Local Production of IgG, IgA, and IgE Antibodies in Grass Pollen Hay Fever

TLDR: An antigen-binding radioimmunoassay was used to measure binding activity for the group I protein of Rye grass pollen, showing that the ab response to pollen antigens is truly local.

Abstract: An antigen-binding radioimmunoassay was used to measure binding activity for the group I protein of Rye grass pollen (BA). Most patients with grass pollen hay fever were found to have IgG, IgA, and IgE BA in both their serum and nasal secretions. When these results were related to the quantities of total immunoglobulin of each class, it was clear that the IgG and IgA in nasal secretions had a higher proportion of pollen-specific ab than the IgG and IgA in serum. This calculation showed that most of the IgG BA and IgA BA in nasal secretions must have been produced locally. In contrast, IgG ab to diphtheria toxin was found to represent a lower proportion of nasal IgG than serum IgG. These findings for IgG anti-toxin supported the view that the pollen-specific IgG BA must have been produced locally. Specific antipollen IgE ab in nasal secretions was compared with the other classes. The results suggested that the IgE ab in nasal secretions was also locally produced. Furthermore, saliva samples from the patients that contained similar total quantities of IgG and IgA to nasal secretions were found to have little or no pollen-specific IgG, IgA, or IgE BA. After injections of grass pollen extract, the major antibody response was an increase in serum IgG BA, which was not matched in nasal secretions. Calculations in relation to total IgG showed that the IgG BA response to injections was unlikely to have been produced in the same place as the IgG BA produced in response to natural exposure. The findings show that the ab response to pollen antigens is truly local. The possibility that serum IgG BA and IgE BA was produced predominantly in local lymph nodes whereas the BA found in nasal secretions was derived from plasma cells in the nasal mucosa is discussed.