IDIOTYPIC DETERMINANTS ON HUMAN THYROGLOBULIN AUTOANTIBODIES DERIVED FROM THE SERUM OF HASHIMOTO PATIENTS AND EB VIRUS-TRANSFORMED CELL-LINES

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 57  (1) , 33-40
Abstract
Rabbit anti-idiotypic reagents were prepared against 3 different human serum autoantibodies to thyroglobulin (Tg). Two of the rabbit antisera recognized private idiotypes (IdI) while a 3rd antiserum recognized both an IdI and a cross-reactive idiotype (IdX) which was expressed in 50% of Hashimoto patients tested. A 4th anti-idiotype was produced against an IgM anti-Tg secreted by a patient''s Epstein-Barr (EB) virus transformed lymphocyte [cell lines E/JAR and E/RUM]. This antiserum only reacted with the immunizing IgM anti-Tg and also recognized a private idiotype. Both the private and the public idiotypes appear to be restricted to the anti-Tg set of antibodies; this would favor the view that the IdX represents a collection of idiotopes with the ability to bind Tg as their common feature, rather than a common structure based upon closely similar germ line derived amino acid sequences.