Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C J Issel

Publications and source records attributed to C J Issel.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Characterization of the antigenic domains of the major core protein (p26) of equine infectious anemia virus.

A panel of recombinant trpLE-gag fusion proteins and synthetic peptides was used in Western immunoblot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to identify segments of the major core protein (p26) of equine infectious anemia virus that are antigenic in horses during experimental and natural infections with the virus. The predominant humoral immune response was directed toward a highly immunogenic domain composed of 83 amino acids from the carboxy terminus of p26. The observed immunogenicity of p26 resembled that reported for p24 of human immunodeficiency virus type 1, suggesting the conservation of structural motifs in the lentiviral core proteins which are responsible for their observed immunogenicity during persistent lentivirus infections.

Animals↗

Analysis of equine humoral immune responses to the transmembrane envelope glycoprotein (gp45) of equine infectious anemia virus.

Defined segments of the transmembrane envelope glycoprotein (gp45) of equine infectious anemia virus were expressed as TrpLE fusion proteins and examined for their reactivity in Western immunoblots against a diverse panel of equine immune sera. The most immunogenic region of gp45 was localized to its amino terminus, positioned between the hydrophobic fusion and the transmembrane domains. A series of overlapping synthetic peptides were used in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to define an immunodominant epitope within this region. In contrast, the carboxy-terminal half of gp45 displayed both weak and variable immunoreactivity with equine immune sera.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) humoral responses of recipient ponies and antigenic variation during persistent infection.

Three ponies were inoculated with plasma containing 10(4.8) TCID50 of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) and observed for 165 to 440 days. Each pony developed a febrile response within 3 weeks of infection during which a plasma viremia greater than or equal to 10(3.5) TCID50/ml was observed. Analyses of four isolates from sequential febrile episodes in a single pony were conducted by two-dimensional tryptic peptide maps and with monoclonal antibodies in immunoblots. Structural and antigenic alterations were observed in the envelope glycoproteins gp90 and gp45, with greatest variation in gp90. Specific IgG to EIAV gp90, gp45, and p26 of homologous and heterologous isolates was detectable by immunoblots within one month after infection although IgG levels to gp45 at this time were relatively low. The group-specific determinants of gp90 and gp45 were more antigenic than those of p26; however, binding of IgG to these determinants did not correlate with neutralization of EIAV as assayed in fetal equine kidney cells. Neutralizing antibodies were first detectable within two months of infection and only neutralized viruses isolated prior to serum collection. Neutralizing activity of sera collected later in the infection was broadly reactive regardless of the number of clinical episodes the donor had suffered.

Animals↗

In vitro isolation of a neutralization escape mutant of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV).

A neutralization escape mutant (A/1 E) of equine infectious anemia virus was isolated after 13 passages in cell culture in the presence of serum containing antibodies to type- and group-specific determinants of EIAV envelope glycoproteins. Loss of neutralization by the selecting serum correlated with loss of two epitopes in the major envelope glycoprotein gp90 of A/1 E which were present in a parallel variant isolated from a persistently infected pony.

Animals↗

Cryopreservation of equine mononuclear cells for immunological studies.

A rapid and simple technique for the cryopreservation and recovery of equine mononuclear cells was developed. Buffy-coat leukocytes were frozen in autologous plasma containing 10% DMSO and mononuclear cells were recovered by gradient sedimentation using a standard Ficoll-Hypaque purification procedure. The total numbers of mononuclear cells recovered from cryopreserved samples were 94%-82% of those recovered from fresh blood samples. The functional capabilities of the mononuclear cells from cryopreserved buffy coat preparations were compared with those of mononuclear cells from fresh samples by measuring the ability of cells to proliferate in response to mitogens and specific antigens. Cell-surface antigen expression was measured using monoclonal antibodies in conjunction with flow cytometric techniques and alloantisera in a complement mediated cytotoxicity assay. Cryopreserved mononuclear cells were capable of proliferating normally when stimulated with several mitogens, pokeweed mitogen, phytohemagglutinin and concanavalin A, and a single specific antigen preparation, equine influenza-2 (Equi-2) proteins. The maximum levels of proliferation induced by varying the concentrations of mitogens or the Equi-2 proteins were the same for both the fresh and cryopreserved cells. However, the cryopreserved cells usually required one more day in culture to attain maximum proliferation levels. Flow cytometric analysis of the samples demonstrated that the relative proportions of different lymphocyte populations were not altered by the cryopreservation step. Similarly, MHS alloantigen expression was not altered. The simplicity of the technique coupled with the retained functional properties allows for the cryopreservation of large numbers of leukocytes and the ability to assay various immune functions at a later time.

Animals↗

Proviral DNA integration and transcriptional patterns of equine infectious anemia virus during persistent and cytopathic infections.

The structure and integration patterns of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) proviral DNA and the patterns of viral transcription were examined in persistent and cytopathic infections of cultured cells. The results of Southern blot analyses indicated that, in persistently infected cells, about 30% of the EIAV provirus exists as randomly integrated DNA, while the remaining 70% is equally divided between unintegrated linear and closed circular forms. The cytopathic infection, in contrast, is characterized by levels of integrated provirus ranging from 65 to more than 90% of the total proviral DNA, depending on the extent of cytopathology exhibited by the virus strain employed. In both persistent and cytopathic infections, extensive Northern (RNA) blot analyses have revealed the presence of two major virus-specific transcripts, an 8.2-kilobase (kb) full-length genomic mRNA and a 3.5-kb single-spliced mRNA. A low-abundance 1.5-kb mRNA, presumably formed by a double-splicing event of the full-length RNA, was also detected in the cytopathic EIAV infection. The two major viral transcripts are present in approximately equal quantities in persistently infected cells, while the cytopathic infection reveals nearly a 30-fold higher level of viral transcripts in which the 3.5-kb species constitutes over 75% of the total viral mRNA. The relatively high proportion of proviral DNA integration and the simple pattern of viral transcription observed during EIAV infections appeared to be different from the generally observed patterns of predominantly unintegrated proviral DNA and multi-spliced viral mRNAs in cells infected with other lentiviruses such as visna virus or human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Moreover, the data suggested that the cytopathology of EIAV may be correlated in part with the degree of proviral DNA integration and levels of viral mRNA in infected cells, particularly that of the spliced 3.5-kb mRNA.

Animals↗

Equine infectious anemia: prospects for control.

Equine infectious anemia has been managed in most countries by the imposition of testing and quarantine regulations. In the United States, about 700,000 of the more than 7,000,000 horses are tested annually. As long as the status of greater than 90% of the horse population remains unknown and horses are transported and congregate in a relatively unrestricted manner, EIA will continue to exact its toll. Therefore, it is incumbent on the scientific community to continue to develop and refine practical and sensitive diagnostic tests for EIA which will be used in an expanding market, to reduce the number of untested horses and to increase the accuracy of test results. Under ideal conditions, EIA can spread rapidly in a localized population with potentially devastating results. Although strict adherence to sanitary regulations will minimize the likelihood of epizootics, the existence of a large reservoir of untested horses with occasional contact with uninfected test-negative horses will ensure the continued transmission of EIAV. The change of this transmission occurring as a result of human intervention can be eliminated but it is not possible to eliminate the threat posed by blood feeding insects. If these "chance encounters" between an untested EIAV infected horse and a test-negative horse occur under field conditions where horse flies are abundant and the proximate distance between the horses is minimal, transmission is efficient if the quantity of EIAV in the blood of the donor horse is high.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Localization of conserved and variable antigenic domains of equine infectious anemia virus envelope glycoproteins using recombinant env-encoded protein fragments produced in Escherichia coli.

Previous characterizations of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) glycoprotein variation by DNA sequence analysis and epitope mapping using monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) have revealed the presence of conserved and variable regions within the EIAV env gene. To extend these studies, fragments of the EIAV envelope proteins gp90 and gp45 were expressed in Escherichia coli and used in Western blot analysis with a diverse panel of equine immune sera to identify antigenic segments. All sera from EIAV-infected animals reacted with the carboxyl terminal portion of gp90 and the amino terminal portion of gp45, indicating the highly conserved and immunodominant nature of these regions. Other gp90 segments, both from conserved and variable env sequences, displayed variable reactivities with the panel of equine sera. A panel of MAbs was also used in Western blot assays with the recombinant protein fragments for physical localization of previously identified MAb epitopes. The binding sites of two neutralizing MAbs were localized to a highly variable region of gp90, while nonneutralizing epitopes were localized to conserved and variable regions of the envelope glycoproteins. These results, in addition to localizing important antigenic sites on EIAV glycoproteins, indicate that previously defined conserved and variable env nucleotide sequences indeed encode protein sequences constituting conserved and variable immunogens during persistent infection by EIAV.

Animals↗

Transmission of bovine leukemia virus by Tabanus fuscicostatus.

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) was transmitted by horse flies, Tabanus fuscicostatus, from a cow with a lymphocyte count of 31,500/mm3 to goats and dairy calves. As few as 10 and 20 flies transmitted BLV to goats and calves respectively, but the minimal number of flies required to transmit the infection was not established. Groups of 150 and 100 T fuscicostatus transmitted BLV to beef calves from a cow with a lymphocyte count of 14,600/mm3. These results support a role for horse flies in the horizontal transmission of BLV.

