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Conservation genetics and demographic history of the endangered Cape Fear shiner (Notropis mekistocholas).

We examined allelic variation at 22 nuclear-encoded markers (21 microsatellites and one anonymous locus) and mitochondrial (mt)DNA in two geographical samples of the endangered cyprinid fish Notropis mekistocholas (Cape Fear shiner). Genetic diversity was relatively high in comparison to other endangered vertebrates, and there was no evidence of small population effects despite the low abundance reported for the species. Significant heterogeneity (following Bonferroni correction) in allele distribution at three microsatellites and in haplotype distribution in mtDNA was detected between the two localities. This heterogeneity may be due to reduced gene flow caused by a dam built in the early 1900 s. Bayesian coalescent analysis of microsatellite variation indicated that effective population size of Cape Fear shiners has declined in recent times (11-25 435 years ago, with highest posterior probabilities between 126 and 2007 years ago) by one-two orders of magnitude, consistent with the observed decline in abundance of the species. A decline in effective size was not indicated by analysis of mtDNA, where sequence polymorphism appeared to carry the signature of an older expansion phase that dated to the Pleistocene ( approximately 12 700 > 1 million years ago). Cape Fear shiners thus appear to have undergone an expansion phase following a glacial cycle but to have declined significantly in more recent times. These results suggest that rapidly evolving markers such as microsatellites may constitute a suitable tool when inferring recent demographic dynamics of populations.

Animals↗

Analysis of HLA class I expression in different metastases from two melanoma patients undergoing peptide immunotherapy.

We characterized the HLA class I alterations in five metastases obtained from two patients with melanoma immunized with Melan A/MART-1, tyrosinase and gp100 tumor peptides. All three metastases analyzed in the first patient (NW145) showed a similar HLA class I alteration with a dual population of melanoma cells. One population was HLA class I antigen positive and the other had loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in the short arm of chromosome 6 leading to an HLA haplotype loss (A02011, B4007, Cw1). The absence of HLA-A2 antigen may explain why this patient did not develop HLA-A2 restricted, Melan A/MART-1 specificity immunization, since this HLA molecule is the restriction element for the tumor peptides used. However, this HLA-deficient population was not selected after peptide immunotherapy. The primary tumor in this patient presented LOH in region 6q, but only in the vertical growth phase of the lesion, whereas LOH at 6p was observed only in DNA from metastatic material. The second patient (NW16) also presented two metastatic lesions with an identical HLA molecular defect, i.e. HLA B locus downregulation (HLA B51011: serological B51; B1503: serological B70). One lesion expressed the tumor antigen (Melan A/ MART-1), but the other did not. Interestingly, the antigen-positive metastasis regressed after peptide immunotherapy, whereas the other progressed rapidly. These findings provide the first indication that multiple metastases generated in the same host can have identically altered HLA class I phenotypes.

Aged↗

Gametic phase estimation over large genomic regions using an adaptive window approach.

The authors present ELB, an easy to programme and computationally fast algorithm for inferring gametic phase in population samples of multilocus genotypes. Phase updates are made on the basis of a window of neighbouring loci, and the window size varies according to the local level of linkage disequilibrium. Thus, ELB is particularly well suited to problems involving many loci and/or relatively large genomic regions, including those with variable recombination rate. The authors have simulated population samples of single nucleotide polymorphism genotypes with varying levels of recombination and marker density, and find that ELB provides better local estimation of gametic phase than the PHASE or HTYPER programs, while its global accuracy is broadly similar. The relative improvement in local accuracy increases both with increasing recombination and with increasing marker density. Short tandem repeat (STR, or microsatellite) simulation studies demonstrate ELB's superiority over PHASE both globally and locally. Missing data are handled by ELB; simulations show that phase recovery is virtually unaffected by up to 2 per cent of missing data, but that phase estimation is noticeably impaired beyond this amount. The authors also applied ELB to datasets obtained from random pairings of 42 human X chromosomes typed at 97 diallelic markers in a 200 kb low-recombination region. Once again, they found ELB to have consistently better local accuracy than PHASE or HTYPER, while its global accuracy was close to the best.

Algorithms↗

Solid-phase direct DNA sequencing of allele-specific polymerase chain reaction-amplified HLA-DR genes.

