THE EFFECT OF X-IRRADIATION AND PASSIVE ANTIBODY ON IMMUNOLOGIC TOLERANCE IN THE RABBIT TO BOVINE SERUM ALBUMIN
Immunologic tolerance to bovine serum albumin (BSA) induced in rabbits by neonatal injection of BSA was not terminated following whole-body x irradiation. Some of the rabbits received passive anti-BSA prior to x irradiation in order to remove any persisting BSA, since the presence of the antigen during the recovery period might have prolonged the tolerant state. Other investigators have been able to demonstrate a termination of partial tolerance to heterologous erythrocytes in rats, BSA in rats, and homografts in mice. However, since the state of tolerance in these situations had been only partial, the animals undoubtedly contained some cells that were capable of responding to the tolerated antigen. Thus, the effect of x irradiation on the partially tolerant state may be similar to the enhancing effect that x irradiation has on the immune response in normal animals receiving the antigen prior to x irradiation. In this situation, the cells surviving x irradiation which were stimulated by prior injection of antigen appeared to multiply more rapidly than the nonstimulated cells; and, therefore, they disproportionately repopulated the partially tolerant state, stimulated nontolerant cells which survive x irradiation and may multiply more rapidly than the other surviving cells, and also disproportionately repopulate the depleted lymphoid tissue. An appropriate increase in the number of responsive cells would result in a responsive rather than a tolerant state. Since BSA tolerance in the rabbit is a completely tolerant state, stimulated cells would not exist after x irradiation and the depleted lymphoid tissue would be repopulated with cells incapable of responding to BSA. The tolerant state of BSA-tolerant rabbits was not terminated by passive anti-BSA. The injection of anti-BSA, followed 2 days later by an injection of excess I/sup 131/-labeled BSA, did not result in an immune response as evidenced by failure of the rabbits to show an immune elimination of the I/sup 131/-labeled BSA, whereas this same procedure resulted in an enhanced immune response in normal rabbits. Similarly, injection of large amounts of normal rabbit serum into BSA-tolerant rabbits failed to induce an immune response to a subsequent injection of BSA. These results are not compatible with Jerne's theory of antibody production, which postulates that natural antibody reacts with the antigen and transports it to the specific cells capable of producing antibody to that antigen. (BBB)
- Research Organization:
- Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation, La Jolla, Calif.
- NSA Number:
- NSA-18-015857
- OSTI ID:
- 4069841
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Immunology (U.S.), Vol. Vol: 92; Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-64
- Country of Publication:
- Country unknown/Code not available
- Language:
- English
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