ANTIBODY NETWORKS AND IMAGING - ELICITATION OF ANTIFLUORESCEIN ANTIBODIES IN RESPONSE TO THE METATYPIC STATE OF FLUORESCEIN-SPECIFIC MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES

Studies are described regarding generation of anti-hapten antibodies s tarting with a monoclonal Ig immunogen in the ligand-induced conformat ion or metatypic state. Liganded monoclonal Abl antibodies represent t he unique feature of the study since previous reports investigating in ternal imaging in the original Idiotype Network Hypothesis [Jerne, 197 4 (Ann. Immun. 125C, 373-389)] were based on the non-liganded or idiot ypic state [as reviewed in: Rodkey, 1980 (Microbiol. Rev. 44, 631-659) ; Kohler et al., 1979 (In: Methods in Enzymology: Antibodies, Antigens and Molecular Mimicry, pp. 3-35); Greenspan and Bona, 1993 (FASEB J. 7, 437-444)]. Affinity-labeled liganded murine monoclonal anti-fluores cein antibodies served as immunogens administered both in the syngenic and xenogenic modes to determine if the metatypic state elicited anti -hapten antibodies through imaging-like mechanisms. Polyclonal and mon oclonal anti-Abl reagents in various hosts were assayed for anti-fluor escein and/or anti-metatype specificity. Significant anti-fluorescein responses were measured indicating that the metatypic state directly o r indirectly stimulates an antihapten antibody population. Copyright ( C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.