Anti-Idiotypic Antibodies as Staphylococcal Enterotoxin Receptor Probes on Monkey Mast Cells

Abstract

The immediate-type skin reaction in unsensitized monkeys upon challenge with staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) was studied to define the role of mast cell receptors in the action of the toxin. For this purpose anti-idiotypic antibodies (anti-Id) were raised in BALB/c mice against monoclonal anti-SEB antibodies and purified by idiotype affinity chromatography. Anti-Id completely abolished skin reactions upon challenge with SEB without having biological functions itself. The data are compatible with the view that receptors for staphylococcal enterotoxin actually exist on the mast cell membrane of primates and anti-Id may be of potential value to influence the course of staphylococcal enterotoxin-mediated effects.

Expression of functional major histocompatility complex class II molecules on HMC-1 human mast cells

“…Mast cells could also participate in the first step of the immune response, since it was elegantly demonstrated that rodent mast cells express major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules [29][30][31][32][33][34] and have the capacity to process nominal antigens and present immunogenic peptides to T cells [31,35,36]. The possible involvement of signaling via MHC class II molecules in specific immunological processes is further reinforced by the observation that, in some primates, connective tissue mast cells were detected undergoing degranulation after intradermal injection of staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) [37][38][39], a natural ligand of MHC class II molecules that does not require processing by antigen-presenting cells in order to activate T cells [40].…”