Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms that Regulate Idiotype Expression in Myeloma Cells

Myeloma is an example of idiotype expression carried to an extreme. Whereas neither the extent of dominance of the single clone in myeloma nor the extraordinary serum levels of the single idiotype in myeloma have obvious counterparts in normal immune responses, the analyses of myeloma cells and myeloma proteins have continued to provide important information that has improved our understanding of immune responses. This laboratory has employed antigen-binding murine myelomas as monoclonal B-cell models and has established that these myelomas differentiate during in vivo growth, are responsive to antigen-specific and idiotype-specific immunoregulatory signals, and induce an extraordinary expansion of immunoregulatory T-suppressor cells. Those studies have recently been reviewed. The present report reviews the studies on the regulation of idiotype expression in myeloma cells by idiotype-specific immunoregulators.