Abrogation and reconstitution of nonresponsiveness: a correlation with high network connectivity

A monoclonal antibody (Fd-B2) to ferredoxin, which bears an idiotype scarcely expressed in any of a wide variety of mouse strains, is able to markedly enhance the response to ferredoxin of both high-responder and intermediate-responder strains. A rabbit anti-idiotype serum to Fd-B2 also specifically enhances the response to ferredoxin in such mice. Most remarkably, the treatment of nonresponder T cells by either the idiotype (Fd-B2) plus complement or anti-idiotype antiserum plus complement causes them to be responsive in adoptive transfer experiments. The two responding populations (idiotype-treated and anti-idiotype-treated) can then be combined to reconstitute the nonresponsive state. When the nonresponders are treated with either Fd-B2 idiotype plus complement or anti-idiotype plus complement and subsequently respond, the idiotype of the anti-ferredoxin antibody produced does not bear the Fd-B2 idiotype. We interpret the results as being consistent with a model in which the unresponsive state for ferredoxin is a state of high network connectivity of the ferredoxin-specific T cells.