We describe in this report a new strategy to directly sequence polymerase chain reaction-amplified human leucocyte antigen DRB genes using biotinylated allele-specific synthetic oligonucleotide primers coupled to streptavidin-coated magnetic beads. The use of allele-specific primers in the polymerase chain reaction allows for selective amplification of DNA from one haplotype, which when combined with the direct sequencing technique circumvents the need for DNA cloning prior to sequencing. We demonstrate here that this method can be used to characterize human leucocyte antigen DRB genes among heterozygous individuals. This method can be used for the rapid analysis of highly polymorphic genes among individuals heterozygous at the gene of interest.

Alleles↗

Genetic variants of the human H+/dipeptide transporter PEPT2: analysis of haplotype functions.

PEPT2 is a high-affinity H+/dipeptide transporter expressed in kidney, brain, lung, and mammary gland. The physiological role of PEPT2 in kidney is to reabsorb small peptides generated by luminal peptidases. PEPT2 is also a transporter for peptide-like drugs such as penicillins and cephalosporins. We have conducted a haplotype analysis of 27 single nucleotide polymorphisms located in or near exons of the human gene encoding hPEPT2 (SLC15A2), using genotyping data from 247 genomic DNA samples from the Coriell collection. Our analysis reveals that hPEPT2 has a >6-kilobase sequence block with at least 10 abundant polymorphisms in almost complete linkage disequilibrium. As a result, only two main hPEPT2 variants exist (hPEPT2*1 and *2) with several phased amino acid substitutions, present in substantial frequencies in all ethnic groups tested. When expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells, hPEPT2*1 and *2 displayed similar Vmax values for glycyl-sarcosine (Gly-Sar), but they differed significantly in their Km values (83 +/- 16 and 233 +/- 38 microM, respectively). Moreover, hPEPT2*1 and *2 differed in their pH sensitivity for H+/Gly-Sar transport. In addition, hPEPT2*1 and *2 generated varying levels of mRNA in nine heterozygous kidney tissue samples, including one allele expressing no detectable mRNA, suggesting the presence of cis-acting polymorphisms affecting transcription or mRNA processing. The results indicate that polymorphisms in the gene encoding hPEPT2 can alter substrate transport and therefore could affect drug disposition in vivo.

Alleles↗

Somatic allele loss in genetic linkage analysis of cancer.

The ability to detect or reject genetic linkage in studies of human cancer is often diminished because multiple affected relatives in a pedigree are unavailable for analysis. The observation of somatic allele loss in tumors can provide knowledge about gametic phase. Therefore, consideration of tumor genotype data could be used to obtain knowledge about gametic phase ordinarily gained from a larger sample of individuals in cancer families. The objective of the present study is to describe a method for improving the power to detect or reject genetic linkage by using knowledge about somatic genetic changes in tumor tissue. A modification to the lod score method of linkage analysis is proposed in which knowledge of gametic phase in the linkage likelihood is inferred from observations of loss of constitutional heterozygosity (LoH) in tumor tissue. This methodology was evaluated using a double backcross nuclear family with a pair of offspring. The expected lod score improved substantially when tumor genotype data were included in the analysis. For example, when the haplotype remaining in tumor tissue was identical to the inherited haplotype in constitutional tissue 99% of the time, linkage analyses without tumor genotype data would require a 2-5 times larger sample of offspring pairs to conclude linkage with an expected lod score value of 3 or greater, compared to analyses incorporating tumor genotype data. These results suggest that consideration of tumor genotype data using the proposed method can substantially improve the power of linkage analyses in cancer families.

Alleles↗

PCR-RFLP genotyping for exon 1 and promoter region mutations of the human mannose binding lectin (MBL-2) gene.

The Mannose Binding Lectin (MBL) plays an important role in innate immunity and its genetic deficiencies are associated with frequent and prolonged infections. Serum MBL determination may not accurately detect acute phase protein levels and it is also difficult to detect dysfunctional protein. Genotyping of the exon 1 and promoter regions in the MBL gene will provide useful information on the presence of deficiencies in patients. A reproducible PCR-RFLP method is described to accurately detect genotypes of exon 1 and polymorphic haplotypes of the promoter region in the MBL gene.

Base Sequence↗

Unrelated umbilical cord blood transplants in adults: Early recovery of neutrophils by supportive co-transplantation of a low number of highly purified peripheral blood CD34+ cells from an HLA-haploidentical donor.

