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B Seshi

Publications and source records attributed to B Seshi.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Effect of age on mitogen induced protein tyrosine phosphorylation in human T cell and its subsets: down-regulation of tyrosine phosphorylation of ZAP-70.

Several events of T cell activation have been reported to decline in humans with age. Since protein tyrosine phosphorylation is an early critical event of T cell activation, we performed a systematic analysis of the age-associated changes in the mitogen induced protein tyrosine phosphorylation of human T lymphocytes using SDS-PAGE and Western blotting techniques. Following stimulation with Con A and PHA, an identical pattern of protein tyrosine phosphorylation was observed in the lysates of T cells prepared from seven healthy young adults and eight healthy elderly human subjects. Five different high molecular mass proteins (75, 115, 120, 140 and 170 kDa) were consistently tyrosine phosphorylated in all of the donors from both age groups and peaked between 3 and 10 min. Tyrosine phosphorylation of the above substrates was observed in both CD4 and CD8 subsets. When compared for individual donors from both age groups, variations in the T cell response with regard to net tyrosine phosphorylation for all the substrates was observed. However, the mitogen induced level of tyrosine phosphorylation of only p75 was found to be significantly lower in unfractionated T cells as well as CD4 and CD8 subsets of older subjects than that of young subjects. Using immunoblotting, p75 was identified as ZAP-70, a member of the syk family of protein tyrosine kinases. Understanding of the biochemical basis of the reduced level of tyrosine phosphorylation of ZAP-70 will be helpful in delineating the molecular basis of age-associated impairment of T cell activation.

Adult

SIVsmmPBj14 induces expression of a mucosal integrin on macaque lymphocytes.

The PBj14 isolate of simian immunodeficiency virus, SIVsmmPBj14, is an acutely pathogenic lentivirus that causes severe gastrointestinal disease in macaque monkeys. The studies reported here examine the basis for the enteropathic phenotype of SIVsmmPBj14, using flow cytometric analysis of cultured macaque lymphocytes and immunohistochemical staining of tissue specimens from virus-infected macaques. The data show that enteropathic molecular clones of SIVsmmPBj14 induce expression of the alpha E beta 7 integrin, which is believed to mediate mucosal retention of T-cells, whereas molecular clones from nonenteropathic derivatives of SIVsmmPBj14 do not do so. Thus, elevated expression of alpha E beta 7 may ber responsible, at least in part, for the accumulation of abnormally large numbers of T-cells within the intestinal mucosa during acute SIVsmmPBj14 infection.

Animals

Cell adhesion to proteins separated by lithium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and blotted onto a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane: a new cell-blotting technique.

Cell blotting, although conceptually simple, has failed to achieve wide practical application. Described here is a new cell-blotting technique which involves cell adhesion to protein bands after separation by lithium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (LDS-PAGE) and blotting onto polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane at 4 degrees C. Cell bands adherent on PVDF are detected using hematoxylin, or propidium iodide (PI) staining followed by viewing under ultraviolet (UV) light. The technique allows quick microscopic visualization of adherent cells composing the bands, without requiring clearing of the membrane. Representative cell adhesion proteins from different sources, i.e., plant lectins (e.g., phytohemagglutinin, PHA; concanavalin A, ConA; and wheat germ agglutinin, WGA); extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins; and integral membrane proteins (e.g., recombinant soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, rs VCAM-1) were tested for cell binding by the new cell-blotting technique using human lymphoid progenitor (NALM-6) and myeloid progenitor (KG1a) cell lines. Cell adhesion proteins retained their adhesion function in all cases tested. Specificity of cell binding on PVDF blot was demonstrated by inhibition of cell adhesion to WGA protein bands using an appropriate sugar, i.e., N-acetyl D-glucosamine. The cell blotting assay was comparable in sensitivity to Coomassie blue staining of protein bands. The ability to conduct protein extraction, separation and blotting at low temperature avoids thermal denaturation, thereby preserving the adhesion properties of the proteins. The electrophoretic/blotting system has unique detergent removal/protein renaturation properties and the ability to preserve functionally active adhesion protein complexes. The cell-blotting technique described is sufficiently robust for routine application in the investigation of novel cell adhesion proteins.

Cell Adhesion

Discovery of novel hematopoietic cell adhesion molecules from human bone marrow stromal cell membrane protein extracts by a new cell-blotting technique.

