Correlation between Serum IgG-2 Concentrations and the Antibody Response to Bacterial Polysaccharide Antigens

Abstract

We measured serum concentrations of immunoglobulin classes and IgG subclasses in 53 patients who had completed treatment for Hodgkin's disease and in 10 healthy adults. We wished to determine the relation of these classes and subclasses to the subjects' antibody responses to bacterial polysaccharide and viral protein antigens. Mean levels of the IgG-2 subclass were significantly lower in patients treated with both radiation and chemotherapy than in controls (P less than 0.05). The level of IgG-2 before immunization correlated directly with the mean antibody response both to 11 pneumococcal antigens (r = 0.71, P less than 0.001) and to the Haemophilus influenzae Type b antigen (r = 0.40, P less than 0.01). The correlation between IgG-2 concentration and pneumococcal antibody response was also significant in the 10 healthy adults ( r = 0.70, P less than 0.05). The levels of no immunoglobulin class or subclass correlated significantly with antibody responses to influenza A/Victoria/75 and A/New Jersey/76 hemagglutinins, both of which are protein antigens. The serum concentration of IgG-2 appears to provide a marker for predicting the ability to produce antibodies to polysaccharide, but not viral protein, antigens.

Prevalence and Isotypic Complexity of the Anti-Chinese Hamster Ovary Host Cell Protein Antibodies in Normal Human Serum

“…With several allergens, during the antibody response to desensitization/ immunotherapy, initially mainly IgG1 was formed, whereas IgG4 became more prominent after 1-2 years (16,17). IgG2 is predominantly produced in response to polysaccharide antigens (18).…”

“…The remarkable observation is the high prevalence (60%) of the specific IgG2 type anti-CHO-HCP reactivity. The IgG2 subclass is generally, if not exclusively, restricted to the anti-carbohydrate antibodies evoked by the polysaccharide antigens in a T cellindependent manner (18). It is postulated that the individuals that exhibit IgG2 type anti-CHO-HCP reactivity must have prior exposure to the carbohydrate components of glycoproteins or carbohydrates from other sources that are homologous to the CHO-HCP.…”

Subclass distribution of IgG antibodies to the rat oesophagus stratum corneum (so-called anti-keratin antibodies) in rheumatoid arthritis

“…Nevertheless, the determination of the subclass profile of IgG antibodies could contribute towards the knowledge of the antigens they recognized. Indeed, protein antigens were found to be responsible for the predominant production of IgGl antibodies (Stevens et af 1983;Schatz et al 1988) while IgG2 antibodies seem to be more specifically elicited by polysaccharidic antigens (Siber et al 1980;Barret & Ayoub, 1986), glycolipidic antigens (Nys et af 1988) or glucidic fraction of glycoprotein antigens (Schatz et af 1988). A possible explanation for the existence of isotype-restricted idiotypes.…”

Partial immune reconstitution after bone marrow transplantation in a boy with recombination activating gene 1 defect

“…The results show an impaired specific immunoglobulin production against IgG subclass deficiency is frequently associated with bacterial infections, the most common identified selective antibody deficiency is an impaired response to polysaccharide antigens such as those present in capsule of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b. Since IgG2 is the predominant antibody produced in response to some polysaccharide antigens, it is possible that patients with decreased IgG2 levels may have an altered response to infections with encapsulated bacteria, 6 but in our case this has not happened throughout the 7 years clinical evolution without any type of prophylaxis.…”