[Genetic control of antibody response to Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in mice]

The purpose of this study was to determine the genetic control of the primary antibody response of inbred strains of mice against sonicated extract from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, a representative periodontal pathogen. Three groups of inbred mice strains, six independent strains, six H-2 congenic strains (B10(H-2b), B10. A (H-2a), B10. BR (H-2k), B10. D2 (H-2d), A/J (H-2a), A. BY (H-2b))nd four intra-H-2 recombinant strains (B10(Kb, I-Ak, I-E-, Db), B10. A (4R) (Kk, I-Ak, I-Eb, Db), B10. A (5R) (Kb, I-Ab, I-Ek, Dd), B10. MBR Kb, I-Ak, I-Ek, Dq] were examined on the basis of serum antibody titers to A. actinomycetemcomitans by the ELISA and of the band appearance by Western blot analysis. The levels of antibody titers varied within the first group and between A/J (H-2a) and A. BY (H-2b) in the second group. Western blot analysis showed two kinds of bands: a) constant bands appearing in all strains and b) specific bands appearing only in the distinct groups of strains. One of the latter kind of band, at 65kDa, was unique to the H-2b strains (B10, B6, A. BY) in the first and second groups and the I-Ab strains (B10 and B10. A (5R] in the third group. These results indicated that the immune response to some antigens of A. actinomycetemcomitans was influenced by the genetic background, and the immune response to some of these, such as the 65kDa antigen, was controlled by the gene in the H-2 complex.