 Oct 1;130(4):723–744. doi: 10.1084/jem.130.4.723

ANTIBODIES OF THE IgA TYPE IN INTESTINAL PLASMA CELLS OF GERMFREE MICE AFTER ORAL OR PARENTERAL IMMUNIZATION WITH FERRITIN

P A Crabbé 1, D R Nash 1, H Bazin 1, H Eyssen 1, J F Heremans 1
PMCID: PMC2138719  PMID: 4186443

Abstract

In adult germfree C3H mice immunized with horse spleen ferritin, either subcutaneously or intraperitoneally, plasma cells containing specific antibodies were found in lymph nodes and spleen and, in smaller numbers, also in the lamina propria of the intestine. In extraintestinal sites, these antiferritin-containing plasma cells were mainly of the IgM class after a single stimulation, and of the IgG1 class after repeated stimulation. In the intestine, all the anti-ferritin-containing cells appeared to be of the IgA class. Circulating antibodies, after repeated stimulation, were for the major part IgG1 and IgG2. In germfree mice given ferritin in their drinking water, antiferritin-containing cells were abundant in the intestinal mucosa, much less numerous in the mesenteric lymph nodes, and extremely scarce in other lymphoid tissues. All these cells, whatever their location, appeared to belong exclusively to the IgA class. Similarly, all the circulating antibody in these animals was found to be IgA. These findings illustrate the role of the gut as a site of antibody synthesis, as well as its selective commitment to the production of antibodies of the IgA class.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.5 MB).

Selected References

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

  1. ADLER F. L. STUDIES ON MOUSE ANTIBODIES. II. MERCAPTOETHANOL-SENSITIVE 7 S ANTIBODIES IN MOUSE ANTISERA TO PROTEIN ANTIGENS. J Immunol. 1965 Jul;95:39–47. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. ASKONAS B. A., HUMPHREY J. H. Formation of specific antibodies and gamma-globulin in vitro; a study of the synthetic ability of various tissues from rabbits immunized by different methods. Biochem J. 1958 Feb;68(2):252–261. doi: 10.1042/bj0680252. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Barth W. F., McLaughlin C. L., Fahey J. L. The immunoglobulins of mice. VI. Response to immunization. J Immunol. 1965 Nov;95(5):781–790. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Berger R., Ainbender E., Hodes H. L., Zepp H. D., Hevizy M. M. Demonstration of IgA polioantibody in saliva, duodenal fluid and urine. Nature. 1967 Apr 22;214(5086):420–422. doi: 10.1038/214420a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bernstein I. D., Ovary Z. Absorption of antigens from the gastrointestinal tract. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1968;33(6):521–527. doi: 10.1159/000230068. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. COOPER G. N., PILLOW J. A. Experimental shigellosis in mice. II. Immunological responses to Shigella dysenteriae type 2 infection. Aust J Exp Biol Med Sci. 1959 Jun;37:201–209. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. CRABBE P. A., CARBONARA A. O., HEREMANS J. F. THE NORMAL HUMAN INTESTINAL MUCOSA AS A MAJOR SOURCE OF PLASMA CELLS CONTAINING GAMMA-A-IMMUNOGLOBULIN. Lab Invest. 1965 Mar;14:235–248. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Coombs R. R., Jonas W. E., Lachmann P. J., Feinstein A. Detection of IgA antibodies by the red cell linked antigen-antiglobulin reaction: antibodies in the sera of infants to milk proteins. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1965;27(6):321–337. doi: 10.1159/000229616. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Cooper G. N., Halliday W. J., Thonard J. C. Immunological reactivity associated with antigens in the intestinal tract of rats. J Pathol Bacteriol. 1967 Jan;93(1):223–233. doi: 10.1002/path.1700930122. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Crabbé P. A., Bazin H., Eyssen H., Heremans J. F. The normal microbial flora as a major stimulus for proliferation of plasma cells synthesizing IgA in the gut. The germ-free intestinal tract. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1968;34(4):362–375. doi: 10.1159/000230130. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Crandall R. B., Cebra J. J., Crandall C. A. The relative proportions of IgG-, IgAand IgM-containing cells in rabbit tissues during experimental trichinosis. Immunology. 1967 Feb;12(2):147–158. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. FRETER R., GANGAROSA E. J. ORAL IMMUNIZATION AND PRODUCTION OF COPROANTIBODY IN HUMAN VOLUNTEERS. J Immunol. 1963 Dec;91:724–729. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Fichtelius K. E. The gut epithelium--a first level lymphoid organ? Exp Cell Res. 1968 Jan;49(1):87–104. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(68)90522-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Fichtelius K. E., Yunis E. J., Good R. A. Occurrence of lymphocytes within the gut epithelium of normal and neonatally thymectomized mice. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1968 May;128(1):185–188. doi: 10.3181/00379727-128-32974. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. KOSHLAND M. E. The origin of fecal antibody and its relationship to immunization with adjuvant. J Immunol. 1953 Apr;70(4):359–365. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Keller R., Dwyer J. E. Neutralization of poliovirus by IgA coproantibodies. J Immunol. 1968 Aug;101(2):192–202. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Levanon Y., Raettig H., Rossetini S. M. Positive immunological reaction of gut cells from orally immunized animals demonstrated by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis. Experientia. 1968 Jun 15;24(6):600–601. doi: 10.1007/BF02153798. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. MERRYMAN C., BENACERRAF B. STUDIES ON THE STRUCTURE OF MOUSE ANTIBODIES. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1963 Nov;114:372–376. doi: 10.3181/00379727-114-28681. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Mandel M. A., Asofsky R. Studies of thoracic duct lymphocytes of mice. I. Immunoglobulin synthesis in vitro. J Immunol. 1968 Feb;100(2):363–370. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Masson P. L., Heremans J. F., Dive C. Studies of the proteins of secretions from two villous tumours of the rectum. Gastroenterologia. 1966;105(5):270–282. doi: 10.1159/000202055. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Nash D. R., Crabbé P. A., Heremans J. F. Sequential immunofluorescent staining: a simple and useful technique. Immunology. 1969 Jun;16(6):785–790. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. RUBIN W., FAUCI A. S., MARVIN S. F., SLEISENGER M. H., JEFRIES G. H. IMMUNOFLUORESCENT STUDIES IN ADULT CELIAC DISEASE. J Clin Invest. 1965 Mar;44:475–485. doi: 10.1172/JCI105161. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Rothberg R. M., Kraft S. C., Farr R. S. Similarities between rabbit antibodies produced following ingestion of bovine serum albumin and following parenteral immunization. J Immunol. 1967 Feb;98(2):386–395. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Sell S. Mercaptoethanol-sensitive antibody production in germ-free mice and guinea pigs. J Immunol. 1965 Aug;95(2):300–305. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. TOMASI T. B., Jr, ZIGELBAUM S. THE SELECTIVE OCCURENCE OF GAMMA-1A GLOBULINS IN CERTAIN BODY FLUIDS. J Clin Invest. 1963 Oct;42:1552–1560. doi: 10.1172/JCI104840. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Warner N. L., Vaz N. M., Ovary Z. Immunoglobulin classes in antibody responses in mice. I. Analysis by biological properties. Immunology. 1968 May;14(5):725–734. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES