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Biomedical subjects

C A Alper

Publications and source records attributed to C A Alper.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

The third component of complement: covalent attachment of a radioactive sugar to the labile binding site of C3 via the alternative pathway.

A complement- (C) fixing particle consisting of agarose beads to which 5-thioglucose was attached by a --S--S-- bond (agarose-thioglucose) was employed to investigate the mechanism of attachment of C3 to surfaces. When whole serum containing [125I] C3 was incubated with agarose-thioglucose, labeled C3b was taken up in a form that was not removed by 2 M NaCl but was released by 10 mM dithiothreitol. Deposition of DTT-releasable C3b was dependent upon the alternative pathway of C activation. Gel electrophoresis of DTT-releasable C3b from similar experiments performed with unlabeled serum and agarose-[3H]thioglucose showed that the liberated C3b contained a molecule of radioactive thioglucose attached to the alpha'-chain by a covalent bond that was stable to mercaptoethanol. We propose that the thioglucose-alpha' chain bond was formed during the course of C activation by a reaction between the "labile binding site" of newly released C3b and the (then) particle-bound sugar. This formulation implies that the reaction by which C3b attaches to 5-thioglucose in this system is the reaction responsible for opsonization by C3b, and that the C3b-linked sugar represents a marker for the labile binding site. Incubation of the particle-bound C3b in serum resulted in the cleavage of the covalently linked alpha'-chain to several smaller polypeptides, the major cleavage product having a m.w. of 70,000.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1981

Alternative complement pathway-dependent ingestion of fluolite particles by human granulocytes.

Fluorescent particles (Fluolite) with an average size of 0.1 micrometers were ingested by human granulocytes after incubation in fresh normal human serum (NHS). Ingestion was assessed by visual counting in a fluorescent microscope of cells containing particles. Ingestion required fresh normal serum and did not occur when serum was heated for 30 min at 50 degrees C or in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). It did not occur in serum genetically deficient in C3b inactivator or in C3. Phagocytic activity was restored to C3-deficient serum by purified human C3 and to heat inactivated serum by purified factor B. Opsonic activity was present in NHS containing 5 mM Mg++ and 10 mM ethyleneglycoltetraacetic acid (EGTA) and in human serum genetically deficient in human C components C2 and C5. Agammaglobulinemic sera had normal opsonic activity. Opsonization of particles in this system is mediated through the alternative pathway of C activation, and its measurement serves as a simple quantitative functional assay for this system.

Complement Activation↗
PubMed1980

Synthesis of human plasminogen by the liver.

Genetic types of plasminogen were determined from a donor and a recipient before and after hepatic homotransplantation. Examination of the plasminogen types demonstrated that the liver is the principal site of synthesis of human plasminogen.

Female↗
PubMed1980

Inherited structural polymorphism of the fourth component of human complement.

Human fourth component of complement (C4) was found to be highly polymorphic by agarose gel electrophoresis of neuraminidase-treated plasma. The system allows clear-cut separation of the products of the two C4 genetic loci, C4A (acidic or Rodgers) and C4B (basic or Chido). There are at least six structural variants and a deletion allele at the C4A locus and two structural variants and a deletion allele at the C4B locus. Close linkage with no crossovers was found between the two C4 loci, allowing the definition of C4AB haplotypes, and between C4 haplotypes and the C2 and BF loci of the human histocompatibility complex. Nine C4 haplotypes, each with a frequency of 0.005 or more in Caucasians, were found. These studies provide direct evidence for two distinct but closely linked genetic loci for human C4 in the major histocompatibility complex on the short arm of chromosome 6.

Alleles↗
PubMed1980

Genetic polymorphism of human plasminogen.

Using isoelectric focusing (IEF) in polyacrylamide gel of neuraminidase-treated serum or plasma samples and immunofixation or caseinolytic overlay after urokinase activation of gels, a common genetic polymorphism in human plasminogen has been delineated. Two alleles PLGN*A and PLGN*B, were observed with gene frequencies in whites of .69 and .30; in Orientals of .96 and .03; and in blacks of .80 and .18. Several rare alleles were also found. The distribution of phenotypes fits the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Inheritance is autosomal codominant and fits the expectations of Mendelian inheritance. There is fetal synthesis, but no transplacental passage of plasminogen in either direction.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Genetic marker for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

A rare genetic type (Bf F1) of properdin factor B is found in 22.6% of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus but in only 1.9% of the general population, yielding a relative risk of 15.0. This indicates that a genetic locus for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is very close on chromosome 6 to Bf, and that Bf F1 is a marker for nearly 1 out of 4 insulin-dependent diabetic patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Genetic control of the eighth component of complement.

Using isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gel and a hemolytic assay for development of patterns, extensive, structural polymorphism in human C8 has been delineated. Two alleles, C8A and C8B, have been identified in orientals, with gene frequencies of 0.655 and 0.345. In blacks, what appears to be a third common allele was found, so that frequencies were 0.692, 0.259, and 0.049 for C8A, C8B, and C8A1. In whites, C8A1 was rare with a frequency of 0.003, and frequencies for C8A and C8B were 0.649 and 0.349. Inheritance was autosomal codominant in family studies and the distribution of types in random unrelated populations fit the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in all groups. C8 allotypes have been determined for two previously studied families, each with a homozygous C8-deficient propositus. This study suggests that C8 deficiency is a silent or null allele of the C8 structural locus, and that half normal levels of C8 cannot be used as a single criterion for the establishment of heterozygous C8 deficiency. C8 allotypes, as well as 18 other autosomal markers, were also determined for 24 families. The C8 structural locus is not closely linked to these markers, including the human histocompatibility loci complex.

Alleles↗
PubMed1979

Mapping of the structural gene for the second component of complement with respect to the human major histocompatibility complex.

Families have been HLA typed, and allotypes of the second component of complement and properdin factor B determined. The lod score for the C2 structural gene and HLA-B from the study of 11 families and 55 informative meioses was 14.39 at maximum likelihood estimate of the recombination fraction of .02. This is related to other estimates of the distance between these two genes. The relative kinetic activities of the C2 allotypes were studied and no differences were demonstrated. No crossovers between Bf and C2 were observed.

Adult↗