HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Tew, J. G. Articles by Stavitsky, A. B. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Tew, J. G. Articles by Stavitsky, A. B.

The Spontaneous Induction of Anamnestic Antibody Synthesis in Lymph Node Cell Cultures Many Months after Primary Immunization¹

From the Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106

Abstract

An in vitro model system was developed in which interactions between persisting antigen, humoral antibody, and the various lymphoid cells involved in the immune response may be analyzed. In this system IgG antibody synthesis was spontaneously induced—no extrinsic antigen required—simply by transferring lymphoid cells from a human serum albumin (HSA) immunized rabbit into cell culture. Vigorous spontaneous antibody responses were obtained in cell cultures from 1 month up to a year after immunizing with 1 mg of polymerized-HSA. Induction of the spontaneous antibody response requires a 2- to 3-day period in vitro. The quantity of antibody synthesized per day, for a 3-day period after induction, was as high as 1000 times the amount obtained on the 1st day of culture. Addition of specific antibody to cultures inhibited the inductive but not the synthetic phase of the response. Addition of microgram quantities of antigen inhibited spontaneous induction, whereas nanogram quantities inhibited in some experiments and induced additional antibody synthesis in others. Initiation of the spontaneous in vitro response was attributed to cell-associated persisting antigen, whose activity is subject to an antibody feedback mechanism.

Footnotes

¹ This work was supported by Research Grant AI-1865 and Training Grant 5T1-GM-171 from the United States Public Health Service.

² Present address: Department of Microbiology, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.