UNLABELLED: OBJECTIVE, METHODS, AND RESULTS: To reduce the period of posttransplant neutropenia and related early morbidity and mortality of cord blood (CB) transplants, we assessed the feasibility of co-infusion of a low number of highly purified peripheral blood CD34+ cells from a related haploidentical donor with a CB graft. Between March 1999 and May 2002, 11 patients with high-risk hematologic malignancies were transplanted using this strategy. The seven patients who received a haploidentical peripheral blood graft and a CB graft from a sibling (6) or the father (1) had prompt recovery (9-17 days, median 10) of the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) to greater than 0.5 x 10(9)/L. Analysis of DNA polymorphisms showed initial predominance of the haploidentical genotype both in granulocytes and in mononuclear cells, and subsequent progressive replacement by cells of CB genotype until final complete CB chimerism was achieved by patients who survived for sufficient periods of time. The four patients who received maternal haploidentical cells had no significant contribution of these to blood leukocytes, although complete CB chimerism was achieved by three of them and two reached engraftment of the CB on days +20 and +36. Morbidity due to early bacterial or fungal infections was remarkably low in patients with prompt ANC recovery. CONCLUSION: Our data show that co-infusion of a CB unit and a low number of haploidentical CD34+ cells may result in a shortened period of posttransplant neutropenia. This is likely the result of prompt and transient engraftment of the haploidentical hematopoietic stem cells that may provide the patient antimicrobial protection until the later engraftment of the CB hematopoietic stem cells.

Adult↗

Pharmacogenetics of SLCO1B1 gene and the impact of *1b and *15 haplotypes on irinotecan disposition in Asian cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pharmacogenetic effect of SLCO1B1 *1a, *1b, *5 and *15 polymorphisms on irinotecan disposition in Asian cancer patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Irinotecan was administered over 90 min either at 100 mg/m on days 1, 8 and 15 with the regimen being repeated every 28 days (N=28) or at 375 mg/m once every three weeks (N=43). Plasma concentrations of irinotecan, 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin and 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecinG were analysed after the first dose of the first cycle and the influence of SLCO1B1 *1a, *1b, *5 and *15 polymorphisms on the disposition of irinotecan and its metabolites were evaluated. RESULTS: Pharmacokinetic parameters were obtained from 71 cancer patients. Genotypic-phenotypic correlates showed the clearance of irinotecan to be 3-fold lower in patients carrying the *15 haplotype than cancer patients with the reference genotype *1a/*1a (9.57+/-3.15 vs. 28.86+/-10.97 l/h/m; P=0.001). The area under the plasma concentration-time curve from zero to infinity and normalized by dose and body surface area (AUC0-nf/dose/BSA) were significantly higher in patients harbouring the *15 haplotype than patients with the reference genotype for irinotecan (39.27+/-15.17 vs. 17.32+/-6.30 h/m; P=0.003) and 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (1.28+/-0.53 vs. 0.69+/-0.32 h/m; P=0.021). The exposure levels to 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecinG also showed a statistically significant trend among the SLCO1B1 haplotype pairs, being approximately 10-fold lower in patients with *15 haplotype than with patients harbouring the reference genotype (3.57+/-1.95 vs. 12.0+/-6.09 h/m; P=0.016). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that (1) SLCO1B1 haplotypes may have a significant influence on the disposition of irinotecan and its metabolites in Asian cancer patients, and (2) patients with SLCO1B1*15 haplotype may be susceptible to increased sensitivity to irinotecan, which may manifest itself either by increased efficacy or toxicity or both owing to the increased exposure levels to 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin.

Adult↗

UGT1A7 and UGT1A9 polymorphisms predict response and toxicity in colorectal cancer patients treated with capecitabine/irinotecan.

PURPOSE: Capecitabine and irinotecan are commonly used in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). We hypothesized that germline polymorphisms within genes related to drug target (thymidylate synthase) or metabolizing enzymes (UDP-glucuronosyltransferase, UGT) would impact response and toxicity to the combination of capecitabine plus irinotecan (CPT-11). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Sixty-seven patients with measurable CRC were treated with irinotecan i.v. (100 or 125 mg/m(2)) on days 1 and 8 and capecitabine orally (900 or 1,000 mg/m(2), twice daily) on days 2 through 15 of each 3-week cycle. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and genotyped using Pyrosequencing, GeneScan, and direct sequencing (Big Dye terminator) technologies. RESULTS: The overall objective response rate was 45% with 21 patients (31%) exhibiting grade 3 or 4 diarrhea and 3 patients (4.5%) demonstrating grade 3 or 4 neutropenia in the first two cycles. Low enzyme activity UGT1A7 genotypes, UGT1A7*2/*2 (six patients) and UGT1A7*3/*3 (seven patients), were significantly associated with antitumor response (p = 0.013) and lack of severe gastrointestinal toxicity (p = 0.003). In addition, the UGT1A9 -118 (dT)(9/9) genotype was significantly associated with reduced toxicity (p = 0.002) and increased response (p = 0.047). There were no statistically significant associations between UGT1A1, UGT1A6, or thymidylate synthase genotypes and toxicity or tumor response. CONCLUSIONS: These data strongly suggest that UGT1A7 and/or UGT1A9 genotypes may be predictors of response and toxicity in CRC patients treated with capecitabine plus irinotecan. Specifically, patients with genotypes conferring low UGT1A7 activity and/or the UGT1A9 (dT)(9/9) genotype may be particularly likely to exhibit greater antitumor response with little toxicity.

