Rat alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) is an acute-phase protein synthesized in the liver. Using an in vitro translation system coupled with solid-phase radioimmunoassay, alpha 2M mRNA activity was found to rise to a maximum level in 16-24 h after turpentine injection. Poly(A)+ RNA from turpentine-injected rat liver was converted to cDNA by the method of Okayama-Berg, and about 50,000 transformants were obtained. From these transformants, clones containing alpha 2M cDNA were selected using the following criteria: 1) alpha 2M cDNA should hybridize with synthetic oligonucleotides encoding portions of the alpha 2M amino acid sequence, 2) alpha 2M cDNA should hybridize preferentially with RNA which increases during inflammation, 3) mRNA which hybridizes with alpha 2M cDNA should encode a polypeptide which specifically reacts with antibody against alpha 2M, and 4) the cDNA should contain the nucleotide sequences encoding the amino acid sequences of alpha 2M. We found clones which fulfilled these criteria. Using the cDNA clone as a probe, we demonstrated that the level of alpha 2M mRNA in the liver of inflamed animal markedly increased up to 1000-fold. The size of the alpha 2M mRNA was about 4800 nucleotides in length by Northern analysis.

Animals↗

PubMed1985

Alpha 2-macroglobulin secretion enhanced in rat hepatocytes by partially characterized factor from Kupffer cells.

Isolated rat Kupffer cells produced a factor which stimulated the synthesis of alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) in primary cultured rat hepatocytes. Although Kupffer cells placed in culture produced the factor without stimulation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the LPS-stimulated cells produced larger amounts of the factor. On the other hand, the production of the factor was inhibited by addition of actinomycin D. The induction of alpha 2M synthesis by cultured hepatocytes was enhanced in the presence of dexamethasone (Dex), in that hepatic synthesis of alpha 2M increased by addition of the factor alone and with Dex 1.5 and three- to four-fold, respectively. The factor was nondialyzable and stable at 60 degrees C for 30 min. When the factor was fractionated using the molecular sieve method, the activity recovered in the fraction had a molecular weight of over 30,000.

Animals↗

PubMed1985

Prevalence of immunologic markers of hepatitis A and B infection in hospital personnel in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan.

Between 1980 and 1983, a total of 1,883 serum samples from employees of four prefectural hospitals in Miyazaki prefecture, Japan were surveyed for antibody to hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV) and for the following hepatitis B virus markers: hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs), and antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc). Overall prevalences were 36.9% for anti-HAV, 3.4% for HBsAg, 23.3% for anti-HBs, and 36.6% for anti-HBc. In the control group of 233 healthy persons, prevalences were 51.5% for anti-HAV, 3.0% for HBsAg, 28.3% for anti-HBs, and 33.5% for anti-HBc. No significant difference in the distribution of HBsAg was seen among five work categories. Anti-HBc prevalence was significantly higher in nurses than in office workers (p less than 0.05), other medical personnel (p less than 0.05), and controls (p less than 0.01). The differences between nurses and office workers and other medical personnel became greater with age, but a difference between nurses and the control group was recognized in every age group. A significant difference in the distribution of anti-HBc was seen between surgical physicians (36.7%) and nonsurgical physicians (27.1%). Prevalence of anti-HAV in physicians (32.8%), nurses (29.6%), and laboratory technicians (40.1%) was significantly lower than in the control group (51.5%). These data suggest that in the hospitals studied, hepatitis B is an occupational hazard to nurses and surgical physicians, but that hepatitis A is not.

Adult↗

PubMed1985