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Deduction of amino acid residues in the GABA(A) receptor alpha subunits photoaffinity labeled with the benzodiazepine flunitrazepam.

Peptide mapping and microsequencing were used to infer the site of photoaffinity labeling by the gamma-aminobutyric acidA receptor modulator [3H]flunitrazepam. Peptide mapping with and without N-deglycosylation was used to restrict the domain for photoaffinity labeling to residues 74-123 of the bovine alpha1 subunit, in agreement with a previously predicted labeling domain between residues 59-148 based on cyanogen bromide fragmentation. Edman degradation of partially purified photolabeled peptides gave release of 3H counts in the ninth cycle of a tryptic peptide sequence. A second V8/chymotryptic peptide produced an impure sequence with release of 3H counts in the seventh through ninth cycle of sequence. The combined data support those previously reported, i.e., that the primary site for photoaffinity labeling by [3H]flunitrazepam is His102 of the bovine alpha1 subunit. In addition we also detected possible secondary labeling of Pro97.

Affinity Labels↗

Inactivation of the HR6B ubiquitin-conjugating DNA repair enzyme in mice causes male sterility associated with chromatin modification.

The ubiquitin-conjugating yeast enzyme RAD6 and its human homologs hHR6A and hHR6B are implicated in postreplication repair and damage-induced mutagenesis. The yeast protein is also required for sporulation and may modulate chromatin structure via histone ubiquitination. We report the phenotype of the first animal mutant in the ubiquitin pathway: inactivation of the hHR6B-homologous gene in mice causes male infertility. Derailment of spermatogenesis becomes overt during the postmeiotic condensation of chromatin in spermatids. These findings provide a parallel between yeast sporulation and mammalian spermatogenesis and strongly implicate hHR6-dependent ubiquitination in chromatin remodeling. Since heterozygous male mice and even knockout female mice are completely normal and fertile and thus able to transmit the defect, similar hHR6B mutations may cause male infertility in man.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Outcome prediction in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia by molecular quantification of residual disease at the end of induction.

Methods to detect and quantify minimal residual disease (MRD) after chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) could improve treatment by identifying patients who need more or less intensive therapy. We have used a clone-specific polymerase chain reaction to detect rearranged immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene from the leukaemic clone, and quantified the clone by limiting dilution analysis. MRD was successfully quantified, by extracting DNA from marrow slides, from 88 of 181 children with ALL, who had total leucocyte counts below 100 x 10(9)/L at presentation and were enrolled in two clinical trials, in 1980-84 and 1985-89. Leukaemia was detected in the first remission marrow of 38 patients, in amounts between 6.7 x 10(-2) and 9.9 x 10(-7) cells; 26 of these patients relapsed. Of 50 patients with no MRD detected, despite study of 522-496,000 genomes, only 6 relapsed. The association between MRD detection and outcome was significant for patients in each trial. In the first trial, patients relapsed at all levels of detected MRD, whereas in the later trial, in which treatment was more intensive and results were better, the extent of MRD was closely related to the probability of relapse (5 of 5 patients with > 10(-3) MRD, 4 of 10 with 10(-3) to 2 x 10(-5), 0 of 3 with levels below 2 x 10(-5), and 2 of 26 with no MRD detected). Early quantification of leukaemic cells after chemotherapy may be a successful strategy for predicting outcome and hence individualizing treatment in childhood ALL, because the results indicate both in-vivo drug sensitivity of the leukaemia and the number of leukaemic cells that remain to be killed by post-induction therapy.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

Wheat peptide challenge in coeliac disease.