Adult↗

A phase I trial of humanized anti-interleukin 2 receptor antibody in renal transplantation.

The efficacy of murine monoclonal anti-interleukin 2 alpha chain receptor (Tac) antibodies is limited by a short half-life and the development of antibodies to the heterologous protein. The safety, pharmacokinetics-dynamics, and immunosuppressive effect of a humanized anti-Tac antibody (HAT) was evaluated in 12 renal transplant recipients. Ten patients received living related transplants (three HLA-identical matches and seven one-haplotype or zero-haplotype matches) and two patients received cadaver organs. The patients were divided into four HAT treatment arms: 0.5 mg/kg/week (n=4), 1 mg/kg/week (n=2), 0.5 mg/kg every other week (n=3), and 1 mg/kg every other week (n=3). The first dose of HAT was given within 12 hr before transplantation, and four additional doses were given after transplantation. Patients were also placed on cyclosporine, steroids, and azathioprine. Only one patient, a recipient of a cadaver kidney in the lowest HAT treatment arm, had a reversible rejection episode. The 10 recipients of living related transplants were compared with 17 historical controls treated with an identical immunosuppressive regimen except for HAT. Whereas none of the HAT-treated living related donor recipients had a rejection episode, 6 of 17 (41%) of the historical controls had a rejection episode in the first year after transplantation. There were no first-dose reactions after HAT therapy or other subsequent side effects. None of the patients experienced opportunistic infections or malignancies. One patient developed low-titer anti-HAT antibodies, although the patient maintained high serum HAT concentrations throughout the study. Immune monitoring showed that there were no changes in the percentage or absolute counts of CD3 cells or T-cell subsets after HAT therapy. However, there was a significant decrease in the number of circulating lymphocytes that expressed free Tac. The overall harmonic mean half-life of HAT was 273 hr. The results of this study indicate that HAT given at 1 mg/kg every other week for a total of five doses may provide therapeutic HAT concentration levels and result in good saturation of Tac receptors for at least 12 weeks after transplantation. In summary, HAT is safe and is well tolerated by patients. Its long half-life and lack of immunization could make it a very useful immunosuppressive drug.

Adult↗

Power-based, phase-informed selection of single nucleotide polymorphisms for disease association screens.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are becoming widely used as genotypic markers in genetic association studies of common, complex human diseases. For such association screens, a crucial part of study design is determining what SNPs to prioritize for genotyping. We present a novel power-based algorithm to select a subset of tag SNPs for genotyping from a map of available SNPs. Blocks of markers in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) are identified, and SNPs are selected to represent each block such that power to detect disease association with an underlying disease allele in LD with block members is preserved; all markers outside of blocks are also included in the tagging subset. A key, novel element of this method is that it incorporates information about the phase of LD observed among marker pairs to retain markers likely to be in coupling phase with an underlying disease locus, thus increasing power compared to a phase-blind approach. Power calculations illustrate important issues regarding LD phase and make clear the advantages of our approach to SNP selection. We apply our algorithm to genotype data from the International HapMap Consortium and demonstrate that considerable reduction in SNP genotyping may be attained while retaining much of the available power for a disease association screen. We also demonstrate that these tag SNPs effectively represent underlying variants not included in the LD analysis and SNP selection, by using leave-one-out tests to show that most (approximately 90%) of the "untyped" variants lying in blocks are in coupling-phase LD with a tag SNP. Additional performance tests using the HapMap ENCyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) regions show that the method compares well with the popular r2 bin tagging method. This work is a concrete example of how empirical LD phase may be used to benefit study design.

Algorithms↗

The activation of protein kinase C induces higher production of reactive oxygen species by mononuclear cells in patients with multiple sclerosis than in controls.

