Competitive binding of antibodies and antigen-antibody complexes to receptors on spleen lymphocytes

Abstract

We have confirmed that adherence of antibodies to spleen lymphocytes is stabilized when the antibodies form complexes with antigen. Furthermore, there is evidence that antibodies having both binding sites occupied are less easily supplanted from the lymphocyte receptor by unspecific IgG than antibodies carrying one antigen only. Based on these results a hypothetical model for a feed-back control of the humoral immune response is put forward.