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Biomedical subjects

L Fugger

Publications and source records attributed to L Fugger.

69 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Failure to demonstrate human T cell lymphotropic virus type I in multiple sclerosis patients.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was employed in searching for human T cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) gag, env and pol sequences in samples of DNA prepared from two HTLV-I seropositive patients with tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP), the Swedish multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who recently have been reported to be PCR-positive for HTLV-I gag and env sequences, and eight healthy individuals. Precautions were taken in order to reduce the risk of cross-contamination in the PCR. In the two TSP patients strong signals were obtained with gag, env and pol amplification primers and detection probes. In MS patients and healthy individuals, no signals were obtained with gag and env. In occasional experiments, weak signals were seen for the pol segment for a single MS patient and/or healthy individuals, but these signals were not reproducible in subsequent experiments. Thus, the present data do not confirm the presence of HTLV-I sequences in MS patients.

Base Sequence↗

HLA-DP antigens in patients with alopecia areata.

The distribution of HLA-DP antigens were studied in 41 patients with alopecia areata (AA) and 188 ethnically matched controls. An increase of DR4 and possibly DR5 in 24 of these patients has previously been reported. HLA-DP typing for DPw1 through w6 and the local specificity, CDP HEI, was performed using the primed lymphocyte typing (PLT) technique. The frequencies of DPw4 were 92.9% in AA patients and 71.3% in controls (relative risk, RR = 5.1, p = 0.0019 and p less than 0.03 when corrected). DPw1 was decreased to 4.9% in patients compared to 14.9% in controls, but the difference was not statistically significant. The frequency of DR4 was 48.8% compared to 31.9% in controls (RR = 2.0) whereas the frequency of DR5 did not differ from that in controls. DPw4 was not associated (in linkage disequilibrium) with DR4 or DR5 in patients or controls. Thus, in AA the association with DP and DR are independent of each other. However, individuals with both the DPw4 and DR4 alleles are at increased risk for AA, indicating that synergism between DP and DR gene products may play a role in the genetic susceptibility to AA.

Alopecia Areata↗

Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of two HLA-B-associated transcripts (BATs) genes in healthy Danes.

The restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the two human HLA-B-associated transcripts (BATs) genes, BAT1 and BAT2, was investigated using 5 different restriction enzymes and two human BAT1 and BAT2 cDNA probes. Two of the enzymes, NcoI and RsaI, revealed polymorphic patterns which were investigated in healthy Danes. The cDNA/restriction enzyme combination BAT1/NcoI identifies polymorphic bands at 12 kb, 8 kb, 2.5 kb, and 1.1 kb, while the BAT2/RsaI combination identifies polymorphic bands at 3.3 kb, 2.7 kb, 2.3 kb, and 0.9 kb. The frequencies of these markers were determined in 90 unrelated Danes. Co-dominant segregation and allelic behavior was seen for the BAT1/NcoI 12 kb and 8 kb bands and the BAT2/RsaI 2.7 kb and 2.3 kb bands, respectively. It is possible that the BAT2/RsaI 3.3 kb band represents a rare allele of the BAT2/RsaI system. The BAT2/RsaI 2.3 kb marker was strongly negatively associated with HLA-B8 and HLA-DR3 while there were no strong associations between the BAT1 and BAT2 markers, but the BAT2/RsaI 2.7 kb marker was strongly positively associated with the TNF alpha/NcoI 5.5 kb marker, which in turn is positively associated with HLA-B8 and HLA-DR3. The negative associations between the BAT2/RsaI 2.3 kb marker and HLA-B8 and HLA-DR3 raise the question as to whether this BAT allele may play a role in protecting against certain autoimmune diseases.

DNA Probes, HLA↗

Typing for HLA-DPB1*03 and HLA-DPB1*06 using allele-specific DNA in vitro amplification and allele-specific oligonucleotide probes. Detection of "new" DPB1*06 variants.

DP gene typing using in vitro DNA amplification combined with sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes has recently been reported. The resulting DNA amplification was specific for the HLA-DPB locus. Typing for the individual DPB alleles was exclusively dependent on the hybridizations of the probes but hampered by close sequence homology between different DP alleles yielding complex patterns of reactivity with a panel of probes. We report the combined use of allele-specific DNA in vitro amplification and allele-specific oligonucleotides in typing for DPB1*03 and DPB1*06. Complete concordance with PLT typing was observed for the DPB1*03 alleles, while in the DPB1*06 group, at least three variant DPB1*06 alleles were identified which have not been described previously.

