Preparation of anti-idiotypic antibodies specific for anti-HEL and analysis of their functional mimicry

Abstract

Objective: This study is to investigate the functional mimicry by using anti-idiotypic antibodies of enzymes.

Methods: Monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibodies against anti-HEL (hen egg-white lysozyme, HEL) antibodies were obtained by fusion of Sp2/0 myeloma cells with spleen cells of syngeneic mice immunized with monoclonal anti-HEL antibodies against HEL's different antigenic epitopes. Then bacteriolysis of the anti-idiotypic antibodies were observed.

Results: Eight hybridomas strains secreting anti-idiotypic antibodies were selected and characterized. It was shown that two of eight anti-idiotypic antibodies secreted by two hybridomas (1A10C9 and 2A11C1B3) could mimic HEL catalytic activity to lyse Micrococcus lysodeikticus and that the catalytic effect of mixed anti-idiotypic antibodies of 1A10C9 and 2A11C1B3 was stronger than that of one of them, but less than HEL.

Conclusion: The results demonstrated that the anti-idiotypic antibodies that could mimic enzyme activity existed in the idiotype network during anti-enzymatic immune response.