In an attempt to define the role of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) within the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment in normal hematopoiesis and in leukemia development, a novel cell-blotting technique that involved cell adhesion to protein bands after separation by lithium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (LDS-PAGE) and blotting onto polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane has been developed. Human BM stromal cell membrane fractions have been prepared from Dexter-type cultures after cell lysis by sonification and differential centrifugations of the sonification contents. The 20,000 g pellets representing membrane fractions have been solubilized by 2% Triton X-100, 0.575% LDS, and 8 mol/L urea in sequential order. The protein extracts are fractionated by LDS-PAGE and screened for CAMs by the new cell-blotting technique. This led to identification of nine protein bands in lanes containing LDS extracts showing adhesion of KG1a (CD34+ progenitor myeloid) cells. Evidence that the BM proteins exhibiting KG1a cell adhesion are novel CAMs is based on the observations that these proteins, in comparison with known CAMs, specifically VCAM-1, CD54, and CD44, show (1) contrasting detergent-solubility properties, (2) different temperature requirement for mediating cell adhesion function, and (3) markedly distinct electrophoretic mobilities. The various cell types tested, notably KG1a, NALM-6, WIL-2, Ramos, HS-Sultan, K562, JY B lymphoblastoid cells, and T lymphoblasts, showed distinctive patterns of binding to different subsets of BM CAMs. These results demonstrate a new approach to studies of molecular mechanisms that may determine specificity of hematopoietic cellular localization within BM microenvironment and may play an important role in controlling hematopoiesis.

Bone Marrow

Use of cell surface antigen phenotype in guiding therapeutic decisions in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia.

The myelodysplastic syndromes are a heterogeneous group of hematopoietic stem cell diseases in which both diagnosis and prognosis are determined by cellular morphologic criteria. In some patients, prognosis is poor due to proliferation of immature cells, i.e. development of acute leukemia. An important clinical decision for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes is whether to treat with supportive care or to use cytoreductive drugs to control the proliferative component of these illnesses. Two cases of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia are presented where cell surface antigen phenotype analysis showed characteristics suggestive of proliferative disease and the patients were treated and obtained remission with cytoablative therapy. Cell surface marker analysis may be useful in guiding therapeutic decisions in myelodysplasia.

Aged

Acute myeloid leukaemia with an unusual phenotype: myeloperoxidase (+), CD13 (-), CD14 (-) and CD33 (-).

We herein describe an unusual case of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) showing strong cytochemical reactivity for myeloperoxidase (MPO) but surprisingly no reactivity using flow cytometry for any of the lineage-specific cell surface markers, i.e. myelomonocytic antigens CD13, CD14 and CD33; or B-lymphoid antigens CD19, CD20 and immunoglobulins; or T-lymphoid antigens CD2, CD3 and CD5. The strong reactivity for MPO and the complete absence of reactivity for CD13 and CD14 was verified by an independent assay involving alkaline phosphatase-anti-alkaline phosphatase (APAAP). Our case is of interest for at least two reasons: First, a poorly differentiated variant of AML (negative for MPO but positive for one or more of the myeloid-lineage CD antigens) has been designated FAB M0. In terms of the expression of phenotypic markers, our case may be considered as an 'MPO (+), CD antigen (-) AML'. The CD antigens are known to be expressed very early during myeloid differentiation whereas MPO (in its functional form) is viewed as being expressed relatively late in the process. It is therefore intriguing from a biological standpoint why the supposedly early antigens (CD33 and CD13) remain unexpressed; this may represent an example of 'asynchronous differentiation' in leukaemia. Second, from a practical standpoint, the use of immunophenotyping as a first-line diagnosis would fail to detect such cases. This case strengthens the notion that immunophenotyping by flow cytometry does not eliminate the necessity of performing peroxidase cytochemical staining.

Acid Phosphatase

Immunohistochemical characterization of a set of monoclonal antibodies to human neuron-specific enolase.

This paper describes the immunohistochemical staining properties of four monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) (CF, EB, AD, and KB) which had been previously shown to be specific for purified neuron-specific enolase (NSE) by a solid-phase radioimmunoassay. In this study, the authors immunostained a spectrum of normal and neoplastic neuronal, "neuroendocrine," and nonneuronal tissues fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin. Positivity was generally restricted to normal neuronal structures and neuronal tumors, including adrenal neuroblastoma, ganglioneuroblastoma, olfactory neuroblastoma, pheochromocytoma, carotid body paraganglioma, duodenal gangliocytic paraganglioma, and teratoma with neuroepithelial components. Three staining patterns of the normal or neoplastic neuronal structures were observed: two MAbs (CF and EB) stained predominantly the nerve fibers (axoplasm); one (AD) stained predominantly the cell bodies (perikaryon); and one (KB) stained both the axoplasm and the perikaryon. "Neuroendocrine" tumors such as pulmonary small cell carcinoma, pancreatic islet cell tumor, thyroid medullary carcinoma, and carcinoid tumors from various locations showed a variable staining pattern. Tumor cells undergoing mitotic division were usually positive regardless of type. Normal structures other than neuronal or "neuroendocrine," including normal glial cells, were negative. The authors also studied a range of glial cell tumors with MAbs CF and AD as well as with Dako polyclonal antiserum to NSE. The results showed that CF stained the axonal fibers in the normal white matter surrounding these tumors; it did not stain the tumor cells or the perikarya of neurons in the surrounding normal gray matter. AD stained the glioma cells as well as the perikarya and dendrites of neurons in the surrounding normal gray matter; it did not stain the axonal fibers in the surrounding normal white matter. By contrast, the polyclonal antiserum stained all of these structures. The high degree of staining specificity of the MAbs should prove them to be valuable in immunohistochemical diagnosis of tumors as well as in further understanding the role of NSE in neuronal differentiation.