Alleles↗

NcoI restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the tumour necrosis factor (TNF alpha) region in primary biliary cirrhosis and in healthy Danes.

The restriction fragment length polymorphism of the human tumour necrosis factor (TNF alpha) region was investigated by means of 20 different restriction enzymes and a human TNF alpha cDNA probe. Only one of the enzymes, NcoI, revealed a polymorphic pattern consisting of fragments of 10.5 and 5.5 kb, which behaved as alleles. In a panel of 108 random, healthy, unrelated Danes, the phenotype frequencies of the 10.5 and 5.5 kb bands were 0.94 and 0.53 and the gene frequencies were 0.71 and 0.29, respectively. The test for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium showed no significant deviation from the expected values. The 5.5 kb band was strongly positively associated with HLA-DR3, HLA-B8, and HLA-A1. In 22 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis a significantly (corrected P = 0.024) decreased frequency of the 10.5 kb fragment was found. Additional studies are in progress to substantiate this association.

Chromosome Mapping↗

NcoI restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF alpha) region in four autoimmune diseases.

The two-allele NcoI Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) of the TNF alpha region yielding bands of 5.5 and 10.5 kb was investigated in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (P-JRA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). In all four disease, we found a decreased frequency of the 10.5 kb allele which, however, was significant only in the SLE group. In all conditions except RA, the frequency of the 5.5 kb fragment was increased. In pSS and SLE, the frequency of HLA-B8 was increased in 5.5 kb fragment positive patients compared with corresponding controls and thus, the increase of this band and the decrease of the 10.5 kb band may be secondary to HLA-B8 associations owing to strong positive linkage disequilibrium between HLA-B8 and the 5.5 kb band.

Arthritis, Juvenile↗

IL-6 gene polymorphism in rheumatoid arthritis, pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and in healthy Danes.

The restriction enzymes MspI and BglII identify two different two-allele restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) in the human IL-6 genes of healthy Danes. Co-dominant segregation was demonstrated for both marker-systems and the test for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium showed no significant deviation from expectations. There is a strong correlation between the two marker systems. The two IL-6 RFLP's were studied in Danish patients with rheumatoid arthritis, pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. The frequencies of the MspI and BglII marker phenotypes did not differ between healthy controls and the three disease groups. No extra or missing DNA fragments were observed in the disease groups when compared with controls.

Arthritis, Juvenile↗

Immunological reclassification of 22 children with a former diagnosis of non-T, non-B ALL.

Stored peripheral blood or bone marrow mononuclear cells from 22 pediatric patients with verified acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) previously classified as non-T, non-B ALL were re-investigated by flow cytometric analysis by means of a panel of B cell-specific and -associated monoclonal antibodies (moabs) using a new analytical method described by Platz et al, the so-called Delta Channel Value method. All 22 patients were immunologically re-characterized as pre-B ALL. The reproducibility between the first (acute) and subsequent re-analysis was almost complete. 20 of the tumor cell populations could be assigned to the B cell differentiation scheme recently proposed by Nadler et al. This scheme operates with four stages of pre-B cell differentiation and each stage is defined by the expression of one to four of the following markers: HLA-DR, CD19, CD10 and CD20. Two additional markers, CD24 and CD22, were investigated in our study and allowed further subdivision of the four subgroups proposed by Nadler et al. The composition of a panel of moabs for routine classification of pre-B ALL is proposed.

Adolescent↗

Immunological studies in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: effect of TCGF and indomethacine on the in vitro lymphocyte response.

We studied the effects of exogenous T cell growth factor (TCGF) (= interleukin-2) and indomethacine on the lymphocyte transformation response in vitro to allogeneic cells, mitogens, and antigens in AIDS patients, those with AIDS-related complex (ARC), and in healthy controls. While low amounts of TCGF reduced the response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to allogeneic cells in both healthy controls and AIDS patients, large amounts of TCGF augmented the response in both groups, although the response of the patients' cells were still subnormal. By depleting the PBMC for either CD4-positive or CD8-positive cells, the effect of TCGF on suboptimally mitogen-stimulated PBMC from controls was shown to be due to an increased response in both the CD4-positive and the CD8-positive cells. In contrast, with patient cells, TCGF only increased the response of the CD4-positive cells, while that of the CD8-positive cells was largely unchanged. Thus, the lack of normalization of the mitogen response of patient cells upon addition of TCGF may be largely due to unresponsiveness of CD8-positive cells to TCGF. This observation further supports the idea that CD8-positive cells are abnormal. To investigate the role of the inhibitor of TCGF production, PGE2, in AIDS, indomethacine was added to cultures of mitogen-stimulated PBMC from controls and patients. No differences were found between the three groups: the responses to PHA were slightly increased and those to Con A were unchanged.

