The immune response of allophenic mice to the synthetic polymer GL phi. III. Allotype analysis of anti-GL phi antibody.

Allophenic mice produced by aggregating 8-cell embryos from a low responder (CBA) and a high responder (DBA/1) strain to the synthetic amino acid polymer GL phi.. In some strains of mice the immune response to this polymer is controlled by two genes, alpha and beta, which map to the IE/C and IA subregions of the H-2 complex, respectively. The CBA strain is alpha+beta--whereas the DBA/1 strain can be considered to be alpha+beta+. These two strains also differ in immunoglobulin allotype: CBA is allotype alpha and DBA/1 is allotype c. Eight CBA--DBA/1 allophenic mice were immunized with GL phi.. Four of the mice gave a high secondary response to the polymer. The allotype of the antibody from these mice was determined by affinity chromatography, and it was found that only allotype c was present. This means that all of the antibody was produced by high responder DBA/1 cells. Thus, there is no evidence for the cooperation of histoincompatible cells in the mounting of an immune response by allophenic mice.