Antibody Formation Against 2,4-Dinitrophenyl-Hapten at the Cellular Level

Abstract

Specific immune hemolysis of sheep erythrocytes coupled with highly substituted 2,4-dinitrophenylated bovine serum albumin by means of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide was shown. Following one intraperitoneal immunization of BALB/c mice with 2,4-dinitrophenylated human γ globulin, plaque-forming cells were detected in spleens by the hemolytic plaque-in-gel assay. Simultaneous increase of direct and indirect plaques was observed as early as 4 days after immunization. The direct plaques reached a peak on the 5th day (50 to 150 plaque-forming cells/10⁶ spleen cells) and a sharp decrease followed. The indirect plaques reached a peak on the 7th day (300 to 1500 PFC/10⁶) and the decrease was gradual. About 10 indirect plaques/10⁶ spleen cells were found before immunization.