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Biomedical subjects

S K Datta

Publications and source records attributed to S K Datta.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Thymic epithelium is programmed to induce preleukemic changes in retrovirus expression and thymocyte differentiation in leukemia susceptible mice: studies on bone marrow and thymic chimeras.

In the leukemia-prone AKR thymus, ecotropic and xenotropic-related viruses are expressed that generate leukemogenic recombinant viruses before the onset of leukemia. We have shown previously that (AKR X NZB)F1 hybrid mice do not develop leukemia because they severely restrict the expression of these retroviruses in their thymuses. The thymic microenvironment of the (AKR X NZB)F1 mice appeared to be of particular importance in determining this restriction, which was specified by an NZB-derived genetic influence. In the present study we analyze reciprocal thymus graft and irradiation bone marrow chimeras to establish that this influence is exerted by thymic reticuloepithelial cells. Prospective studies with thymic epithelial grafts from young mice show that the AKR thymic epithelium can simultaneously induce the amplified expression of retroviral genes, and changes in patterns of thymocyte differentiation that precede the development of leukemia, whereas the (AKR X NZB)F1 thymic epithelium is deficient in this regard.

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Analysis of recombinant inbred lines derived from "autoimmune" (NZB) and "high leukemia" (C58) strains: independent multigenic systems control B cell hyperactivity, retrovirus expression, and autoimmunity.

The relationship of B cell hyperactivity and retrovirus expression to other autoimmune traits were examined in recombinant inbred (N X 8 RI) lines derived from NZB and C58 progenitor strains. Although both NZB and C58 mice expressed high levels of xenotropic virus, the RI lines segregated in virologic phenotype, as high or low expressors of the endogenous virus. The expression of the C58-derived ecotropic virus occurred in only one-half of the RI lines, and its expression in the remaining lines of mice appeared to be suppressed by the NZB-derived allele at the Fv-1 locus. The inheritance of B lymphocyte abnormalities of the NZB progenitor strain was investigated by studying spontaneous and SRBC-induced production of IgM by the spleen cells of the RI lines. These two phenotypes of B cell hyperactivity were found to be determined by independently segregating genes and they were not linked to immunoglobulin structural gene loci. The strain distribution patterns of virus expression and B cell hyperactivity in the RI lines did not match with each other or with the inheritance patterns of other immunologic abnormalities, such as defective AMLR and production of autoantibodies.

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Development of natural killer cell activity and genetic resistance to bone marrow transplantation with age: effect of neonatal thymectomy.

The effect of neonatal thymectomy on the development of splenic and bone marrow natural cell-mediated cytotoxicity and on genetic resistance to bone marrow transplantation was examined in mice. Natural cytotoxicity was measured by a 51Cr release assay; the ability to engraft foreign bone marrow was assayed by the spleen colony method. The natural cytolytic response of spleen cells increased progressively from youth to early adulthood, whereas that of the bone marrow declined during the same age period. Neonatal thymectomy significantly elevated the natural killer cell response of young mice only (4 weeks, spleen; 6 weeks, bone marrow). In other experiments, neonatally thymectomized and sham-operated mice were lethally irradiated at 4 or 6 weeks of age and injected with 2.5, 5.0 or 10 million rat marrow cells. Six days later spleen colonies were markedly reduced in both 4- and 6-week-old neonatally thymectomized mice with all rat marrow cell doses tested. Neonatal thymectomy did not alter the percentage of erythroid verus other colonies at either 4 or 6 weeks. In both thymectomized and sham-operated mice the number of colonies increased with increases in marrow cell dose. The data are suggestive of a production and dissemination to the spleen of cels involved in the natural cytotoxic response from the bone marrow.

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Induction of tumor-specific cell-mediated immunity by a noninfectious type-C virus.

Hamsters immunized with either noninfectious hamster type-C virus (D9) or irradiated D9 tumor cells were tested for cell-mediated immune reactivity by the macrophage migration inhibition assay. The migration of peritoneal exudate cells from immunized hamsters was significantly inhibited by either D9 virus or D9 tumor extract, but not by extract of an unrelated CELO virus-induced tumor. The virus and tumor extracts had little or no effect on the migration of peritoneal exudate cells from normal hamsters. Noninfectious D9 virus produces a cell-mediated immune response in the hamster and shares antigenicity with D9 lymphoma, which releases the virus.

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lack of suppressor cell activity for natural killer cells in infant, aged and a low responder strain of mice.

We have examined the reported role of suppressor cells in the regulation of NK activity in mice with naturally low NK activity (infant and aged (C57 X A)F1 hybrids (CAF1) and low responder strain AKR mice). Possible suppressor activity was assayed by mixing, at a 1 : 1 ratio, spleen cells from low activity mice with spleen effector cells from normally active 8 to 10 wk old CAF1 mice. The lytic activity of the mixture was compared with the activity of effector cells diluted with medium alone or diluted 1 : 1 with "non-suppressor" population which served as a control for nonspecific decreases in lysis. The control or "filler" cells employed were suspensions of adult CAF1 thymus, thymus from adult mice exposed to 2,000 R, and adult CAF1 spleen cells cultured for 24 hours, a procedure that depleted NK activity. In no case was the activity observed in the presumed suppressor-effector mixture significantly lower than that observed in the filler-effector cell mixtures. Thus, in infant (1 to 2 wk) and aged (12 to 18 mo) CAF1 mice and in 8 to 10 wk old AKR mice, we found no evidence for specific cell-mediated suppression of natural cytotoxicity.

Aging↗

Augmentation of natural killer cell activity in spleens of infant, aged, and low responder strain mice by Corynebacterium parvum.