The exact nature of the cereal moiety that exacerbates coeliac disease is unknown. In-vitro studies have implicated both the N-terminal and far C-terminal domains of one of the wheat prolamins, A-gliadin. Peptides within these regions may act as epitopes that trigger immune events leading to enteropathy. We synthesized three peptides corresponding to amino-acids 3-21, 31-49, and 202-220 of A-gliadin. Four patients with coeliac disease were challenged by intraduodenal infusion of 1 g of gliadin or 200 mg of the synthetic peptides. Jejunal biopsies were taken before and at hourly intervals for 6 h after the infusion. Morphometric variables were measured and intraepithelial lymphocytes counted. Significant histological changes occurred in the small intestinal mucosa after challenge with a synthetic peptide corresponding to amino acids 31-49 of A-gliadin. The N-terminal peptide, residues 3-21 of A-gliadin, did not cause histological changes in any of the patients. In one of the four patients, minor histological changes following challenge with the peptide corresponding to residues 202-220 of A-gliadin were seen. Our results suggest that the oligopeptide corresponding to aminoacids 31-49 of A-gliadin is toxic in vivo, but there is no evidence of toxicity of the far N-terminal peptide, residues 3-21. The C-terminal peptide 202-220 may contain an epitope to which patients with coeliac disease display variable sensitivity. Since the oligopeptide corresponding to amino-acids 31-49 of A-gliadin is recognised by HLA DQ2-restricted T cells, the observed effects may be due to immune activation within the intestinal mucosa.

Adult↗

Quantitative analysis of the T cell repertoire that escapes negative selection.

Mice expressing hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL) as a transgene are unresponsive to immunization with the HEL protein. Profound tolerance was found even in situations where the amounts of l-A(k)-peptide complexes was 100 or less per APC. Among the few T cells that escaped tolerance, we did not observe differential responses to the different HEL epitopes, perhaps because of the very high sensitivity of the negative selection process. The same HEL transgenic mice that did not respond to HEL responded to immunization with the 46-61 peptide of HEL. These peptide-specific T cells that escaped negative selection belonged to a set that reacted with a particular conformer of the HEL peptide-l-A(k) (type B). The presence of type B reactive T cells should be considered in autoimmunity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Targeted disruption of the mouse transforming growth factor-beta 1 gene results in multifocal inflammatory disease.

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) is a multifunctional growth factor that has profound regulatory effects on many developmental and physiological processes. Disruption of the TGF-beta 1 gene by homologous recombination in murine embryonic stem cells enables mice to be generated that carry the disrupted allele. Animals homozygous for the mutated TGF-beta 1 allele show no gross developmental abnormalities, but about 20 days after birth they succumb to a wasting syndrome accompanied by a multifocal, mixed inflammatory cell response and tissue necrosis, leading to organ failure and death. TGF-beta 1-deficient mice may be valuable models for human immune and inflammatory disorders, including autoimmune diseases, transplant rejection and graft versus host reactions.

Animals↗

Effect of interleukin-10 treatment on crescentic glomerulonephritis in rats.

This study examined the utility of interleukin-10 (IL-10), a cytokine with potent anti-macrophage and anti-Th1 activity, in the treatment of experimental anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) nephritis in the rat. Accelerated anti-GBM disease was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by immunization with rabbit IgG, followed five days later by an i.v. injection of anti-GBM serum. Groups of four rats received daily s.c. injections of recombinant mouse IL-10 (500, 10 or 0.2 microgram/kg/day) or saline (control) from the time of anti-GBM serum administration until being killed on day 14. IL-10 treatment suppressed the skin DTH response as measured by skin thickness (44 to 62% decrease vs. control, p < 0.05). Compared to saline controls, IL-10 treatment had no beneficial effect on renal function, proteinuria or histological damage (including crescent formation) at any dose examined. A detailed analysis of high dose IL-10 (500 micrograms/kg/day) and saline treated animals was undertaken. Saline controls had marked glomerular macrophage accumulation and proliferation, which was augmented by IL-10 treatment (46 to 99% increases and 44 to 143% increases, respectively; p < 0.05). Immunohistochemical staining found no difference in the state of macrophage activation between the groups, as determined by the percentage of macrophages expressing IL-1 beta protein. Northern blot analysis of whole kidney RNA demonstrated an 830% increase in IL-1 beta mRNA expression in saline controls compared to normal rat kidney. High dose IL-10 treatment reduced IL-1 beta mRNA levels by 60% compared to controls (P < 0.05), but did not significantly reduce glomerular IL-1 beta protein expression. IL-10 treatment increased serum levels of rat anti-rabbit IgG, induced a rat anti-mouse IL-10 response and augmented glomerular deposition of rat C3. In conclusion, IL-10 was not an effective treatment for rat crescentic anti-GBM glomerulonephritis. This may have been due to the failure of IL-10 to achieve a sufficient reduction in IL-1 beta expression and macrophage participation in disease, or promotion of the Th2 immune response.

