Antigen

About: Antigen is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 170233 publications have been published within this topic receiving 6982342 citations. The topic is also known as: antibody generator & Antigen.

The akr thymic antigen and its distribution in leukemias and nervous tissues

Abstract: A clear-cut serological differentiation between AKR lymphocytes of thymic and non-thymic origin is reported: these two cell types are antigenically distinct. In newborn mice, the AKR thymic antigen was found at a high concentration only in thymus. In adult mice, the antigen was present at a high level in thymus, all nervous tissues tested, and some leukemias. It was present at much lower levels in lymph node lymphocytes, splenic lymphocytes, appendix, lung, and certain other leukemias, which appeared to be of non-thymic origin. The AKR thymic antigen was present at a high level in thymus and nervous tissues of RF mice, but was absent from thymocytes of sixteen other mouse strains. These sixteen strains possessed the C3HeB/Fe thymic antigen. The distribution of this antigen in neonatal and adult tissues of the strains tested was similar to that of the AKR thymic antigen in AKR mice. No exceptions were found. These results were obtained by use of immune cytolysis, and of a new method for the quantitative treatment of data from absorption experiments.

Oral Tolerance: Immunologic Mechanisms and Treatment of Animal and Human Organ-Specific Autoimmune Diseases by Oral Administration of Autoantigens

Abstract: Oral tolerance is a long recognized method to induce peripheral immune tolerance. The primary mechanisms by which orally administered antigen induces tolerance are via the generation of active suppression or clonal anergy. Low doses of orally administered antigen favor active suppression whereas higher doses favor clonal anergy. The regulatory cells that mediate active suppression act via the secretion of suppressive cytokines such as TGF beta and IL-4 after being triggered by the oral tolerogen. Furthermore, antigen that stimulates the gut-associated lymphoid tissue preferentially generates a Th2 type response. Because the regulatory cells generated following oral tolerization are triggered in an antigen-specific fashion but suppress in an antigen nonspecific fashion, they mediate "bystander suppression" when they encounter the fed autoantigen at the target organ. Thus it may not be necessary to identify the target autoantigen to suppress an organ-specific autoimmune disease via oral tolerance; it is necessary only to administer orally a protein capable of inducing regulatory cells that secrete suppressive cytokines. Orally administered autoantigens suppress several experimental autoimmune models in a disease- and antigen-specific fashion; the diseases include experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), uveitis, and myasthenia, collagen- and adjuvant-induced arthritis, and diabetes in the NOD mouse. In addition, orally administered alloantigen suppresses alloreactivity and prolongs graft survival. Initial clinical trials of oral tolerance in multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and uveitis have demonstrated positive clinical effects with no apparent toxicity and decreases in T cell autoreactivity.

Induction and mechanism of action of transforming growth factor-beta-secreting Th3 regulatory cells.

Abstract: Th3 CD4+ regulatory cells were identified during the course of investigating mechanisms associated with oral tolerance. Different mechanisms of tolerance are induced following oral antigen administration, including active suppression, clonal anergy and deletion. Low doses favor active suppression whereas high doses favor anergy/deletion. Th3 regulatory cells form a unique T-cell subset which primarily secretes transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta, provides help for IgA and has suppressive properties for both Th1 and Th2 cells. Th3 type cells are distinct from the Th2 cells, as CD4+ TGF-beta-secreting cells with suppressive properties have been generated from interleukin (IL)-4-deficient animals. In vitro differentiation of Th3 cells from Th precursors from T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) transgenic mice is enhanced by culture with TGF-beta, IL-4, IL-10, and anti-IL-12. Th3 CD4+ myelin basic protein regulatory clones are structurally identical to Th1 encephalitogenic clones in TCR usage, MHC restriction and epitope recognition, but produce TGF-beta with various amounts of IL-4 and IL-10. Because Th3 regulatory cells are triggered in an antigen-specific fashion but suppress in an antigen-non-specific fashion, they mediate "bystander suppression" when they encounter the fed autoantigen at the target organ. In vivo induction of Th3 cells and low dose oral tolerance is enhanced by oral administration of IL-4. Anti-CD86 but not anti-CD80 blocks the induction of Th3 cells associated with low dose oral tolerance. Th3 regulatory cells have been described in other systems (e.g. recovery from experimental allergic encephalomyelitis) but may be preferentially generated following oral antigen administration due to the gut immunologic milieu that is rich in TGF-beta and has a unique class of dendritic cells. CD4+CD25+ regulatory T-cell function also appears related to TGF-beta.

Properties of Monoclonal Antibodies to Mouse Ig Allotypes, H-2, and Ia Antigens

Abstract: Advances in somatic cell hybridization techniques have made it possible to generate hybrid cell lines producing monospecific antibodies directed at desired antigenic determinants (1). In this paper a modification of the cell fusion procedure (2,3) was used to recover stable hybrid cell lines secreting IgG antibodies to: (a) mouse major histocompatibility complex (MHC) alloantigens (H-2K and I-A); and (b) mouse immunoglobulin (Ig) allotypes (Ig-1b, Ig-5a, and Ig-5b).