Age‐dependent isotype variation during secondary immune response in MRL/lpr mice producing autoanti‐γ‐globulin antibodies

摘要

AbstractA profound inability to produce IgG anti‐2,4,6‐trinitrophenyl (TNP) antibodies during the secondary immune response elicited by a T‐dependent antigen was observed in aged MLR/lpr mice. This unresponsiveness is associated with a significantly low indirect anti‐TNP plaque‐forming cell response and a weakin vitroanti‐TNP response upon the culture of keyhole limpet hemocyanin‐primed T cells and TNP‐primed B cells in the presence of TNP. The markedly low IgG anti‐TNP response observed in aged MLR/lpr mice cannot be related to the presence of rheumatoid factors which are observed during the secondary response, since MRL +/+ and 129/J mice, (non‐ autoimmune disease strains), also produce significant amounts of anti‐γ‐globulin antibodies yet mount a stro