Genetic influence on the antibody response to antigens of Schistosoma mansoni in chronically infected mice.

Immunoprecipitations of in vitro translation products of mRNA from adult Schistosoma mansoni worms with sera from chronically infected mice of 12 inbred strains reveal a strain-dependent heterogeneity in the antibody responses to schistosome antigens. Of the strains tested the response to the 86K antigen was restricted to mice of haplotypes H-2d H-2k, and H-2a while the 14K antigen was only recognized by H-2k mice. Responses to other antigens revealed the influence of non-H-2 genes on the antibody response although no clear correlation was apparent between the antigens recognized and the non-H-2 genes of the strains. Both dominant and recessive responses towards individual antigens were seen in F1 animals. Some of these results support the cross tolerance model of Ir gene function.