AN IDIOTYPIC COMPLEMENTARITY BETWEEN RHEUMATOID-FACTOR AND ANTI-PEPTIDOGLYCAN ANTIBODIES

  • 1 January 1985
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 61  (2) , 373-378
Abstract
Groups of BALB/c mice were repeatedly immunized with sterile affinity-purified human rheumatoid factor (RF) preparations from high-titered seropositive rheumatoid arthritis sera. In all cases, there was an antibody response reactive with Streptococcus pyogenes cell wall peptidoglycan-polysaccharide (PG-PS) polymer in both immunodiffusion and ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). This antibody could be absorbed by either excess RF or PG-PS, but not by isolated human non-RF IgG or IgM preparations. Groups of mice similarly immunized with non-RF IgG or IgM produced no significant anti-PG-PS antibody response compared with pre-immune sera. All immunogens lacked detectable PG-PS. Thus, anti-PG-PS antibody may be produced by RF immunization in the absence of PG-PS. This suggests some idiotypic complementarity between RF and anti-PG-PS antibodies.