Ir gene influence on DNP-specific B-memory-cell formation.

It is well known that Ir genes control the antibody production. To investigate whether they also influence B-memory-cell generation, CBA mice (nonresponders) were primed with dinitrophenyl-poly-(L-tyr,L-glu)-poly-(D,L-ala)-poly-(L-lys)-DNP-TGAL conjugate. At the same time animals were injected with ovalbumin (OVA) to activate OVA-specific T helpers. Two to four weeks later animals were challenged with DNP-OVA conjugate and the number of IgG-producing B cells was determined. The data presented indicate that carrier-specific MHC-restricted T helpers are not required for B-memory-cell generation. It is concluded that the defect of IgG response to DNP-TGAL in CBA mice is caused by a block in the maturation of memory cells to antibody-producing cells.