The Role of Antigenic Determinants in the Control of IgM and IgG Antibody Responses to Denatured DNA

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Abstract
Rabbits immunized with complexes of denatured calf thymus DNA and methylated bovine serum albumin (MBSA) produced only IgM antibodies to denatured DNA, confirming the results of previous studies. In contrast, both IgM and IgG antibodies were induced by MBSA complexes of T4 and T6 bacteriophage DNA, in which the normal base cytosine is replaced by glucosylated hydroxymethylcytosine. The glucose in not essential for this switch, since a preparation of modified T2 phage DNA, which contained nonglucosylated hydroxymethylcytosine, also induced the formation of both classes of antibodies. With or without glycosylation, the hydroxymethylcytosine served as a dominating determinant for specificity as well as a signal for 7S antibody production. The validity of complement fixation as an assay for these responses was confirmed by quantitative precipitation tests.

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