Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (molecular weight about 42,000) has been purified from rabbit intestines and contains one mole of protohaem IX as the sole prosthetic group. It catalyses the oxidative cleavage of the pyrrole ring of various indoleamines with a much broader specificity of substrate than tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase. The enzyme has an absolute requirement for superoxide anion for catalytic activity. The enzyme was induced specifically in the lungs of mice for 24 h after administration of the lipopolysaccharide fraction of E. coli. This increase is due to synthesis of enzyme protein and is specific for the lipopolysaccharide fraction. These results are interpreted to mean that indoleamine dioxygenase is induced in pulmonary inflammatory processes in response to an increase in production of superoxide anion, 5-hydroxytryptamine or other indoleamines in the lung as a consequence of inflammation. The dioxygenase reaction is a more innocuous way of disposing of superoxide than dismutation.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of the synthetic lipid A-related compound, DT-5461, on resistance to Sendai virus infection in mice.

DT-5461 enhanced host resistance to Sendai virus infection in mice. Intranasal (i.n.) administration of 200 micrograms of DT-5461 per mouse 3 days before infection was the most effective administration route, dose and timing. DT-5461 enhanced the cytotoxicity of murine natural killer (NK) cells. In addition, DT-5461 activated murine peritoneal macrophages, resulted in augmented of cytotoxicity and the induction of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Therefore, these immunomodulating activities presented by DT-5461 caused protection against Sendai virus infection.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Genetic analysis of serotype 23F Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from several countries by penicillin-binding protein gene fingerprinting and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

We characterized 21 strains of serotype 23F Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated in various countries with various levels of penicillin susceptibility by penicillin-binding protein (PBP) gene fingerprinting and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Pneumococci isolated in Israel, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Rumania, France, the United States, Spain and Japan were included. These strains were classified into 12 and 18 groups by PBP gene fingerprinting and PFGE, respectively. Some of the pneumococci isolated in Spain, the United States and France appeared to be genetically related by PFGE, showed the same PBP gene pattern and had similar antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. One penicillin-susceptible Bulgarian strain, with a similar PFGE pattern but a different fingerprinting pattern, may be an ancestral recipient strain that became transformed into the resistant variants. Rumanian and Israeli strains were also genetically related by PFGE. These results indicate the existence of widely spread but related pneumococci in the world. PBP 2X gene profiles of pneumococci with MICs of 0.25 microg/ml were different from each other and from penicillin-susceptible pneumococci (PSP). PBP 2B gene profiles of these resistant strains were identical. PBP 2B gene profiles of pneumococci (penicillin MICs >/=0.5 microg/ml) were different from PSP. PBP gene profiles may not only be useful for genetic analysis but also for presumed penicillin susceptibility.

Bacterial Proteins↗