| Summary: | In order to establish the presence of anti-anti-self antibodies
and study such MHC mimicking antibodies in the sera of alloimmune
mice, reciprocal sets of alloantisera were raised between the
following pairs of mice : Balb/c and C57BL/6 (B6), Balb/c and CBA,
and B6 and CBA. After 10 weeks of alloimmunization, the presence of
anti-anti-self antibodies could be detected by an avidin-biotin ELISA,
and by inhibition of antibody and complement mediated cytotoxicity
in the alloimmune B6 and Balb/c sera. Such antibodies belonged to
the immunoglobulin G class. Considerably higher levels of anti-antiself
antibodies were induced in alloimmune B6 mice compared to
alloimmune Balb/c mice. Moreover, anti-anti-self antibodies
spontaneously occurred in the serum of old B6 mice. Anti-anti-self
antibodies in alloimmune B6 mice were shown to be highly specific.
Anti-anti-self antibodies in both alloimmune and old B6 mice
specifically inhibited the cytotoxicity of anti-foreign MHC antibodies
present in the converse Balb/c anit-B6 antiserum. This indicates that
these antibodies have a self MHC mimicking activity.
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