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Biomedical subjects

D L Tankersley

Publications and source records attributed to D L Tankersley.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Plasma prekallikrein: quantitative determination by direct activation with Hageman factor fragment (beta-XIIa).

This report describes a plasma prekallikrein assay which, unlike methods that employ contact activation, is not affected by the factor XII or HMW kininogen content of the plasma analyzed. In this assay beta-XIIa, a potent fluid-phase activator of prekallikrein, is added to diluted plasma in the presence of 20% acetone (to inactivate kallikrein inhibitors) at 30 degrees C and the kallikrein generated is measured with the chromogenic substrate S-2302. Prekallikrein is fully activated under these conditions and the activity remains stable for at least 30 hr. The mean prekallikrein concentration in plasma samples from 24 healthy individuals was 1.50 +/- 0.35 (S.D.) S-2302 U/ml, corresponding to 20.3 +/- 4.7 micrograms/ml prekallikrein (the specific activity of highly purified human prekallikrein was determined to be 74 S-2302 U/mg). In contrast, the mean concentration in five plasma samples from patients deficient in HMW kininogen was 0.38 +/- 0.02 S-2302 U/ml. No activity was generated in prekallikrein-deficient plasma, and essentially normal levels (1.35 +/- 0.18 S-2302 U/ml) were measured in plasmas from three patients with factor XII deficiency. Plasma prekallikrein was also quantitated by radial immunodiffusion, which gave results similar to those obtained by functional assay with beta-XIIa. The determination of plasma prekallikrein by direct activation with beta-XIIa in the presence of acetone offers several advantages over the use of contact activators such as dextran sulfate. These advantages include complete inactivation of kallikrein inhibitors and total activation of prekallikrein (even in plasmas deficient in other contact factors) without simultaneous generation of plasmin.

Activation Analysis↗

Preparation of beta-XIIa (Hageman factor fragment) from human plasma.

beta-Factor XIIa (beta-XIIa, Mr approximately 30,000) was isolated from human plasma by a procedure which utilized, as an initial step, the adsorption of Factor XII to celite. Activation of Factor XII and subsequent release of beta-XIIa was brought about by the proteolytic action of co-adsorbed kallikrein. Two successive chromatographic procedures were then used to achieve a final purification of 4,420-fold over plasma and an overall field of 2.3 mg of beta-XIIa per liter.

Adsorption↗

A new preparation of modified immune serum globulin (human) suitable for intravenous administration. I. Standardization of the reduction and alkylation reaction.

Immune serum globulin (ISG) prepared by Cohn cold alcohol fractionation of pooled human plasma was reduced with dithiothreitol (DTT) and alkylated with iodoacetamide and other alkylating agents. Our results show that there are a few labile interheavy chain disulfide bonds in ISG which react rapidly under mild, nondissociating conditions. The extent of disulfide cleavage is controlled primarily by the ratio of DTT to ISG until about 4-5 disulfide bonds have been reduced. We report detailed studies on the variables of ISG concentration, DTT to ISG ratio, pH, and time, leading to a chemically modified ISG that has a controlled and limited number of reduced and alkylated disulfide bonds.

Disulfides↗

A new preparation of modified immune serum globulin (human) suitable for intravenous administration. II. Functional characterization.

The commercial immune serum globulin (ISG) product is suitable for use in passive immunization only by intramuscular administration; intravenous use results in vasomotor side reactions. We report the functional characterization of a chemically modified ISG (MISG) that is essentially free of nonspecific complement-binding activity and contains no new antigenic determinants. The half-life values for MISG given intravenously to rabbits, guinea pigs, and humans are shown not to be different from that of ISG. The MISG we describe is shown to fulfill the in vitro and in vivo criteria of stability, safety, function, and half-life, making it suitable for human intravenous administration.

Animals↗

Kinetics of activation of prekallikrein by prekallikrein activator.

A 28 000 molecular weight activator of prekallikrein was isolated from human plasma, and the kinetics of its enzymic activity toward prekallikrein was investigated. The activation follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics with a kcat of approximately 3 S(-1); Km is strongly dependent upon the ionic strength. Under suitable conditions the activation obeys first-order kinetics, and the first-order rate constant may be used to quantitate prekallikrein activator activity. Thus a two-stage assay, in which the first step involves the activation of prekallikrein by the activator and the second step quantitates the kallikrein generated, was developed to allow the measurement of prekallikrein activator in biologic samples. The prekallikrein activator content of therapeutic protein solutions, as determined by means of this assay, correlated well with the hypotensive activity of these solutions as determined in an animal model.

