Modification of T cell antinuclease idiotype expression by in vivo administration of anti-idiotype.

Immunization of BALB/c mice with nuclease leads to the production of anti-nuclease antibodies bearing a set of cross-reactive idiotypes (Id) distinct from those produced by B10.D2 mice after similar immunization. In both strains, such immunization with nuclease also leads to the production of splenic T helper cells (TH), which provide nuclease-specific help in an in vitro plaque-forming cell response to nuclease-TNP. Pig anti-(BALB/c antinuclease) anti-idiotypic antibodies (pig anti-BALB/c Id) react only with TH of nuclease-primed BALB/c and not with B10.D2 animals. After administration of pig anti-BALB/c Id in complete Freund's adjuvant to BALB/c and B10.D2 mice, Id-bearing nonantigen-binding molecules were induced in both strains. Such treatment also resulted in the induction of nuclease-specific splenic TH cells in both strains. BALB/c TH cells induced by anti-Id, like the majority of nuclease-primed BALB/c TH cells, bore BALB/c Id, as shown by their functional elimination with anti-Id plus complement. B10.D2 TH cells induced by anti-Id, unlike TH cells from nuclease-primed B10.D2 mice, also bore BALB/c idiotypic determinants by the same criterion. Thus, it appears that one can manipulate the expression of Id on serum immunoglobulins and on antigen-specific TH cells by administration of exogenous anti-Id reagents. These results have implications both for network interactions in the immune response and for the genetic basis of Igh-C linked Id expression.