ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the use of ligand-specific Anti-Idiotype (anti-Id) to raise receptor-specific anti bodies as a means of investigating the interaction of various ligands with their receptors. Internal image Id may mimic antigen because of the correspondence, on the Id and antigen, of critical sequences either in linear arrangement or dispersed along the polypeptide chain, but brought together by protein folding. Most studies concerned with Id recognition involving antigens without known biological functions have restricted themselves to the interaction between the idiotypic determinants of the two antibodies and whether or not this was inhibitable by haptens. The putative antireceptor antibodies' interaction with the receptor was blocked by antiinsulin antibodies which also bound a population of the antibodies with antireceptor activity. The chapter presents studies in chronological order so that the reader may gain perspective of the unfolding conceptual progress.
