Immunogenicity of ovalbumin-Ficoll conjugates with particular reference to IgE antibody production.
Conjugates of ovalbumin with Ficoll (OA-Ficoll) were injected into BDF1 mice to establish their immunogenicity and specifically to determine their effect on the IgE anti-OA response. Mice injected with OA-Ficoll responded by producing IgG anti-OA, but not IgE anti-OA. Furthermore, soluble OA-Ficoll injected subsequent to native OA in the form optimal to elicit IgE antibody in fact suppressed the production of IgE anti-OA. Spleen cells from OA-Ficoll-injected mice when injected into normal mice suppressed the subsequent IgE response to OA. OA-Ficoll reacted only weakly with antibody to native OA and had no effect on the IgE antibody response to the unrelated antigen alpha-amylase.