Animals↗

Antigenic mapping of the envelope proteins of equine infectious anemia virus: identification of a neutralization domain and a conserved region on glycoprotein 90.

Monoclonal antibodies (MCAbs) were used to dissect the antigenic sites of the surface glycoproteins of the prototype cell-adapted Wyoming strain of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). Serologic reactivities of these MCAbs were determined by ELISA, additive ELISA, competitive ELISA, and Western blot assays. The results indicated that antigenic reactivity of gp90 was localized on at least four distinct epitopes, two of which were important in neutralization. Our studies also revealed that these epitopes were localized on overlapping antigenic sites on gp90. On the other hand, only two distinct non-overlapping epitopes were identified on gp45. Competitive binding studies of neutralizing MCAbs and reference EIA-positive horse serum delineated the presence of a neutralization domain on gp90 that appears to be immunodominant both in naturally infected horses and in mice immunized with EIAV. Limited proteolytic fragmentation of the gp90 component of several serologically distinct EIAV isolates produced common 12K immunoreactive fragments that contained a conserved epitope. These results indicate the occurrence of conserved antigenic regions on EIAV glycoproteins as well as a neutralization domain on gp90, which can be used as potential targets for vaccine development.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

EIAV genomic organization: further characterization by sequencing of purified glycoproteins and cDNA.

Nucleotide sequence analyses of two different proviral clones of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), designated lambda 12 (K. Rushlow et al., 1986, Virology 155, 309-321) and 1369 (T. Kawakami et al., 1987, Virology 158, 300-312), indicate significant differences in the organization of two critical regions of the viral genome, i.e., in the short open reading frames in the pol-env intergenic region and in the 5'-end of the env gene. To determine the correct structure of the EIAV genome, we have performed nucleotide sequence analyses of cDNA clones produced from viral RNA and direct sequencing of purified EIAV envelope glycoproteins (gp90 and gp45). The results of the cDNA sequencing confirm the presence of two short open reading frames in the pol-env intergenic region, as reported previously for the lambda 12 clone. The protein sequencing data correlated exactly with the amino-terminal sequences of gp90 and gp45 deduced from lambda 12 nucleotide sequences. However, the protein sequencing also revealed that the putative signal sequence of EIAV gp90 is not removed during processing. Thus, EIAV apparently contains short open reading frames analogous to human immunodeficiency virus, but differs in its mode of env polyprotein processing.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Characterization of the serological cross-reactivity between glycoproteins of the human immunodeficiency virus and equine infectious anaemia virus.

The reported serological relatedness between the major glycoproteins of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV gp120) and equine infectious anaemia virus (EIAV gp90) was examined using purified antigens in radioimmunoprecipitation (RIP), radioimmunoassay (RIA) and immunoblot assays with reference serum from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients, an anti-gp120 goat serum and EIAV-infected horse serum. To assess the contributions of glycoprotein oligosaccharide and peptide components to any observed reactivities, antigens treated with endoglycosidase F to remove carbohydrate were assayed in parallel with the intact glycoprotein. The results of the experiments indicated that the reactivity observed for each antigen was dependent on the immunoassay employed. The RIP and RIA analyses demonstrated that HIV gp120 is equally reactive with the AIDS patient serum, the goat anti-gp120 serum and the EIAV-infected horse serum, whereas the EIAV gp90 reacted only with the horse serum. In immunoblot assays, the HIV gp120 reacted with AIDS patient serum, but not with the EIAV-infected horse serum. Deglycosylation of the HIV gp120 evidently increased its reactivity with the AIDS patient serum, had no significant effect on its reactivity with the goat antiserum, and essentially abolished its reactivity with the EIAV reference serum. Thus, it appears that the serological cross-reactivity observed between HIV gp120 and sera from EIAV-infected horses can be attributed to the oligosaccharide rather than the peptide components of the viral glycoprotein. These studies also emphasize the necessity of employing several assay procedures in assessing lentivirus antigenicity.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Identification of gag precursor of equine infectious anaemia virus with monoclonal antibodies to the major viral core protein, p26.

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against the major core protein p26 of equine infectious anaemia virus (EIAV) were produced and characterized. Sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot immunoassay were employed to confirm the specificity of these MAbs. Western blot analysis also indicated that MAbs to p26 reacted with another EIAV protein of 55,000 apparent Mr (designated here as Pr55gag) present in density gradient-purified virus preparations. Rabbit antiserum prepared against p26 as well as MAbs to p26 detected Pr55gag and several other intermediate clevage products in detergent-soluble lysates of virus-infected cells in Western blot and immunoprecipitation assays. The results suggest that Pr55gag is the gag polyprotein of EIAV.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