Adrenal Glands

Monoclonal antibodies to human neuron-specific enolase reveal heterogeneity of the enzyme in neurons of the central nervous system.

Three monoclonal antibodies to human neuron-specific enolase (NSE) were used to survey the human brain and spinal cord for immunoreactivity. Two of the antibodies (EB and CF) recognized the same population of cells and cell processes. Reactivity was restricted to myelinated axons, basket cell bodies and processes, and a small population of pyramidal cell bodies in the visual cortex. The third antibody (AD) reacted with some, but not all, of the neuronal cell bodies in cerebral cortex, hippocampus, midbrain, and spinal cord. Many neurons did not react with any of the antibodies. The epitope recognized by AD was trypsin-sensitive, while those recognized by EB and CF were not. These studies suggest that NSE may have multiple conformational or structural forms which are segregated between the cell body and axon.

Animals

Hunter's syndrome: a study in airway obstruction.

Hunter's disease is a genetically transmitted defect known to produce mucopolysaccharide infiltration of multiple organ systems. Upper airway obstruction is caused by an enlarged tongue, deformed pharynx, and short, thick neck. Its eventual lethal outcome by the second decade of life is known to result from an infiltrative cardiomyopathy leading to irreversible heart failure. Instead, our recent experience in the care of five patients with this disorder suggests the lethal event is related to progressive obstruction sequentially involving the upper, mid, and lower airway characterized by gradual deformation and collapse of the trachea. Autopsy and histopathologic whole organ sections demonstrate anteroposterior flattening of the trachea and bronchi with submucosal thickening producing structural alterations known only to this disease.

Airway Obstruction

Cell blotting: techniques for staining and microscopical examination of cells blotted on nitrocellulose paper.

Standard cytological and histological staining procedures were successfully applied on nitrocellulose (NC) paper for staining a spectrum of cell types that were blotted on it. The staining procedures included a Papanicolaou method, a hematoxylin and eosin method, and an immunoperoxidase technique. The cell types consisted of various suspension and monolayer cultures as well as cells freshly prepared from tumor and nontumor tissues. Suspended cells were manually blotted on NC paper; they were fixed in one of the fixatives, which included 80% 2-propanol, 10% neutral-buffered formalin, Carnoy's solution, Bouin's fluid, and B-5 fixative; they were then stained by one or more of the above methods. After staining, the NC paper was dehydrated in absolute 2-propanol; made transparent by soaking in xylene; mounted permanently in a mounting medium (Permount) on a glass slide; and then examined under a microscope. The protein-blotting capacity of NC paper (Schleicher & Schuell) was compared with those of the conventional cell blotting media (Millipore and Gelman) which contained cellulose acetate. Bovine serum albumin was dot-blotted on the NC and the cellulose acetate filters, and stained for protein by amido black. As in cytological/histological staining, the amido black-stained filters were dehydrated in absolute 2-propanol, made transparent in xylene, and mounted in Permount. Densitometric tracings indicated that the NC paper bound the highest amount of protein. The feasibility of cytological/histological staining techniques on NC paper combined with its high protein-blotting capacity allowed in situ staining and microscopical characterization of baby hamster kidney cells binding to fibronectin blotted on the NC paper. The possible significance of these techniques in current cell biological research was discussed.

Animals

Preparation and characterization of monoclonal antibodies to human neuron-specific enolase.

Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) has been increasingly recognized as a marker for neuroendocrine tumors including small cell carcinoma of the lung (SCCL). To prepare monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific for human NSE, we first developed a simple method of purifying NSE by direct chromatofocusing of a crude extract of human brain tissue. BALB/c mice were then immunized with our preparation of NSE, and MAbs against NSE were generated utilizing a hybridoma technique. The antibodies were screened against both NSE and non-neuronal enolase (NNE) by a solid-phase radioimmunoassay (SPRIA). After cloning and subcloning of hybridomas, two groups of anti-NSE MAbs were identified by SPRIA. One group reacted specifically with NSE but not with its isoenzyme NNE, irrespective of whether antigens were glutaraldehyde fixed or unfixed. A second group reacted with both NSE and NNE when the latter were glutaraldehyde fixed, but surprisingly with neither antigen in the absence of fixation. Group I antibodies were further characterized by immunoblotting, and by immunocytochemistry of normal brain and liver sections and sections of SCCL. The results further supported the specificity of group I antibodies for NSE. These MAbs have potential utility in the diagnosis and management of neuroendocrine tumors, and in further understanding the biology of NSE.

Antibodies, Monoclonal

Infection of normal human thymic epithelial cells by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) following implantation of EBV receptors.

Normal human thymic epithelial cells cannot be infected and transformed by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Measurements using fluorescein-labelled EBV and cytofluorograph revealed that the cells do not have receptors for the virus. Following transplantation of functional EBV receptors onto epithelial cell membranes, however, the cells were infected with EBV and expressed EBV-determined nuclear antigen (EBNA). No EBV associated antigens characteristic of the lytic cycle of the virus were detected. This method of in vitro infection by transforming viruses such as EBV may provide ways of deriving functioning thymic epithelial cell lines.

Antigens, Viral