Blocking by Anti-Idiotypic Antibodies of Monoclonal Antibody-Mediated Protection Against Lethal Semliki Forest Virus in Mice |
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| Authors: | T. A. M. OOSTERLAKEN M. HARMSEN C. A. KRAAIJEVELD H. SNIPPE |
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| Affiliation: | Institute for Molecular Biology and Medical Biotechnology and University of Utrecht, Medical School, Eykman-Winkler Laboratorium for Medical Microbiology, Utrecht, The Netherlands |
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| Abstract: | Semliki Forest virus-(SFV) neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs), produced after fusion of spleen cells from BALB/c mice and myeloma cell line P3-X63-AG8.653 or SP2/0, were used for anti-idiotypic immunization of female BALB/c mice. Two intracutaneous immunizations (2 × 40 μg per animal), 3 weeks apart, with keyhole limpet haemocyanin-conjugated MoAbs mixed with the saponin Quil A were sufficient to induce high levels of anti-idiotypic antibodies in the circulation of these mice with the capacity to block specifically in vitro MoAb-mediated virus neutralization. Anti-idiotypic antibodies against SFV-neutralizing MoAbs, either passively transferred or actively acquired by immunization, are also able to abrogate (specifically) passive immunity, mediated by critical protective doses of MoAb, in mice against infection with a lethal strain of SFV. Furthermore we confirmed by intervention with anti-idiotypic serum in vivo that an SFV- neutralizing MoAb exerts its greatest protective effect during the first 2 days of infection. |
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