Asymmetrically glycosylated IgG isolated from non-immune human sera.

When human IgG or its F(ab')2 fragment purified from a pool of non-immune sera was passed through a Con A-Sepharose column, 12% of the molecules bound to concanavalin A. While 44% of Fab' and 72% of Fd' fragments obtained from F(ab')2 retained by concanavalin A and eluted with methyl alpha-D-mannoside bound to concanavalin A, the Fab' and Fd' fragments obtained from non-retained F(ab')2 and the L chains and Fc fragments did not interact with the lectin. Only Fd' fragment obtained from the F(ab')2 retained by concanavalin A inhibited the fixation of guinea-pig erythrocytes to concanavalin A. These results are similar to those previously observed for IgG antibodies of different animal species and indicate that partial asymmetric glycosylation is a general phenomenon that is not restricted exclusively to IgG molecules with known specificity.

Preferential synthesis of asymmetric antibodies in rats immunized with paternal particulate antigens. Effect on pregnancy.

The effect of immunization of female Fischer rats with particulate (spleen cells) (group I) or soluble (supernatant of disintegrated spleen cells) (group II) paternal antigens previous to mating with Buffalo rats was investigated. The percentage of asymmetric IgG molecules in the serum of rats inoculated with particulate antigens was 38% while in those injected with soluble antigens it was 29% and 28% in non-immunized animals. These percentages further increased during pregnancy to 45%, 38% and 37%, respectively. The antipaternal antibody titres, as determined by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF), was much higher in the animals immunized with particulate antigens but the effector activity, judged by complement fixation, was similar in both groups. The same values were observed at the time of mating (after 3 months of immunization) and at day 17 of pregnancy. Fetus and placenta weights and offspring survival were equally greater in group I than in group II or non-immunized rats (group III). The results obtained indicate the preferential synthesis of antipaternal IgG asymmetric antibodies in rats injected with particulate antigens previous to mating and suggests a beneficial effect of these antibodies in pregnancy.

Influence of mouse placental factors on in vitro antibody synthesis.

Placental culture supernatants (PS) obtained from various mouse crossbreedings were added to mouse IgG1 hybridoma cultures producing anti-DNP antibodies. The quantity of monoclonal antibody (mAb) produced, the nature of these antibodies and the proliferation of the hybridoma cells were studied. It was observed that the supernatants increased or diminished the production of mAb, depending on the genetic origin of the placentae. This effect was the same using placentae from primiparous or multiparous females and it was not due to modifications of the cellular proliferation of the hybridoma, as shown by 3H-thymidine uptake. It was also found that placental supernatants induced an increase in the proportion of asymmetric, blocking antibodies synthesized by the hybridoma. This effect was detected with supernatants from both allogeneic or syngeneic crossbreedings, but only when placentae were obtained from multiparous females. These observations indicate that placentae produce at least two soluble factors that participate in the regulation of antibody synthesis and suggest that these factors play an important role in the immune equilibrium between mother and fetus.

The proportion of symmetric and asymmetric IgG antibody molecules synthesized by a cellular clone (hybridoma) can be regulated by placental culture supernatants.

The purpose of the present work was to establish whether the placenta is producing factors favoring an increased synthesis of asymmetric IgG antibodies which are known to assume a protective effect upon paternal antigens to which they largely are specific. In this way they can contribute to fetal survival in the maternal uterine environment. The hybridoma cell lines OKT8 (anti-CD8) and 112B4 (anti-DNP) were used in this respect since they synthesized both symmetric and asymmetric molecules of the IgG2a and IgG1 subclasses, respectively, murine isotypes in which anti-paternal antibodies have been detected. The cells were cultured in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% BCS and different amounts (5, 10, and 20%) of human placental supernatant. After incubation for 3 days at 37 degrees C in a humid chamber containing 5% CO2 the cells were centrifuged and the antibodies were obtained from the culture medium by a purification procedure involving precipitation at 50% ammonium sulfate saturation followed by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. Symmetric and asymmetric antibodies were separated by Con A-Sepharose affinity chromatography, the latter lectin retaining selectively only asymmetric IgG molecules. Both OKT8 and 112B4 hybridomas presenting a stable background synthesis of 15-17% of asymmetric antibodies have shown an increased level reaching 27-28% of these molecules in the presence of 5-10% placental supernatant added to the RPMI 1640 culture medium. These results clearly show that placental factors can up-regulate efficiently the synthesis of asymmetric IgG molecules of different isotypes secreted by plasma cells.

Modulation of the immune response by progesterone-induced lymphocyte factors.

Rat spleen and peripheral blood lymphocytes express progesterone receptors whose concentration is increased greatly during the early phase of pregnancy. After stimulation of progesterone the expression of receptors was augmented 2-3 times. When cells were cultured in the presence of progesterone they released a soluble factor that inhibited cellular immunoreactions (MLR, CRC) and cellular proliferation as measured by thymidine incorporation by spleen-cell culture. This factor also inhibited the synthesis of anti-DNP antibodies by a mouse hybridoma and diminished the proportion of cells in phase S. However, the percentage of asymmetric molecules produced by the hybridoma remained unaltered. These results support the hypothesis that soluble factors released by rat lymphocytes modulate the immune response of the mother and participate in the mechanism that protects the fetus against antipaternal antibodies.