OBJECTIVE: Recent findings have increasingly shown the importance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in causing oxidative damage to macromolecules and in contributing to tissue degeneration in target organs of autoimmune diseases. This study was aimed at comparing the base line and induced production of ROS by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PB MNCs) of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in remission and relapse, of patients with other neurological diseases (OND) and of healthy controls. In addition, we analyzed the underlying mechanism of ROS production. METHODS: PB MNCs were separated from 28 MS patients in remission and 13 in relapse, and from 29 healthy controls and 10 OND. ROS was measured by spectrofluorometry. Expression of proinflammatory cytokines was assessed by semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Mitochondrial (mt) DNA haplotypes were determined by using restriction site polymorphism analysis. RESULTS: The base line and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha or interferon (IFN)-gamma induced ROS values were similar in the four groups, and the individual measures did not show a correlation with MS associated mtDNA haplotypes. Phorbol ester activation of protein kinase C (PKC) induced higher ROS production in all groups, however, with significantly greater values in the MS remission group. Calphostine C, a PKC inhibitor decreased or eliminated ROS production in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting further that it was predominantly or exclusively generated by PKC activated NADPH oxidase. A trend of increased TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma expression was noted in the MS relapse group, in contrast to the high ROS release in the MS remission group. CONCLUSION: The detected phase difference between the highest ROS production vs TNF-alpha expression is compatible with the hypothesis that different subpopulations of monocytes/macrophages are involved. We suggest that the ROS producing subpopulation preferentially migrates into the central nervous system (CNS) during a relapse. The present study together with our previous observation on oxidative damage to DNA in active plaques delineates a molecular pathway likely involved in the histologic evolution of inflammatory demyelination.

DNA, Mitochondrial↗

Phase I study in melanoma patients of a vaccine with peptide-pulsed dendritic cells generated in vitro from CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitor cells.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) that can be used for vaccination purposes, to induce a specific T-cell response in vivo against melanoma-associated antigens. We have shown that the sequential use of early-acting hematopoietic growth factors, stem cell factor, IL-3 and IL-6, followed by differentiation with IL-4 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor allows the in vitro generation of large numbers of immature DCs from CD34(+) peripheral blood progenitor cells. Maturation to interdigitating DCs could specifically be induced within 24 hr by addition of TNF-alpha. Here, we report on a phase I clinical vaccination trial in melanoma patients using peptide-pulsed DCs. Fourteen HLA-A1(+) or HLA-A2(+) patients received at least 4 i.v. infusions of 5 x 10(6) to 5 x 10(7) DCs pulsed with a pool of peptides including either MAGE-1, MAGE-3 (HLA-A1) or Melan-A, gp100, tyrosinase (HLA-A2), depending on the HLA haplotype. A total of 83 vaccinations were performed. Clinical side effects were mild and consisted of low-grade fever (WHO grade I-II). Clinical and immunological responses consisted of anti-tumor responses in 2 patients, increased melanoma peptide-specific delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions in 4 patients, significant expansion of Melan-A- and gp100-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of 1 patient after vaccination and development of vitiligo in another HLA-A2(+) patient. Our data indicate that the vaccination of peptide-pulsed DCs is capable of inducing clinical and systemic tumor-specific immune responses without provoking major side effects.

Adolescent↗

A long-term follow-up of postpartum thyroiditis.

To investigate the long-term outcome of postpartum thyroiditis (PPT), 43 patients with PPT and 171 control women were evaluated 3.5 (range 2-4) years postpartum. Ten (23%) PPT patients were hypothyroid compared to none of the controls (P less than 0.001). Factors associated with the development of hypothyroidism were high antimicrosomal antibody titre measured at 16 weeks gestation (P less than 0.01), severity of hypothyroid phase of PPT, multiparity, and a previous history of spontaneous abortion. The presence of microsomal antibody but no PPT in one pregnancy did not prevent the occurrence of PPT in the next pregnancy in two patients and a further five patients had PPT in two successive pregnancies. There was no association between HLA haplotype, family history of thyroid disease, smoking or frequency of oral contraception, and the development of long-term hypothyroidism after PPT. It is concluded that permanent hypothyroidism is an important sequel to PPT and patients with PPT should be followed up appropriately.

Adult↗

Efficient natural defense mechanisms against Listeria monocytogenes in T and B cell-deficient allogeneic bone marrow radiation chimeras. Preactivated macrophages are the main effector cells in an early phase after bone marrow transfer.

