Genetic control of immune responses in chickens

The immune response of inbred lines of chickens to the terpolymer poly(glu⁶⁰ala³⁰tyr¹⁰) and copolymer poly(glu⁶⁰ala⁴⁰) was determined. Of six lines immunized, one (line 7) contained birds that either did not respond or were low responders to two injections of 1 mg each of the polymers in Freund's complete adjuvant. As indicated by radioimmunoelectrophoresis, low responders produced a 7S response, although the switch from 17S (high molecular weight immunoglobulin) to 7S antibody production was slower than in high-responder lines. Analysis of the distribution of responders and nonresponders in F₂ generations produced byinter se mating of F₁ hybrids of line 7 with high-responder lines, showed that immune responses were clearly determined by certain alloalleles of theB blood group locus, the major histocompatibility system in the chicken.