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Biomedical subjects

M J van Tol

Publications and source records attributed to M J van Tol.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Transfer of specific immunity from donor to recipient of an allogeneic bone marrow graft: evidence for donor origin of the antibody producing cells.

A rapid recovery of specific humoral immunity in the recipient of an allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) can be observed after immunization of the donor before graft sampling. This has been attributed to transfer of specific immunity from donor to recipient. However, to maintain the concept of transfer the origin of the antibody producing cells in the recipient after BMT must be demonstrated. To this end, donor-recipient pairs with differences in Gm-allotypes were selected and immunized before BMT with the neo-antigen Helix pomatia haemocyanin (HPH) according to three immunization protocols. Additionally, the recipients were immunized at day 42 after BMT. Serum samples were weekly obtained from the recipients in the first 100 d after BMT. The origin of HPH-specific antibody producing cells was assessed by two approaches: (1) determination of the Gm-allotypes of anti-HPH antibodies within a distinct IgG subclass, (2) analysis of anti-HPH antibody spectrotypes by isoelectric focusing combined with immunoblotting. The results obtained with these two approaches show concordance in most instances and led to the conclusion that the antibody producing cells are of donor origin.

Adult

Transfer of specific immunity from donor to recipient of an allogeneic bone marrow graft: effect of conditioning on the specific immune response of the graft recipient.

Transfer of specific immunity was investigated in a group of 28 paediatric and adult leukaemia patients during the first 100 d after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). These patients and/or their donors were immunized 7-13 d before transplantation with the recall antigen tetanus toxoid (TT) and the neo-antigen Helix pomatia haemocyanin (HPH). The recipients were booster immunized with both antigens at day 42 after transplantation. Transfer of a primary IgM and IgG response to HPH was successful in most paediatric and adult patients, but transfer of a secondary response to TT was established in only a few paediatric recipients. After booster immunization at day 42 most paediatric recipients responded with a rise in serum antibody titre to HPH as opposed to only two of 18 adult recipients. This incapability of the adult recipients to mount a secondary immune response may be related to their conditioning regimen which included Campath-IG in vivo. The results from this study indicate that transfer of immunity against recall- and neo-antigens is possible. However, the establishment of long-term memory may be affected by the regimen used to condition the graft recipient.

Adolescent

Validation of a serum-free growth factor-replenished in vitro culture system for hematopoietic progenitor cells in healthy donors and recipients of an allogeneic bone marrow graft.

The in vitro colony formation of hematopoietic progenitor cells of bone marrow samples, taken before and early after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT), was investigated prospectively. In order to circumvent culture-related and sample-related variations, a serum-free recombinant growth factor-replenished culture system was developed using T cell- and monocyte-depleted bone marrow samples. Samples of healthy bone marrow donors were used to validate the technique. The standardized culturing technique gave reproducible results, with numbers of colonies above those in conventional conditioned-medium technique. Colony formation in vitro of myelomonocytic precursor cells was found decreased in graft recipients, also after addition of growth factors, in comparison with healthy donors. The growth-promoting effect of the combination of IL-3 + GM-CSF was superior to that of either growth factor alone or conditioned medium. No effect was observed of T lymphocytes and monocytes on in vitro colony formation after bone marrow transplantation, probably as a result of functional impairment of these cells at that period after transplantation.

Bone Marrow Cells

Study of possible correlations between in vitro growth of bone marrow stromal and hematopoietic precursor cells early after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

Growth characteristics of stromal cells, assessed as adherent cells in long-term bone marrow cultures, and of hematopoietic progenitor cells, prior to and shortly after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT), were investigated, more specifically with regard to their possible correlations. The main constituent cells of the bone marrow stroma, that is, endothelial cells, reticular cells/fibroblasts, and monocytes/macrophages, showed an as yet inexplicable increased growth in samples taken from recipients prior to BMT, as compared with the growth in samples from their healthy donors and those taken after BMT. In the third week after BMT the in vitro outgrowth of hematopoietic precursors was severely depressed, but cell numbers in the adherent layer were normal. No relationship between in vitro growth of hematopoietic precursor cells and stromal cells was observed at that time. Probably the precursor cells growing in vitro are committed progenitor cells, relatively independent of stromal influences. In the eight week after grafting, endothelial cell outgrowth in vitro was highly correlated with granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming unit (CFU-GM) colony formation and to a lesser extent with mixed-lineage colony-forming unit (CFU-Mix) colony formation. This may indicate the reappearance of cytokine-mediated influences or the reappearance of a direct interaction, for example, by cell-cell contact between stromal cells and hematopoietic progenitor cells at that time.

