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International Immunology Advance Access originally published online on January 24, 2007
International Immunology 2007 19(3):257-265; doi:10.1093/intimm/dxl142
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© The Japanese Society for Immunology. 2007. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Secretory antibodies reduce systemic antibody responses against the gastrointestinal commensal flora

Leanne C. Sait1, Maja Galic1,2, Jason D. Price1,2,3, Kim R. Simpfendorfer1,2,3, Dimitri A. Diavatopoulos1, Tania K. Uren1,2, Peter H. Janssen1, Odilia L. C. Wijburg1,2,3 and Richard A. Strugnell1,2,3

1 Department of Microbiology and Immunology
2 Cooperative Research Center for Vaccine Technology
3 Australian Bacterial Pathogenesis Program, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia

Correspondence to: O. L. C. Wijburg; E-mail: odilia{at}unimelb.edu.au

The humoral response to the gastrointestinal (GI) flora was analyzed in secretory Ig (sIg)-deficient polymeric IgR (pIgR)–/– mice and otherwise congenic C57BL/6 mice. While both strains carried an ileal flora of similar size and composition, increased bacterial translocation to mesenteric lymph node was demonstrated in pIgR–/– mice. Serum IgA was greatly increased in pIgR–/– mice compared with C57BL/6 mice and reacted with commensal organisms and food. Serum IgG levels in pIgR–/– mice were increased to 6-fold above that of C57BL/6 mice and included specificities that bound to selected flora antigens. The enhanced recognition of flora antigens in pIgR–/– mice was explored using ovalbumin (OVA)-specific CD4+ T cells and feeding of low concentrations of OVA. Increased proliferation of transgenic T cells was observed in pIgR–/– mice, relative to C57BL/6 mice, suggesting elevated net uptake of protein antigens from the GI tract in the absence of sIg. These studies suggest that there is increased recognition of GI flora antigens by systemic antibodies in pIgR–/– mice, most probably as a result of increased access of antigens from the GI flora to the systemic immune compartment, and support the hypothesis that a major function of the secretory immune system is to return environmental antigens to mucosal surfaces.

Keywords: antibodies, bacterial, mucosa, rodent

Transmitting editor: D. Tarlinton

Received 4 July 2006, accepted 13 December 2006.


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