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. 1972 Sep;69(9):2696–2700. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.9.2696

Thymus-Independence of Slowly Metabolized Immunogens

Michael Sela 1, Edna Mozes 1, G M Shearer 1
PMCID: PMC427019  PMID: 4115955

Abstract

The role of thymus in antibody responses to a series of four synthetic polypeptide immunogens of the general formula multi-copoly(Tyr,Glu)-poly(Pro)-poly(Lys) was investigated as a function of the optical activity of the amino acids composing their structure. Irradiated nonthymectomized and thymectomized SJL mice were injected with thymocytes, marrow cells, or a mixture of both. Each group of recipients was immunized with the following copolymer enantiomorphs: all L-amino acids; L-amino acids outside and D inside; D-amino acids outside and L inside; or all D-amino acids. The antibody response to the immunogen composed of all L-amino acids was thymus-dependent, whereas the responses to the other three copolymers were all independent of the thymus. Similar cell transfers were performed in DBA/1 mice immunized with multi-copoly(L-Phe,L-Glu)-poly(D-Pro)-poly(D-Lys). This mouse strain produces specific antibodies against the (Phe,Glu) region and against the poly(D-prolyl) region. The immune response to the determinant with only L-amino acids on the outside was thymusdependent, whereas the response to the inside immunopotent region with only D-amino acids was thymusindependent. Since earlier studies have demonstrated that synthetic polypeptide antigens that contain D-amino acids are poorly metabolized, the thymus-independence of the antibody responses to these multichain synthetic polypeptides that possess repeating antigenic determinants was correlated with the metabolizability of the immunogens or their component determinants.

Keywords: synthetic antigens, multichain poly(proline), repeating antigenic determinants, optical configuration

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Selected References

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

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