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Enhancement of Immunogenicity of a BALB/c Myeloma Protein in BALB/c Mice¹

From the Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60612

Abstract

Antiidiotypic antibodies to the BALB/c myeloma protein, LPC-1 (IgG2a()) were induced in BALB/c mice by immunization with protein LPC-1 copolymerized with glutaraldehyde to either rabbit IgG or, preferably, C57BL IgG. The copolymers were much more immunogenic than monomeric LPC-1 or polymerized LPC-1. Tests for antibody activity were carried out by using Fab fragments of monomeric LPC-1 as ligand. The use of copolymers as immunogens should facilitate the study of the rejection of myeloma tumors by isologous mice actively producing antiidiotypic antibodies.

When C57BL mice, which differ from BALB/c with respect to heavy chain allotype, were used as recipients, antiidiotypic antibodies were elicited by monomeric LPC-1 as well as by polymers. In CBA mice, which are of the same allotype as BALB/c, monomeric LPC-1 was ineffective but a homopolymer of LPC-1 was an effective immunogen. Since the homopolymer was a very weak immunogen in the BALB/c strain a factor other than known allotypic determinants must play a role. The mechanism of enhancement of immunogenicity by polymerization is discussed.

Footnotes

¹ This work was supported by Grant AI-10220 from the National Institutes of Health.

² Supported by National Institutes of Health Training Grant PHS AI-00335-07.

Present address: Department of Biochemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48823.