Importance of IgG2c isotype in the immune response to beta-amyloid in amyloid precursor protein/transgenic mice

Irina Petrushina1, Mike Tran, Nadya Sadzikava

  • 1The Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-4540, Irvine USA.

Neuroscience Letters
|February 5, 2003
PubMed

A careful analysis of the immune response to immunization of amyloid precursor protein/transgenic (APP/Tg) mice with beta-amyloid (Abeta) may provide insights into why a subset of the patients in a clinical trial receiving Abeta-immunotherapy developed encephalomyelitis. Characterization of isotypic immune responses have been reported in different APP/Tg models. In these studies the relative ratios of IgG1 to IgG2a anti-Abeta antibodies has been used as an indirect measure of T helper 1 (Th1) and Th2 types immune responses. However, it has previously been shown that certain strains of mice, C57Bl/6, C57Bl/10, SJL, and NOD, have an IgG2c rather than an IgG2a gene. Since a substantial number of Abeta-immunization studies rely on APP/Tg mice that have at least one parental C57Bl/6 strain, we have investigated whether antibodies specific for IgG2a can be used for characterization of antibody isotypes in APP/Tg2576 mice. Our results suggest that APP/Tg2576 and major histocompatibilty complex-matched parental strains are not expressing IgG2a, producing instead IgG2c anti-Abeta antibodies.

Related Concept Videos