Reaginic Antibody Production to <i>Ascaris suum</i> Allergen, ASC-1

Abstract

Wistar/Furth rats were immunized with DNP-Asc-1 in various hapten-to-carrier ratios. The kinetics and intensity of the anti-DNP and anti-carrier IgE responses were dependent on the extent of carrier substitution. Lightly substituted conjugates induced excellent primary antihapten and anticarrier IgE antibodies while heavily substituted conjugates induced an early, short-lived and low antihapten response, but not anticarrier antibodies. The pattern of IgG antibody production was not dependent on the degree of substitution in the ranges tested. A single injection of carrier in CFA induced suppression of IgE antibodies following an injection with hapten-carrier conjugate, but enhanced the IgG antibody response to the hapten. Preimmunization or supplemental immunization with carrier in Al(OH)₃ suppressed the IgE anti-DNP response but did not prevent the appearance of anticarrier antibodies. The suppression of the antihapten IgE response was also demonstrated in an adoptive transfer system when donors of carrier-primed spleen cells were injected with carrier in CFA or with carrier in Al(OH)₃. On the other hand, excellent collaboration between carrier-primed helper cells and hapten-primed antibody-forming cell precursors was demonstrated for both IgE and IgG antibody production when donors of either carrier-primed or of hapten-primed cells received Bordetella pertussis as adjuvant. The results are consistent with the concept that intrinsic differences between the induction patterns of the IgE and IgG antibodies exist and that various factors contribute each in a different fashion to the dissociation of these responses.