Bone Marrow

Detection of mixed chimaerism in flow-sorted cell subpopulations by PCR-amplified VNTR markers after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

The amplification of Variable Number of Tandem Repeats (VNTR) by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to determine the extent of chimaerism in flow sorted lymphoid and myeloid cell populations following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Pre-BMT screening with a set of five VNTR revealed that at least one marker was maximally informative in 95% of donor-recipient pairs. Mixing reconstruction experiments indicated that detection of 1-5% of the minor cell population in a sample of 5 x 10(3) nucleated cells is feasible. Flow sorted post-transplant peripheral blood B- and T-lymphocyte, natural killer and monocyte cell populations were subjected to PCR-VNTR marker analysis. It was shown that this procedure can be used for the early detection of engraftment and the identification of mixed chimaerism in various haematopoietic cell lineages in patients with leukaemia or severe combined immune deficiency, treated with allogeneic BMT.

Base Sequence

Detection of Y chromosome by in situ hybridization in combination with membrane antigens by two-color immunofluorescence.

Discrimination between donor and recipient peripheral blood cells through detection of the Y chromosome can be useful to document chimerism and engraftment after sex-mismatched bone marrow transplantation. Currently applied methods are hampered by the selection of cells (e.g., karyotyping of cells in metaphase) or by the fact that the detection of Y chromosome by in situ hybridization with specific probes does not allow further characterization of the cells. Although quinacrine staining of Y chromosomes can be performed on cells previously marked for membrane antigens, this staining is not fully discriminative between male and female cells. To circumvent this, a technique has been developed, in which mononuclear cells in suspension were stained for membrane antigens by the consecutive use of monoclonal antibodies and tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate conjugates. After the cells were spun down on slides and fixed with methanol/acetic acid and formaldehyde, in situ hybridization with a biotinylated Y-chromosome-specific DNA probe was performed. The probe was detected with avidin-fluorescein isothiocyanate and the signal was amplified by consecutive incubation with biotinylated anti-avidin and avidin-fluorescein isothiocyanate. The membrane staining for various antigens remained undisturbed during the hybridization procedure and the Y probe discriminated almost completely between male and female cells. Therefore, this approach allowed us to determine the chimerism within different subpopulations of unseparated mononuclear cells after sex-mismatched bone marrow transplantation with a sensitivity of 98% and a specificity of 100%.

Antibodies, Monoclonal

Hairy cell leukemia preferentially expresses the IgG3-subclass.

Surface IgG expression of 29 cases of hairy cell leukemia (HCL) was assessed using IgG-subclass-specific monoclonal and F(ab)'2 polyclonal antibodies. A marked preference for the IgG3 subclass was found, as 16 of 19 IgG-positive HCL's expressed IgG3. In 10 cases, IgG3 was concurrently expressed with other heavy chains. No preferential IgG3 expression was observed in 11 IgG-positive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. The marked predominance of IgG3 in HCL suggests a deviation in heavy chain class switching that may be related to the characteristically very low expression of LFA-1 and ICAM-1 molecules on hairy cells, and hence a defect in T-cell hairy cell interaction.

Antigens, Differentiation

BMA031, a monoclonal antibody suited to identify the T-cell receptor alpha beta/CD3 complex on viable human T lymphocytes in normal and disease states.

Two types of T lymphocytes can be discriminated on the basis of expression of either the classical T-cell receptor (TCR) alpha beta or the more recently identified TCR gamma delta. Whereas TCR alpha beta + lymphocytes are known to respond to recognition of antigen in the context of major histocompatibility complex molecules by proliferation, lymphokine secretion, and/or cytotoxicity, the potential ligand specificities and functions of TCR gamma delta + cells have not been completely unraveled. Antibodies specific for either receptor type are important tools to elucidate the role TCR gamma delta + cells play in the immune system. They can be used to quantify TCR gamma delta + cells and TCR alpha beta + cells in normal and disease states, to isolate both T-cell subsets, and to perform in vitro functional assays. Only few antibodies reactive with common determinants on either TCR alpha beta or TCR gamma delta are available. Generally, the monoclonal antibody (mAb) WT31 is used for definition of viable human TCR alpha beta + cells. However, WT31 has recently been shown to cross-react with TCR gamma delta. We describe an mAb, BMA031, that combines the unique features of reactivity with intact viable cells and true specificity for a common determinant on the TCR alpha beta/CD3 complex. Its performance in immunofluorescence staining and immunochemistry has been compared with that of WT31 and anti-TCR gamma delta mAbs, using TCR alpha beta and TCR gamma delta expressing cells isolated from blood and bone marrow of healthy individuals and immunodeficient patients.

