Abstract: | The effect of anti-idiotype antibodies (a-IdpI) on primary immune response to ovalbumin (OVA) was studied. A-IdpI against OVA antibodies were obtained with pI 6.2-6.7 from BALB/c mice. About 30-40% of IgG plaque cell formation (PCF) was inhibited if a-IdpI antiserum was added in situ, which served as a test for the evaluation of idiotype-positive (Id+) PCF. Up to 70% of common PCF and 70-80% of Id+ PCF were suppressed in mice that were injected with a-IdpI antibodies prior to immunization. This suppression was antigen- and allo-specific and depended upon the time of a-IdpI injection. If a-IdpI antibodies were disaggregated (DA) the Id+ suppression increased. A-IdpI antibodies also decreased IgE response to OVA, the suppression being most pronounced with the use of DA samples. |