The influence of maternal immunization on the antibody response of the offspring in genetically high-responding rats.

Immunization of high responding PVG female rats with poly(Glu52Lys33Tyr15) agrregated with methylated bovine serum albumin was associated with a decreased ability of their offspring to make an antibody response to the antigen. The amount of antigen given to the mothers was important in determining the magnitude of the antibody production in the offspring. The depression of antibody production was time-dependent: the first and second F1 litters from immunized mothers had significantly decreased antibody responses while no decrease was observed in the third F1 litter. Similarly, this alteration in the antibody response could be transmitted to the F2 generation but not to the F3 generation. These results suggest that aggregated antigen persists in the mother and crosses the placenta to interact with the developing immune system of the fetus. In the high-responding PVG strain, this interaction is associated with a decreased ability to respond to the antigen at a later time.