Animals↗

Perilipin expression in human adipose tissues: effects of severe obesity, gender, and depot.

OBJECTIVE: Perilipins are phosphoproteins that are localized to the surface of triacylglycerol droplets within adipocytes where they regulate the rate of lipolysis. We sought to determine the effects of severe obesity and depot [omental (Om) vs. subcutaneous (Sc)] on perilipin expression in the adipose tissue of individuals. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Samples of Om and Sc adipose tissues obtained at surgery from severely obese subjects and fat aspirations from nonobese subjects were analyzed for perilipin protein and mRNA levels by Northern and Western analysis. RESULTS: Perilipin A (periA) was the major perilipin expressed in adipose tissues. periA mRNA relative abundance was significantly lower in Sc adipose tissue from severely obese compared to that from nonobese subjects. Western blotting of adipose tissue extracts showed that periA protein levels expressed relative to tissue protein or fat cell surface area were significantly lower ( approximately -40%) in abdominal Sc adipose tissue from severely obese compared to that from nonobese subjects. However, the calculated mass of perilipin per fat cell did not differ between the two groups. Perilipin mRNA levels were higher in Sc compared to Om adipose tissue from obese individuals (p < 0.025; n = 26; 17 women, 9 men); however, periA protein levels did not differ. In addition, perilipin protein, but not mRNA, levels were higher in Sc adipose tissue from obese men than from women (p < 0.025). DISCUSSION: Variations in perilipin expression may contribute to the higher basal lipolytic rates observed in obese compared to nonobese individuals and in obese women compared to obese men.

Adipocytes↗

T and B cell reactivity to a 42-kDa protein is associated with human resistance to both schistosomiasis mansoni and haematobium.

Egyptian subjects living in areas endemic for Schistosoma mansoni or Schistosoma haematobium were selected on the basis of their apparent extremes of resistance or susceptibility to schistosomiasis and examined for T and B cell responses against the major electrophoretically resolved protein species from soluble adult worm extracts. A 42-kDa band was specifically recognized by a significant majority of subjects resistant to schistosomiasis. The 42-kDa species (p-42) from S. mansoni and S. haematobium were immunologically cross-reactive and induced significant protection in mice and hamsters against infection with cercariae. Amino acid sequence analysis of S. mansoni p-42 showed that it consists predominantly of glyceraldehyde 3-P dehydrogenase (G3PDH), which has been shown to be preferentially recognized by the sera of Brazilian subjects resistant to schistosomiasis mansoni. The present data extend the previous findings and imply that S. mansoni-derived G3PDH represents a target of protective T and B cell-mediated antischistosomiasis immunity in humans.

Adolescent↗

Clonal expansion and decreased occurrence of peripheral blood gamma delta T cells of the V delta 2J delta 3 lineage in multiple sclerosis patients.