Animals

Inheritance of a large deletion within the human immunoglobulin heavy chain constant region gene complex and immunological implications.

A deletion of the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) pseudo-gamma, gamma-2, gamma-4, epsilon, and alpha-2 constant region gene segments was found to segregate unchanged in three generations of a family. The IgG1 locus on the IgH allele carrying the deletion was expressed to the same extent as its normal counterpart. One individual who was heterozygous for the deletion had an IgG2 deficiency, whereas the four other heterozygous individuals had serum levels of IgG2 and IgG4 within the normal ranges. IgA2 levels were low or below the normal range in all heterozygous individuals. The data indicate that the expression of some Ig isotypes can be decreased by hemizygous deletions, possibly due to a lower probability for switching.

Alleles

[Combined immunologic deficiency].

In the last 20 years 32 patients with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) were treated at our department. The clinical and immunological findings in these patients are presented. In connection with these patients, the recent WHO classification on combined immunodeficiency diseases and the pathogenesis in several forms of SCID, as far as is known, are discussed. SCID appears to represent a very heterogeneous group of disorders, which is affirmed by the findings in several of our patients. At this moment bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is the only way to cure patients with SCID. Without this treatment the prognosis of these patients is very poor. After BMT complete recovery is achieved for the majority of patients, even in the absence of a genotypically HLA identical donor. Besides the therapeutic aspects of SCID the recent developments with regard to carrier-detection and antenatal diagnosis are briefly discussed.

Blood Transfusion

Antigen-induced plaque-forming cell responses in cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of human neonates and infants.

Human cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC) were stimulated in vitro with a number of T cell-dependent antigens. Antigen-induced B cell activation was measured applying a plaque-forming cell assay for the detection of antigen-specific IgM-secreting B cells. With the exception of diphtheria toxoid, the antigens ovalbumin, sheep red blood cells, Helix pomatia hemocyanin, burro red blood cells, and tetanus toxoid elicited an IgM-plaque-forming cell response in cultures of CBMC to levels obtained for peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from adult controls. However, for each antigen used, the antigen dose optimal for the induction of a response was consistently found to be a hundred to a thousand times lower than the concentration of the corresponding antigen optimal for adult PBMC. Longitudinal studies on PBMC obtained from infants between 2 and 30 months of age revealed that a shift of the antigen dose toward concentrations needed to induce plaque-forming cells in cultures of adult PBMC occurs at approximately age 8 months. Our data indicate that various antigens can be used for the in vitro analysis of antigen-specific B cell activation and regulatory T cell functions in studies concerning the ontogeny of the humoral immune response in humans.

Adult

Distinct role of neonatal and adult monocytes in the regulation of the in vitro antigen-induced plaque-forming cell response in man.

Mononuclear cells from human cord blood (CBMC) are able to mount an antigen-specific IgM plaque-forming cell (PFC) response after primary in vitro stimulation with the T cell-dependent antigen ovalbumin (OA). The antigen dose-response relationship for the induction of PFC in cultures of CBMC is represented by a bell-shaped curve comparable to that found for mononuclear cells from adult peripheral blood (adult PBMC). The dose of OA optimal for the induction of a response in cultures of CBMC consistently, however, is 100-fold lower than the antigen dose optimal for adult PBMC (0.03 microgram OA/ml vs 3.0 micrograms OA/ml). Results obtained from co-culture experiments in which semiallogeneic combinations of parental/neonatal lymphocytes and monocytes were stimulated with a variable dose of OA indicate that the adherent cell (AC) plays a pivotal role in the establishment of the optimum antigen dose. From experiments using antigen-pulsed AC, it was concluded that neonatal and adult AC differ in their antigen handling capacity. In the presence of the prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor indomethacin the antigen dose-response relationship for the induction of PFC in cultures of CBMC shifts to an "adult type" of curve. From pulsing experiments it emerges that indomethacin affects the interaction between antigen and monocytes. Indomethacin causes an enhancement of the expression of HLA-DR at the surface of neonatal as well as adult AC; this can be down regulated by the addition of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). The addition of PGE2 to cultures of adult PBMC leads to a shift of the optimal antigen dose for induction of PFC toward lower concentrations. Although higher levels of PGE2 were measured in the supernatant of cultured neonatal AC compared with adult AC, it seems unlikely that this observation can explain the distinct antigen dose-response relationship for the induction of a PFC response in cultures of CBMC.

Adult