STUDIES ON THE RADIOSENSITIVE PHASE OF THE ANTIBODY RESPONSE. III. RECOVERY AND THE SECONDARY RESPONSE,

摘要

Irradiated rabbits which had received either BGG or peritoneal cells incubated with BGG were given a second injection of BGG 21days after the initial sensitization. This dose was not sufficient to elicit a primary response in non-irradiated rabbits. Only those rabbits which had received the sensitized cells produced detectable antibody in response to the challenge injection. Irradiated recipients of sensitized irradiated peritoneal cells also produced antibody following challenge injection. The antibody produced during this period was shown to be insensitive to 2-mercaptoethanol,and was therefore IgG antibody. The presence of antibody was determined by the tanned cell hemagglutination method. The ability of peritoneal cells from irradiated rabbits to recover the ability to induce antibody formation in non-irradiated rabbits was investigated. Antibody appeared in serum of recipients approximately 27days after irradiation of donors,whether peritoneal cells were harvested five days after irradiation or 20days post-irradiation. The implication of these findings in relation to the radiosensitive phase of the antibody response are discussed. (Author)