Radiation chimeras in the early phase after bone marrow transplantation are a good model to study the efficiency of the body's nonspecific defense system represented by macrophages (M phi), polymorphonuclear cells (PMN), and NK cells. These cell types are present in large numbers in spleen and liver at that time, whereas the specific immune system represented by T and B cells is functionally deficient. We previously reported enhanced activities in vitro of M phi (and PMN) from recipient animals in an early phase after allogeneic bone marrow transfer. We here demonstrate that these activities result in enhanced spontaneous resistance against Listeria monocytogenes in vivo: CFU of L. monocytogenes in spleen and liver 48 h after infection were about 1 or 2 to 4 log steps less than in untreated control mice of donor or host haplotype. This enhanced resistance decreased over the 4-mo period after marrow transfer. Preactivated M phi were identified as the most important effector cells. Isolated from spleen and peritoneal cavity, they performed enhanced killing of phagocytosed Listeria. Such preactivated M phi occurred in recipient animals after transfer of allogeneic but not of syngeneic bone marrow. The precise mechanism of M phi activation in the allogeneic radiation chimera in the complete absence of any detectable T cell function is not clear at present. However, these preactivated M phi display an important protective effect against L. monocytogenes: chimeras could eliminate Listeria without acquisition of positive delayed-type sensitivity when infected with 10(3) bacteria. An inoculum of 5 . 10(3) L. monocytogenes resulted either in prolonged survival compared with normal mice of the recipient haplotype or in definitive survival accompanied by a positive delayed-type sensitivity. We concluded that enhanced nonspecific immune functions can in part compensate for the defective specific immune system after bone marrow transfer.

Animals↗

Expansion/deletion of mature T cells exposed to endogenous superantigens in vivo.

Previous studies have shown that in thymectomized hosts exposure of mature T cells to Mlsa (mtv-7) Ag in vivo leads to specific tolerance and the disappearance of Mlsa-reactive V beta 6+ T cells after an initial phase of T cell expansion. To investigate the factors controlling postthymic elimination of mature T cells, we examined T cell responses to Mlsa and other endogenous superantigens in a number of different strain combinations. The results show that the extent of T cell expansion/deletion is influenced by various factors, including the H-2 haplotype of the host and the particular V beta studied. Collectively, the results suggest that the extent of elimination of mature T cells is variable and may be a function of high avidity interactions with APC.

Animals↗

Strain differences in sensitivity of rats to Mycoplasma arthritidis ISR 1 infection are under multiple gene control.

At least 5 female rats from each of 24 inbred (ACI, AS, BDIX, BH, BN, BS, BUF, DA, LE, LEW, MWF, OM, SPRD-Cu3, W-Krypt, and WKY), RT1 congenic [BH.1L(LEW), LEW.1A(AVN), LEW.1C(WIST), LEW.1LV3(BH), LEW.1K(SHR), and LEW.1N(BN)], and F1 hybrid [(LEW x BN)F1, (LEW.1W x LEW.1A)F1, and (LEW x LEW.1W)F1] strains, representing eight independent major histocompatibility complex (MHC) haplotypes (a, b, c, dv1, k, l, n, and u) and five related RT1 haplotypes (av1, lv1, lv3, uv2, and uv3), were inoculated intravenously with Mycoplasma arthritidis, and the severity of the polyarthritis that developed was determined by estimating arthritis scores and weight reductions. The 24 inbred, congenic, and F1 hybrid rat strains differed considerably in their sensitivity to infection with M. arthritidis and in the severity of the polyarthritis that they developed. Statistical evaluation showed that in the acute phase (days 1 to 42 after infection) as well as in the chronic phase (days 39 to 121 after infection) of the disease, the means of the arthritis scores for the strains form a continuous variation without significant interruptions, with the very sensitive LEW rats, the RT1 congenic rats on LEW background, the F1 hybrids with LEW, and the MWF, BS, BH, and DA rats on one end and the resistant WKY, BUF, W-Krypt, LE, and OM rats on the other end. A continuous variation was also observed for the means of the growth rates. There were, however, no significant differences between the sensitive and the resistant rat strains in the antibody titers determined by complement fixation test and enzyme immunoassay. Heritabilities of arthritis scores were calculated for all strains (h2 = 0.39 to 0.62), for the RT1 congenic strains (h2 = 0.04 to 0.14), and for several strains with identical MHC genes (h2 = 0.61 to 0.93). The results show that non-MHC genes are probably responsible for the sensitivity of rats to infection with M. arthritidis.

Acute Disease↗