Antigenic specificities of antibodies suppressing induction of delayed hypersensitivity in mice to dinitrophenylated proteins.

Humoral antibodies capable of suppressing induction of delayed hypersensitivity to dinitrophenylated proteins in mice were tested for specific absorbability onto chemically insolubilized antigen and for the antigenic determinant specificities of their immunosuppressive (i.e. contrasensitizing) effects. The activity of an antiserum could be completely removed by absorption with homologous antigen, and it could be recovered by dissociating the absorbed antibodies at low pH and high salt concentration. The immunosuppressive antibodies therefore are specific for determinants on the native antigen, and non-antibody serum constituents are non-essential. By selective immunoabsorptions and elutions, antibodies specific for carrier protein, for dinitrophenyl hapten, and for new determinants unique to the hapten—protein complexes were prepared and were compared with unfractionated antiserum for contrasensitizing activity. Nearly all activity could be accounted for by the anti-hapten antibodies, although anti-carrier antibodies also had some. Despite this evidence that immunosuppressiveness was hapten-specific, the delayed hypersensitivity being suppressed by these antibodies was shown to be directed against hapten—carrier complexes or against carrier but not against hapten alone. Hence, humoral antibodies against a portion of an antigen molecule can suppress induction of delayed hypersensitivity specific for other sometimes unrelated parts of this same molecule, and it is possible to induce antibody-mediated tolerance to a multi-determinant antigen with an antibody response against just a part of the antigen. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. Notable theoretically is the observation that although determinant specificities of humoral antibody and delayed hypersensitivity responses to one antigen usually differ, the former can regulate the latter for a given species of antigen molecule. Most important practically is the implication that control over development of delayed hypersensitivities and cell-mediated immunologic reactions may be easier than hitherto anticipated, because humoral antibodies to only a portion of an antigen molecule will suffice to control sensitization to the entire molecule.