gamma delta T cells are implicated in autoimmune diseases but their precise function remains unclear. In multiple sclerosis (MS) brain tissue, gamma delta T cells co-localize with heat shock protein (hsp)65+ oligodendrocytes and are oligoclonally restricted in the V delta 2J delta 3 lineage. To investigate the homing properties and the degree of heterogeneity of V delta 2J delta 3+ gamma delta T cells in MS, peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from 34 MS patients, 42 controls (14 autoimmune control patients, 28 healthy volunteers), and 11 lymphatic tissues of MS patients and controls were studied by RT-PCR and sequencing. V delta 2J delta 3 TCR rearrangement was detected in 27 out of 28 healthy controls, and was significantly less frequent in MS patients (24 out of 34) and autoimmune control patients (seven out of 14). It was present only in five out of 11 tissue specimens, none of them from MS patients. Direct sequencing and cloning/automated sequencing of the V delta 2J delta 3 PCR products indicated heterogeneity in healthy controls and oligoclonality in MS patients, but also in autoimmune control patients. Differences between MS patients and healthy controls were more accentuated in exacerbating hospitalized patients than in clinically stable outpatients participating in a clinical trial. Only one V delta 2J delta 3 sequence of a total of 85 different sequences obtained was shared between two MS patients. Taken together, evidence for clonal expansion of V delta 2J delta 3+ gamma delta T cells was found in PBL of MS patients. This T cell subset, previously shown to be present in 100% of chronic-active MS plaques, might home to the CNS in MS, resulting in its under-representation in the blood.

Adolescent↗

Sequence preferences of DNA interstrand crosslinking agents: quantitation of interstrand crosslink locations in DNA duplex fragments containing multiple crosslinkable sites.

A general approach to the quantitative study of the sequence specificity of DNA interstrand crosslinking agents in synthetic duplex DNA fragments is described. In the first step, a DNA fragment previously treated with an interstrand crosslinking agent is subjected to denaturing PAGE. Not only does this distinguish crosslinked from native or monoadducted DNA, it is shown herein that isomeric crosslinked DNAs differing in position of the crosslink can in some cases be separated. In the second stage, the now fractionated crosslinked DNAs isolated from denaturing PAGE are subjected to fragmentation using iron(II)/EDTA. For those fractions which are structurally homogeneous, analysis of the resulting fragment distribution has previously been shown to reveal the crosslink position at nucleotide resolution. It is shown herein that in fractions which are structurally heterogeneous due to differences in position of crosslink, this analysis quantifies the relative extent of crosslinking at distinct sites. Using this method it is shown that reductively activated mitomycin C crosslinks the duplex sequences 5'-GCGC and 5'-TCGA with 3 +/- 1:1 relative efficiency.

Base Sequence↗

Replication kinetics and cell tropism of an immunosuppressive feline leukaemia virus.

To elucidate in vivo cell tropism and infection kinetics of an immunodeficiency-inducing isolate of feline leukaemia virus (FeLV-FAIDS), we quantified the two major genotypes comprising FeLV-FAIDS [the replication-competent common form (clone 61E) and the replication-defective variant (clone 61C)] in lymphocyte and leukocyte populations from infected cats. Micromagnetic separation of cell subsets, virus genome-specific PCR and flow cytometry were used to demonstrate the following sequence of events in infected animals: (i) very early replication of both 61E and 61C in CD4 T cells (provirus burden 0.2 to 1 copy/cell at 2-4 weeks post-infection); (ii) lower magnitude replication of both viruses in CD8 T cells and B cells during this initial phase of infection; (iii) plateauing of CD4 cell virus burden accompanied by escalation in CD8 and B cell provirus burdens after 4 weeks; (iv) extensive infection of haemopoietic and circulating myeloid cells. FeLV-FAIDS 61E and 61C replication kinetics and lymphocyte tropisms were similar in blood and lymph nodes, where provirus burdens ranged from 0.15 to 1.0 copy/cell. Moreover, virus infection was productive; 8-48 percent of blood lymphocytes, 35-81 percent of node lymphocytes and 53-98 percent of bone marrow cells expressed FeLV capsid antigen (p27 Gag). These findings suggest that the immunosuppressive potency of FeLV-FAIDS reflects the unique cytopathicity rather than unique cytotropism of its 61C (versus 61E) component.

