Heterogeneous and monoclonal helper T cells induce similar anti‐(4‐hydroxy‐3‐nitrophenyl)acetyl (NP) antibody populations in the primary adoptive response II. Lambda light chain dominance and idiotope expression

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Abstract
When the hapten (4‐hydroxy‐3‐nitrophenyl)acetyl (NP) is presented on different carrier molecules, different anti‐NP antibody responses are stimulated. On stimulation with NP‐lipopolysaccharide (LPS) [T‐independent type 1 (TI‐1) antigen] kappa (x)+ antibodies are the major population, whereas on stimulation with NP‐Ficoll [T‐independent type 2 (TI‐2) antigen], NP‐keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) or NP‐chicken gamma globulin (CG) [T‐dependent (TD) antigens], lambda (λ) 1+ antibodies dominate. The relative contribution of idiotopes Ac38 or Ac146 to the λ1+ anti‐NP response was also different on comparison of TI‐1 with TI‐2 or TD anti‐NP responses. We investigated whether light chain‐ or idiotype‐specific T cells are responsible for these differences. Analysis of the anti‐NP response of nude mice after immunization with NP‐Ficoll showed λ1 dominance. Likewise primary adoptive transfer experiments using carrier‐specific T cell lines to reconstitute the TD anti‐NP response to NP‐KLH or NP‐CG, showed that help from carrier‐specific T cells alone is capable of stimulating the characteristic λ1 dominant response. No significant difference could be found in the levels of Ac38 and Ac146 idiotope expression between mice reconstituted with splenic T cells and those reconstituted with T cell lines. These results suggest that light chain‐ or idiotype‐specific T cells are required neither for the production of λ1 light chain dominance, nor for the appearance of idiotopes characteristic of the primary anti‐NP response. The possible reasons for differences seen in both light chain and idiotope expression between primary anti‐NP responses to the TI‐1 antigen NP‐LPS and those to TD or TI‐2 antigens are discussed.

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