Induction of anti-idiotypic T cells through a network mechanism

BALB/c mouse T cells that recognized the idiotype expressed on M104E(mu, lambda 1) were induced by immunization with Dextran B-1355. T cells derived from mice immunized with 1 mg of Dextran B-1355 showed a marked proliferative response against M104E, whereas T cells from mice immunized with Ficoll or smaller amounts of Dextran B-1355 did not. BCL1Id, which had an identical isotype, did not induce proliferation of T cells. The T cell proliferative response against the idiotype on M104E required macrophages as antigen-presenting cells. The proliferative response was inhibited when antigen-presenting cells were treated with NH4Cl or chloroquine, which are antigen-processing inhibitors. These results indicate that anti-idiotypic T cells which recognized processed idiotopes could be induced physiologically through a network mechanism.