Murine natural killer (NK) cell activity is both age- and strain-dependent. NK activity does not appear in murine spleen cells until three weeks after birth. Activity peaks at approximately 10 weeks, decreasing thereafter with mice over one year old showing significantly reduced levels. Mice showing low or no NK activity because of age (aged and infant mice, respectively) can be stimulated to show significant levels of NK lysis by i.p. injection of formalin killed Corynebacterium parvum (CP). In addition, CP treatment is also capable of increasing NK activity in mice from the normally low responding AKR strain. The NK activity induced or stimulated by CP appears to be like normal NK reactivity in that it is not decreased by removal of T-cells or adherent cells. Thus, in addition to increasing NK activity in normally responsive mice, CP is capable of augmenting NK activity in mice which normally show low or no levels of NK lysis.

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Phenotypic alteration in retroviral gene expression by leukemia-resistant thymocytes differentiating in leukemia-susceptible recipients.

(AKR x NZB)F1 mice possess the dominant genes, Akv-1, Akv-2, Nzv-1a and Nzv-2a, which determine the expression of ecotropic and xenotropic viruses. Nevertheless, their thymic lymphocytes fail to produce these agents, and these mice are resistant to leukemia. We investigated the mechanism of this cell-specific restriction in radiation chimeras. (AKR x NZB)F1 thymocytes that had differentiated in lethally irradiated AKR recipients produced high levels of ecotropic and xenotropic viruses and showed marked amplification of MuLV antigen expression. Polytropic viruses could also be isolated from such thymocytes. These virological changes in chimeric thymocytes were donor- and host-specific and occurred only when (AKR x NZB)F1 bone marrow cells were inoculated into AKR recipients. This inductive capacity of the host environment could be detected in irradiated AKR recipients as early as age 2 months. The phenotypic changes brought about in leukemia-resistant (AKR x NZB)F1 thymocytes by the leukemia-susceptible AKR thymic microenvironment may be the result of a three-component inductive system.

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Genetic resistance to bone marrow transplantation as a leukemia-lymphoma defense mechanism: correlation of "in vivo" lymphoma resistance and "in vitro" NK activity.

(C57 X AKR) F1 hybrid mice, which show genetic resistance to C57 parental bone marrow cells and to AKR lymphoma but not to AKR bone marrow cells in vivo, also show high natural killer cell lysis versus lymphoma cells in vitro. (C3H X AKR) F1 hybrids which show no genetic resistance to parental bone marrow cells or to lymphoma cells in vivo have low levels of NK activity like those of the low responding AKR strain. Thus genetic resistance to bone marrow transplantation and to lymphoma in vivo, correlates with NK lytic activity versus lymphoma cells in vitro, adding to the evidence linking these phenomena.

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The abrogation of in vivo resistance to parental bone marrow transplantation and of in vitro natural cell-mediated cytotoxicity to the YAC lymphoma by in vivo growth of a transformed thymus-derived cell culture.

A thymus-derived monolayer culture, referred to as E1, from (C57Bl/6 X A)F1 hybrid mice was continuously passaged in vitro for over three years and formed rapidly growing, non-metastasizing tumors when injected s.c. into syngeneic mice. The spleens of tumor-bearing mice were greatly enlarged, but no tumor cells were detected in these spleens. The natural cell-mediated cytotoxic activity of spleen cells of tumor-bearing mice decreased with increasing tumor size. In addition, the expression of genetic resistance to transplantation of C57Bl/6 parental bone marrow cells was decreased in the spleens of irradiated tumor-bearing mice. This correlation between the expressions of natural cell-mediated cytotoxicity and of genetic resistance to bone marrow transplantation is consistent with the hypothesis that both of these responses are mediated by the same population of effector cells.

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Localization of spontaneously hyperactive B cells of NZB mice to a specific B cell subset.

NZB mice produce numerous autoantibodies and have a subpopulation of B cells characterized by marked spontaneous hypersecretion of IgM. The latter trait is determined by autosomal genes, in F1 hybrids of NZB and normal strains. We tested the hypothesis that the hypersecreting B cells of NZB mice are contained within a specific subpopulation by examining (CBA/N X NZB)F1 hybrids. CBA/N mice have an X-linked recessive defect that results in the absence of a functionally distinct B cell subpopulation and impaired antibody responses. The hyperactivity of B cells, characteristic of the NZB parent, was transmitted to the F1 female, but was not expressed by the F1 male, which manifested the CBA/N B cell hyporesponsiveness. By contrast, the NZB xenotropic virus was expressed equally by both male and female F1 mice. We conclude that the NZB B cell abnormality resides within the B cell subpopulation affected by the CBA/N mutation.

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Apparent identity of mechanisms of genetic resistance to marrow transplantation and natural killer cell activity.

Because the phenomenon of in vitro lysis of lymphoma cells by spleen natural killer (NK) cells bears genetic and effector cell resemblances to genetic resistance to bone marrow transplantation, they were compared for additional known unique characteristics of the latter phenomenon. Like GR to BMT, NK cell activity first appeared abruptly at about 3 weeks of post-natal age; was radioresistant to 1 100 R whole body irradiation, but was quantitatively diminished by higher exposures or delay of test post-irradiation; was suppressed by pretreatment with either cyclophosphamide, carrageenan, silica particles, anti-bone marrow serum or anti-thymus serum. The many unique identical characteristics of these two effector mechanisms indicates that they represent two manifestations of the same basic phenomenon of natural immunity. This is in accord with other data indicating that GR to BMT is directed at Hh antigens which, like TL antigens, may in some mouse strains appear on both leukemic cells and normal hemopoietic cells.

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