Animals↗

Dexamethasone treatment of lipopolysaccharide-induced meningitis in rabbits that mimics magnification of inflammation following antibiotic therapy.

The objective of adjunct anti-inflammatory therapy of bacterial meningitis is the containment of heightened inflammation caused by lysis of bacteria by antibiotics. This can be modelled by giving two consecutive intra-cisternal injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to rabbits, the first at 0 h to induce inflammation to mimic that occurring during the proliferation of bacteria in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and the second at 6 h to mimic inflammation subsequent to antibiotic-induced bacterial lysis. Injection of 2.5 ng of LPS induced pleocytosis at 4 h which was preceded by a peak of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) activity at 2 h. A subsequent injection of 25 ng of LPS at 6 h induced second peaks of pleocytosis and CSF TNF. Dexamethasone (1.5 mg/kg, i.v.) administered 15 min or 1 h before the second injection of LPS tended only to reduce CSF TNF, but effectively prohibited further pleocytosis. Brain TNF alpha mRNA levels were unchanged at 6 and 7 h after LPS injection, and were unaffected by dexamethasone. These results indicate that the subarachnoid space is distinct from the general circulation in that the TNF-producing cells present do not display a hypo-responsive state towards LPS as occurs when LPS is injected systemically. Furthermore, dexamethasone is able to attenuate the secondary inflammatory response resulting from a second LPS injection without eliminating a second peak of TNF activity.

Animals↗

Enumeration and characterization of memory cells in the TH compartment.

There is a great deal of interest in understanding how helper T cells differentiate in vivo and exert their regulatory role on a developing, immune response. Essential to development of protective immunity is the development of memory T cells. To study memory T cells in vivo we first need the means to identify and characterize these cells as they develop in their complex microenvironments. We have developed a method which allows us to directly purify both primary and memory helper T cells from the draining lymph nodes of mice as they respond to pigeon cytochrome c in vivo. Junctional sequences from these populations and from individual T cells show a strong selection for CDR3 length and residues characteristic of antigen binding. Overall these studies support a model of progressive clonal maturation with the memory T cell repertoire being more homogeneous than that of the primary response. There is some suggestion that affinity maturation may take place after repeated immunization, but on a more modest scale than that seen for antibodies. Finally we present the use of two new technologies that promise to greatly expand the analysis of immune responses in vivo. The use of flow cytometry with simultaneous detection of five and six fluorescence parameters helps to reliably resolve rare subsets of antigen-specific cells in order to understand the progression of their differentiation in vivo. Lastly, we have developed peptide/MHC tetramers as a new class of staining reagent that has wide applicability in the study of T cell responses in vivo.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

T lymphocyte-directed gene therapy for ADA- SCID: initial trial results after 4 years.

In 1990, a clinical trial was started using retroviral-mediated transfer of the adenosine deaminase (ADA) gene into the T cells of two children with severe combined immunodeficiency (ADA- SCID). The number of blood T cells normalized as did many cellular and humoral immune responses. Gene treatment ended after 2 years, but integrated vector and ADA gene expression in T cells persisted. Although many components remain to be perfected, it is concluded here that gene therapy can be a safe and effective addition to treatment for some patients with this severe immunodeficiency disease.

Adenosine Deaminase↗

Changes in populations of rhizosphere bacteria associated with take-all disease of wheat.