Enzyme Activation↗

Contact-activated factors: contaminants of immunoglobulins preparations with coagulant and vasoactive properties.

The intramuscular or intravenous administration of ISG prepared from human plasma by ethanol fractionation can elicit such reactions as pain at the injection site, flushing, and even hypotension. Similar adverse reactions to plasma protein fraction, a volume expander also made by ethanol fractionation, have been associated with PKA (Hageman factor fragments) in the product. Twenty-five lots of commercial ISG were therefore analyzed for PKA and kallikrein, components of the contact activation system which could mediate such reactions through the generation of kinins in recipients. Kallikrein activity ranged from undetectable levels to > 60% of the total potential kallikrein activity in normal plasma. PKA, which was measured by its ability to catalyze the conversion of prekallikrein to kallikrein, ranged from 5% to 3950% of the activity in a reference plasma protein fraction that had caused hypotension. All but five lots increased vascular permeability in the guinea pig. The five lots which caused no increased were also the lowest in PKA and kallikrein activity. When ISG ws subjected to gel chromatography to separate the enzymic contaminants from immunoglobulin G, only the fractions containing PKA and/or kallikrein increased vascular permeability. Several lots of ISG shortened the nonactivated partial thromboplastin time of normal plasma fro 236 sec to 38 to 55 sec. During gel chromatography, coagulation activity was eluted in a position corresponding to a molecular weight of 150,000; it was inhibited by antibody to human factor XI. These data indicate that factor XIa is responsible for the coagulant activity observed and that PKA and/or kallikrein are potential mediators of vasoactive reactions to ISG.

Animals↗

Quantitation of monomeric and non-monomeric forms of albumin.

The use of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for the quantitation of albumin dimer in commercial albumin samples typically results in an overestimation of the percentage of dimer, as a consequence of significant deviations from Beer's law. This report describes a polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis technique which employs an internal standard for quantitation of albumin dimer. A constant amount of beta-2-glycoprotein I is added to the sample prior to electrophoresis, and the amount of albumin dimer is determined by comparison to that of beta 2-glycoprotein I. A number of commercial albumin solutions were analyzed by this technique; the results were in accord with those obtained by gel permeation chromatography and demonstrated the utility of this method as a rapid screening technique.

Chromatography, Gel↗

Inactivation and partition of human T-cell lymphotrophic virus, type III, during ethanol fractionation of plasma.

Because of concern about the safety of immune globulins prepared for injection, we studied the effects of ethanol fractionation of human plasma on human lymphotropic virus, type III, (HTLV-III) by spiking the products of various fractionation steps with HTLV-III. Tests of inactivation and removal indicated that the ratio of residual live virus in plasma fractions/live virus in starting plasma was about 1 X 10(-15) for precipitate II from which immune globulin for injection is manufactured. The results are reassuring regarding the potential safety of immune globulin.

Deltaretrovirus↗

Partitioning of hepatitis C virus during Cohn-Oncley fractionation of plasma.

Because of concern about the safety of immune globulins with respect to transmission of hepatitis C, the partitioning of hepatitis C virus (HCV) during alcohol fractionation of a plasma pool prepared exclusively from anti-HCV-reactive donations was examined. Quantitation of HCV RNA was accomplished by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) at limiting dilutions. One PCR unit was arbitrarily defined as the minimum amount of HCV RNA from which an amplified product could be detected. The starting plasma pool contained 1.4 x 10(5) PCR units per mL. Most of the HCV RNA was found in cryoprecipitate and in Cohn fractions I and III, but it was also detected in fraction II, which is used for immunoglobulin G preparations. A 3.4-percent solution of IgG prepared from this fraction II contained 30 PCR units per mL. The fractionation process leading to immune globulin resulted in overall reduction in HCV RNA by a factor of 4.7 x 10(4). Although the presence of HCV RNA in the final product does not necessarily imply the presence of infectious virus, this work suggests that the safety of immune globulins with respect to HCV transmission is not due solely to the partitioning of HCV away from the immunoglobulin fraction.

Base Sequence↗