Reaginic antibody formation in the mouse. V. Adoptive antihapten IgE antibody response of dinitrophenyl-keyhole limpet hemocyanin-primed spleen cells cultured with dinitrophenyl heterologous carrier conjugates.

DBA/1 mice were primed with dinitrophenyl-keyhole lympet hemocyanin (DNP-KLH) included in aluminum hydroxide gel, and the adoptive anti-DNP IgE antibody response of their spleen cells was studied by transfer into irradiated syngeneic mice. As expected, depletion of T cells by anti-theta antiserum and complement abolished the response of the spleen cells to homologous antigen. If the same T-depleted spleen cells were cultured with DNP-KLH for 24 hr and then transferred into irradiated mice, anti-DNP IgE antibody response was obtained. It was also found that DNP-KLH-primed spleen cells were triggered for IgE antibody response if they were cultured for 24 to 48 hr with DNP heterologous carrier conjugate, such as DNP-bovine gamma-globulin or a copolymer of D-tyrosine, glutamine, and lysine. Transfer of the cells cultured with the antigen into irradiated recipients resulted in the formation of anti-DNP IgE antibody. The DNP-KLH-primed cells cultured for 24 hr in the absence of antigen and then treated with DNP-BGG at 0 degrees C, also gave an adoptive IgE antibody response. If the same DNP-KLH-primed cells were treated with the DNP heterologous carrier conjugate at 0 degrees C or injected into irradiated recipients together with the antigen, no IgE antibody response was obtained. The results indicated that T cell dependency of the IgE antibody response is diminished by culture of DNP-KLH-primed cell for 24 to 48 hr.