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Biomedical subjects

H Claeys

Publications and source records attributed to H Claeys.

35 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Streptococcal preparation OK-432-induced interferon in human leukocytes: purification and characterization.

Interferon production was induced in leukocyte suspensions from human buffy coats after stimulation with the streptococcal preparation OK-432. At day 2-3 the induced interferon reached a maximal level of 0.9 units/1,000 cells. By a combination of batch adsorption/elution on silicic acid, batch adsorption to DEAE-Sephacel, affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose and on poly(U)-Sepharose, this interferon could be purified to a specific activity of 10(7.5) units/mg protein. The antiviral activity was characterized as being solely due to gamma-type interferon by a variety of physicochemical, biochemical and serological criteria. Its molecular weight as determined by gel filtration amounted to 53,000 daltons, and its activity was completely neutralized by highly specific antisera to human gamma-type interferon (45K). The OK-432-induced interferon, as the crude supernatant of stimulated leukocytes, and at several stages of its purification, was found to stimulate the natural killer cell activity of fresh human lymphocytes.

Biological Products↗

Interferon production and natural killer (NK) activity in leukocyte cultures from multiple sclerosis patients.

Peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) cultures from only 37% of MS patients produced detectable HuIFN-gamma in response to ConA as opposed to 85% of the cultures derived from normal blood donors. However, the yields in patient-derived cultures that were responsive, were not lower than those in cultures from controls. Production of HuIFN-alpha after stimulation with Sendai virus was not aberrant in cells taken from MS patients. The difference in HuIFN-gamma response rate between MS and normal donor-derived cells was more pronounced when DR2+ carriers were compared amongst each other than when DR2-k carriers were compared. Among the MS patients, the failure of PBLs to produce HuIFN-gamma in response to ConA was not correlated with age, sex, disease duration and type of disease. However, positive correlations were found with current disability indices and past disease progression rates. Unstimulated NK-activities of MS patient-derived PBLs were not different from those of normal donor-derived cells. the degree of augmentation of the activity by stimulation with ConA and interferon-alpha was also normal. Within the MS patients group, but not in the control group, there was a trend for DR2+ carriers to have lower spontaneous and stimulated NK-activities than DR2- individuals.

Adult↗

Activation of natural cytotoxicity of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells by interferon: a kinetic study and comparison of different interferon types.

Overnight incubation of human peripheral blood mononuclear (PBMN) cells with leucocyte interferon (leucocyte IFN) resulted in a 2-5-fold increase in natural cytotoxicity (NC) against the erythroleukaemic cell line K562. Fibroblast IFN, purified to homogeneity by zinc-chelate chromatography, stimulated NC to the same extent, while partially purified immune IFN was about twice as active. Upon gel filtration of immune IFN, NC stimulating and antiviral activity co-eluted. Treatment of PBMN cells with ammonium chloride buffer (AmCl) abrogated NC nearly completely. Incubation of AmCl-treated cells with leucocyte IFN resulted in a partial regeneration of NC. Kinetic studies revealed that this regeneration required only short exposure to IFN followed by a longer incubation period. The data are interpreted as indicating that in the process of NC activation IFN mainly acts as a trigger for precursor cells to mature into cells with NC.

Ammonium Chloride↗

Interferon induced in human leukocytes by concanavalin A: isolation and characterization of gamma- and beta-type components.

Interferon (IFN) was induced in suspensions of fresh human leukocytes by incubation with concanavalin A (Con A). The crude supernatant was concentrated and partially purified by adsorption to silicic acid and elution with an ethylene glycol (EG)-containing buffer. Th EG eluate was shown to contain two antivirally active components (tentatively called 22K), separable from each other by gel filtration. The 45K component was strictly species specific, relatively sensitive to acid (pH 2) and poorly neutralized by anti-human IFN-beta (HuIFN-beta) antibody. In all probability, it predominantly contained (a) molecular variant(s) of human gamma-type IFN (HuIFN-gamma ). The 22K component was acid resistant and serologically indistinguishable from HuIFN-beta prepared from fibroblasts. However, in contrast to the latter, it had little activity on bovine kidney cells and no activity on human HEp-2 and monkey Vero cells. A preparation with the same properties was obtained by substituting glycine buffer (pH 2) for EG in the elution of Con A-induced IFN from silicic acid. This IFN failed to adsorb to a zinc chelate column, while HuIFN-beta from fibroblasts can easily be purified by affinity chromatography on this type of column. It was concluded that the Con A-induced IFN contained an acid-resistant component of apparent molecular weight 22000 serologically related to classical HuIFN-beta but differing by certain physicochemical and biological criteria.

Animals↗

Interferon induced in human leukocytes by mitogens: production, partial purification and characterization.

