A unidirectional carrier effect.

Abstract

A surprising unidirectional carrier effect has been observed in the antibody response to myoglobin-ferritin conjugate. This conjugate serves as a hapten-carrier complex for myoglobin-specific T cells to help ferritin-specific B cells make anti-ferritin antibodies, but it does not function for ferritin-specific T cells to help myoglobin-specific B cells to make anti-myoglobin. Therefore, myoglobin-ferritin does not bypass the Ir gene defect of low responders to myoglobin. In contrast, myoglobin-fowl gamma-globulin does induce anti-myoglobin antibodies in low responder mice and thus bypasses the Ir gene defect. Both complexes are covalently coupled. Since the myoglobin-ferritin conjugate serves for myoglobin-specific T cells to help myoglobin-specific B cells, the myoglobin in the conjugate is not altered in a way that would prevent recognition by myoglobin-specific B cells. Similarly, the conjugate serves for ferritin-specific helper T cells to help ferritin-specific B cells, so it can be recognized functionally by ferritin-specific T helper cells. Explanations such as unidirectional induction of or sensitivity to bystander help, or T-cell suppression, have been excluded. While the explanation for this unexpected observation is not yet certain, several possibilities are discussed to explain this novel phenomenon, which is believed to be the first example of such a unidirectional carrier effect between two proteins.