Idiotypic heterogeneity of the cross-reactive idiotype associated with the anti-p-azophenylarsonate antibodies of BALB/c mice.

The cross-reactive idiotype (CRI) associated with the BALB/c antibody response against the p-azophenylarsonate (Ar) hapten was studied by analyzing hybridoma anti-Ar derived from BALB/c mice. The BALB/c CRI (CRIc) was previously thought to be a single idiotype as defined by rabbit anti-idiotype. CRIc has been resolved into at least two separate families of anti-Ar antibodies that are unrelated idiotypically to each other. Analysis of the 5AF6 family revealed considerable idiotypic heterogeneity, including a number of public idiotopes that appeared to be primarily associated with combinatorial idiotopes (requiring H + L chains) or L chain-specific idiotopes.