Interferon was induced in leukocyte suspensions from human buffy coats by exposure to phytohemagglutinin P, concanavalin A (Con A) and staphylococcal enterotoxin A, under a variety of cell culture conditions. Con A was found to rapidly (within 12 h) induce high yields of antiviral activity (1.5 units/1000 cells). Lesser yields were obtained with the other two mitogens studied. The interferon was partially purified to a spec. act. around 10(5.3) units/mg protein, by batch adsorption on controlled-pore glass (CPG) beads and desorption by ethylene glycol. This material was characterized as containing mainly gamma-type interferon. Specifically on gel filtration, a fraction of 45000 daltons was obtained which could account for virtually all antiviral activity present in the starting material. Furthermore, the ethylene glycol-eluted antiviral activity was acid-labile, serologically distinct from alpha and beta-type interferon and strictly species-specific (no activity detectable on any of the available cell species sensitive to alpha and beta-type interferon). The crude culture supernatant also contained some antiviral activity which resembled beta-type interferon in that it adsorbed to CPG, could be desorbed by pH 2 buffer, was acid-resistant and could be neutralized by a specific anti-fibroblast interferon antiserum. The CPG/ethylene glycol-purified gamma-type interefron preparation was found to inhibit the growth of certain lymphoblastoid cells (Daudi and Molt-4). It also potentiated natural killer activity of fresh donor lymphocytes. In both respects, the gamma-type interferon preparation was not significantly more active than preparations of alpha and beta-interferon of similar antiviral potency.

Chemical Phenomena↗

Action of brinase on human fibrinogen and plasminogen.

Brinase added to human plasma in vitro caused a decrease in fibrinogen concentration, positive paracoagulation tests and formation of a friable clot in sequence. Agarose gel filtration of these samples revealed the presence of fibrinogen derivatives both larger and smaller than the parent molecule. Infusion of the enzyme in vivo resulted in a decreased fibrinogen level, a prolonged thrombin time and an increase in fibrinogen related antigen (FRA) in serum. The elution pattern of FRA in the plasma samples obtained after infusion of Brinase was similar to that of the in vitro samples. The plasma pool of fibrinogen was partially consumed by infusion of Brinase, but the turnover of plasminogen remained unaffected. Purified plasminogen was partially degraded by addition of the enzyme but this was accompanied by a generation of proteolytic activity. These findings confirm that Brinase induces a proteolytic degradation of fibrinogen in plasma without activation of the plasminogen-plasmin system. Exposure of polymerization site(s) in the fibrinogen molecule is probably responsible for the reported clot promoting effect of the enzyme.

Antigens↗

Amino-acid sequence of activation cleavage site in plasminogen: homology with "pro" part of prothrombin.

A 38-residue fragment is isolated from carboxymethylated plasminogen. Residues 29-38 have the same sequence as the amino-terminal end of the light chain of plasmin. The sequence 1-28 is therefore the sequence of the carboxyl-terminal end of the heavy chain and contains the specific sequence at which urokinase (EC 3.4.99.26) and other plasminogen-activating serine proteases split. Two of the five carboxymethyl-cysteine residues in the isolated fragment are situated close to the cleavage site and the fragment is not itself a substrate for plasminogen-activators. Residues 1-11 show extensive sequence homology with residues 137-147 and 242-252 in prothrombin, which are located in corresponding regions of the two internally homologous 83-residue structures in the non-thrombin part of the molecule, indicating that such structures may be a common feature of the non-protease part of the larger serine protease zymogens.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Metabolism of plasminogen in healthy subjects: effect of tranexamic acid.

The metabolism of human plasminogen labeled with radioactive iodine was studied in 12 healthy men. The labeled plasminogen had a high specific activity and the same elution on Sephadex G-100 as the plasminogen activity in plasma. Immunoelectrophoresis revealed a single precipitin line. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed six main bands, all with plasminogen properties and radioactivity. The purified plasminogen behaved as a homogeneous protein in the turnover experiments. The plasma radioactivity data were adequately approximated by a sum of two exponential terms. The metabolism of plasminogen was therefore represented by a two-compartment mammillary model. Results in the 12 normal subjects were as follows: plasma plasminogen concentration 20.8+/-1.9 mg/100 ml; intravascular plasminogen pool 0.66+/-0.14 g; intravascular fraction 0.59+/-0.06; fractional catabolic rate 0.55+/-0.09 of the plasma pool per day; half-life of the plasma radioactivity 2.21+/-0.29 days. Circulating large-molecular-weight degradation products of labeled plasminogen could not be detected by Sephadex G-100 gel filtration. The plasminogen turnover rate was normal in a patient with Behçet's syndrome and low circulating plasminogen activator activity. This finding supports the concept that under normal conditions the primary pathway of plasminogen catabolism is not via the formation of plasmin. The in vivo effect of tranexamic acid, a potent inhibitor of plasminogen activation, on the turnover of labeled plasminogen was studied in five normal subjects. When 1 g was administered perorally t.i.d. to three of them, one showed an increased plasminogen turnover. A 2 g dose administered t.i.d. to the other two caused markedly increased catabolism in both. This increase may be attributable to a direct reversible effect of tranexamic acid on the plasminogen molecule.

Acrylamides↗