AIDS-Related Complex↗

DNA polymorphism of HLA class II genes in alopecia areata.

We investigated the DNA restriction polymorphism (RFLP) of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class II genes: HLA-DQA, -DQB, -DPA, and -DPB in 20 Danish patients with alopecia areata (AA) and in healthy Danes. The frequency in AA of the DQB1*0301 and DQw7 associated DQB Bgl/II 4.2 kb fragment was increased to 65.0 per cent compared to 23.2 per cent in controls (RR = 6.1; p less than 10(-3)) suggesting that the previously reported associations between AA and both DR4 and DR5 is secondary to an association between AA and DQB1*0301, which codes for the beta-chain of the HLA-DQ molecule of the serologically defined HLA-DQw7 specificity. Individuals who carried both DQA1*0501 and DQB1*0301 seemed to have a further increased risk of developing AA compared to individuals carrying only one of these HLA class II genes. Analysis of the combined presence of DQB1*0301 and DPA1*0103 in AA suggests that an additive risk effect (synergism or interaction) exists between the DQB1*0301 and DPA1*0103 alleles which are situated at different HLA class II loci.

Alopecia Areata↗

Immunogenetics of rheumatoid arthritis and primary Sjögren's syndrome: DNA polymorphism of HLA class II genes.

We investigated the DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the Major Histocompatability Complex (MHC) class II genes: HLA-DRB, -DQA, -DQB, DPA, and -DFB in 24 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), in 19 patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (primary SS), and healthy Danes. The frequencies of DNA fragments associated with the following HLA class II genes were increased in RA when compared to normal controls: DRB1*04 (DR4) (relative risk, RR = 7.4, P less than 10(-3), DRB4*0101 (DRw53) (RR = 9.6, P less than 10(-3), DQA1*0301 (RR = 9.6, P less than 10(-3), DQB1*0301 (DQw7) (RR = 2.8, P less than 0.05, 'corrected' P greater than 0.05), and DQB1*0302 (DQw8) (RR = 4.5, P less than 10(-2). Negative associations were found between RA and DRB1*1501 (DR2/DRw15) (RR = 0.2, P less than 10(-2) and DQB1*0602 (DQw6) (RR = 0.2, P less than 10(-2), 'corrected' P greater than 0.05). The frequencies in RA of other HLA class II associated DNA fragments including DPA and DPB and the antigens DPw1-w6 defined by primed lymphocyte stimulation, did not differ significantly from those in controls. In primary SS, the frequency of HLA-B8 was significantly increased (RR = 9.0, P less than 10(-3). Positive associations were found between primary SS and DNA fragments associated with DRB1*03/13 (RR = 6.8, P less than 10(-3), DRB3*0101 (DRw52) (RR = 5.7, P less than 10(-2), DQA1*0501 (RR = 6.8, P less than 10(-3), DQB1*0201 (DQw2) (RR = 11.6, P less than 10(-5), and DQB1*0602 (DQw6) (RR = 2.7, P less than 0.05, 'corrected' P greater than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

HLA-DP antigens in HIV-infected individuals.

We studied the distribution of HLA-DP antigens in 74 HIV-infected Danish homosexual men and 188 ethnically matched healthy individuals, using the primed lymphocyte typing (PLT) technique. Forty of the patients developed AIDS within 3 years after diagnosis, whereas the remaining 34 were healthy or had only minor symptoms for 3 years or more (median observation time was 42 months). HLA-DPwl seemed to be decreased (relative risk = 0.3) in AIDS patients (5.0 per cent) when compared to patients with minor symptoms (14.7 per cent) and healthy controls (14.9 per cent). These differences were, however, not statistically significant. There were no other apparent deviations between patients (or subgroups of patients) and controls.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