Inhibition of cells producing antigen-dependent non-specific immunoglobulins by isologous anti-erythrocyte immunoglobulins.

Mice injected with isologous cellulose-conjugated immunoglobulins containing antibodies to sheep red blood cells develop a specific unresponsiveness to the homologous antigen. It was shown that such animals demonstrate a sharp decrease not only in the number of antibody-forming cells but also in the number of cells secreting antigen-dependent non-specific immunoglobulins. The suppression of both processes is antigen-specific. It is suggested that the reduced appearance of cells forming antigen-dependent non-specific immunoglobulins is due to suppression either of hypothetic inductors or precursors of these cells, which resemble the precursors of antibody producers in their idiotypes. The presence of the common precursors of antibody- and antigen-dependent non-specific immunoglobulin-forming cells is an alternative possibility.