Take-all, caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici, is one of the most important fungal diseases of wheat worldwide. Knowing that microbe-based suppression of the disease occurs in monoculture wheat fields following severe outbreaks of take-all, we analyzed the changes in rhizosphere bacterial communities following infection by the take-all pathogen. Several bacterial populations were more abundant on diseased plants than on healthy plants, as indicated by higher counts on a Pseudomonas-selective medium and a higher fluorescence signal in terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses of amplified 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA). Amplified rDNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) of the most abundant cultured populations showed a shift in dominance from Pseudomonas to Chryseobacterium species in the rhizosphere of diseased plants. Fluorescence-tagged ARDRA of uncultured rhizosphere washes revealed an increase in ribotypes corresponding to several bacterial genera, including those subsequently identified by partial 16S sequencing as belonging to species of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-proteobacteria, sphingobacteria, and flavobacteria. The functional significance of some of these populations was investigated in vitro. Of those isolated, only a small subset of the most abundant Pseudomonas spp. and a phlD(+) Pseudomonas sp. showed any significant ability to inhibit G. graminis var. tritici directly. When cultured strains were mixed with the inhibitory phlD(+) Pseudomonas strain, the Chryseobacterium isolates showed the least capacity to inhibit this antagonist of the pathogen, indicating that increases in Chryseobacterium populations may facilitate the suppression of take-all by 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol-producing phlD(+) pseudomonads.

Antibiosis↗

Increased number of circulating HTLV-1 infected cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of HTLV-1 uveitis patients: a quantitative polymerase chain reaction study.

AIMS: This study aimed to characterise the status of viral infection in patients with HTLV-1 uveitis (HU) by quantifying the circulating HTLV-1 infected cells in the peripheral blood. METHODS: Genomic DNA samples of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were obtained from 25 patients with HU, 14 patients with tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-1 associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM), and 21 asymptomatic carriers of HTLV-1. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the gag region of HTLV-1 provirus DNA was performed on these DNA samples. To confirm the PCR, genomic Southern blot hybridisation was performed to identify integrated HTLV-1 provirus. This procedure detected a few percent of HTLV-1 infected cells in the PBMC. RESULTS: Most of the HU patients had a significantly increased number of circulating HTLV-1 infected cells (mean (SD) 3.84% (4.45%) of the PBMC), whereas the percentage of infected cells in most asymptomatic carriers was less than 1% (0.54% (1.11%)). Most of the TSP/HAM patients also had a relatively high percentage (11.63% (7.67%)). The differences among these three groups were highly significant by the Mann-Whitney U test. CONCLUSION: The results suggested that the increase in the number of HTLV-1 infected cells is one base for the development of inflammatory HU lesions, as it is for TSP/HAM.

Adult↗

Methylation of INK4 and CIP/KIP families of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in Chinese patients.

BACKGROUND: INK4 (p15, p16, p18 and p19) and CIP/KIP (p21, p27 and p57) are two families of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CKI) targeting CDK4/6 and CDK2, respectively. AIM: To study the role of methylation in the inactivation of CKI in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction was carried out on DNA obtained from the bone marrow of 56 newly diagnosed patients with CLL. RESULTS: Similar demographic features and clinical outcome were observed in our patients when compared with Caucasian patients, including an indolent clinical course (10-year overall survival 51%) and advanced Rai stage (p = 0.006), and a high-risk karyotype such as trisomy 12 and complex aberrations (p = 0.03). In the INK4 family, methylation in p15 and p16 occurred in 20 (35.7%) and 8 (14.3%) patients, respectively. In all, 5 (8.9%) CLL samples harboured concurrent methylation of both p15 and p16. Apart from an association of p16 methylation with higher presenting leucocyte count (64.5 x 10(9)/l in methylated p16 and 16.0 x 10(9)/l in unmethylated p16 patients; p = 0.016), there was no association between p15 and p16 methylation and age, sex and Rai stage. No difference was observed in the overall survival for patients with and without p15 and p16 methylation. By contrast, p18 and Rb were unmethylated in all samples. In the CIP/KIP family, apart from infrequent methylation of p57 in 4 (7.1%) patients, methylation of p21 and p27 was uniformly absent. CONCLUSION: p15 and, less frequently, p16 of the INK4 family of CKI, instead of the CIP or KIP family, were targeted by methylation in CLL. p16 methylation was associated with a higher lymphocyte count at presentation. This is the first comprehensive study of the epigenetic dysregulation of the INK4 and CIP/KIP families of CKI in Chinese patients with CLL.

Adult↗