Genetic control of the immune response: ability of antigens of defined amino acid sequence to be recognized by the Ir‐1 gene system

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Abstract
Mice were injected with a series of (T, G)‐A–L [poly (L Tyr, L Glu)‐poly(DL Ala)– poly (L Lys)]‐like compounds with side chains of homogeneous sequences: T‐A–L, GT‐A–L, GGT‐A–L, and TG‐A–L. T‐A–L was not immunogenic. However, T‐A–L was able to bind antibodies to (T, G)‐A–L 509, and this binding could not be blocked by A–L. When complexed with bovine serum albumin, T‐A–L, was immunogenic in both responder and nonresponder strains of mice. GT‐A–L and GGT‐A–L were both immunogenic and elicited the characteristic responder‐nonresponder difference induced by (T, G)‐A–L. TG‐A–L was also immunogenic, but there was considerable overlap in the response of responder and nonresponder strains. On the average, responder mouse serum had a slightly higher antigen‐binding capacity than nonresponder mouse serum. In contrast to antibodies against GGT‐A–L, antibodies against TG‐A–L bound heterologous antigens poorly. These data, along with the results of other investigators, are consistent with the hypothesis that there are multiple Ir‐1 genes which recognize different sequences. The specificity of the Ir‐1 genes is extraordinary. The polypeptides TG‐A–L, TGTG‐A–L and GTTG‐A–L do not appear to be recognized by these genes.

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