Forsyth, R. B. and Hoffmann, G. W. "A study of auto-antiidiotypes to BSA," J. Immunol., 145, 215-223, 1990.

This is a study of V regions of a particular specificity that preferentially bind to V regions of the same specificity. Chickens were immunized to three different protein antigens, and in a criss-cross specificity experiment the antibodies in each specific serum was found to bind preferentially to antibodies in the same serum. A possible interpretation is that antibodies can be selected with dual specificity (antigen plus idiotype) just as T cells are positively selected to have dual specificity (MHC plus antigen). Mouse sera anti-BSA sera also reacted against chicken anti-BSA, which can be explained by the antiidiotypic aspect of the antibody specificity being BSA mimicking.

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