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The chemotactic, phagocytic, and microbial killing abilities of primate polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PML).

Functions of polymorphonuclear leukocytes including chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and microbial killing were investigated in baboons (Papio cynocephalus), cebus monkeys (Cebus apella), and marmosets (Saguinus oedipus). Cells from a group of normal adult human volunteers were also studied for comparison. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes from the three nonhuman primate species were comparable to each other and to humans in chemotactic activity using endotoxin activated serum. In addition, the ability of blood leukocytes to ingest and kill microorganisms was investigated using a new fluorochrome microassay. Leukocytes of all non-human primates were competent in phagocytosing bacteria, but leukocytes from cebus monkeys and marmosets ingested candida organisms poorly. Compared to humans, all nonhuman primates exhibited poor killing of the microbes.

Animals↗

Serological response of non-human primates to human melanoma disialoganglioside GD3.

The immunogenicity of the disialoganglioside, GD3, a melanoma-tumor-associated antigen, has been evaluated in non-human primates. Sera from four chimpanzees and two monkeys were evaluated for anti-GD3 antibody activity by solid-phase radioimmunoassay using GD3 and control gangliosides as targets. Serum from one monkey, immunized with cells from a melanoma cell line, was strongly reactive with GD3, having a titer of greater than 2500. In contrast, serum from this animal was non-reactive with several other gangliosides including the structurally similar GM3. Anti-GD3 reactivity was also demonstrable, albeit in low titer, in the sera of an additional monkey and a chimpanzee. Each of these animals had likewise been immunized using cells from melanoma cell lines. On the basis of these observations, suggestive of a primate anti-GD3 antibody response, we initiated a series of immunizations of chimpanzee using purified GD3 bound to Salmonella minnesota, R595. IgG reactive with melanoma cells in the cell-binding assay was first detected in sera collected after 4 immunizations and increased in titer against each reactive melanoma cell line during the immunizations. Reactivity of this serum with melanoma cell lines demonstrated a direct correlation with the expression of GD3 by the respective cell line. Anti-GD3 reactivity was evident in solid-phase radioimmunoassay against purified GD3 beginning with serum collected after 11 immunizations. By comparison with its binding to the control ganglioside panel, this serum demonstrated strong specificity for GD3 (titer = 640) while having only marginal reactivity with GM3 (titer = 40). Immune serum from this animal was also able specifically to block subsequent binding of a murine IgM anti-GD3 antibody (DMab7) to target GD3 in solid-phase radioimmunoassay. Together, these observations suggest that GD3, in the form of a purified molecule bound to a bacterial matrix or as part of the intact melanoma cell membrane, can be immunogenic in non-human primates, and is able to elicit an antibody response of appropriate specificity.

Animals↗

Scaling of the metrics of visually-guided arm movements during motor learning in primates.

Hand trajectory, tangential velocity and acceleration, time and distance until peak velocity and reaction time were analyzed during the process of learning a skilled, visually-guided arm movement. Primates were trained to move a cursor with a manipulandum from a start box to target boxes displayed on a horizontal video screen during control conditions and when the relationship (gain) between the cursor and manipulandum was altered. The animals adapted to the altered feedback over 100-200 trials. A subsequent testing phase with randomly interspersed trials using the control gain demonstrated that the animals had modified their movements appropriately for the novel gain. Examination of the kinematics revealed that in adapting to a novel gain, primates scaled movement amplitude, tangential velocity, acceleration, and duration appropriately for the distance the hand needed to travel. Yet time to peak velocity was kept constant. Reaction time also remained unchanged for three of the four animals. Movements were performed in two phases, the first from movement onset to peak velocity and the second from peak velocity until the end of the movement. During the first phase the shape of the trajectory and velocity profile were stereotypic and without evidence of any corrections, consistent with this phase being essentially open loop. However, corrections occurred in the second phase and we propose visual feedback was used to correct for the difference in hand/cursor position. Learning appeared to involve utilizing the errors from previous trials to modify the early feedforward phase of subsequent trials. Peak tangential velocity, total movement duration and distance reached at peak tangential velocity all scaled linearly with the total movement distance required at each gain. Based on regression analyses, for none of these variables were the changes in learning completely adequate to compensate for total distance required. However, distance to peak velocity scaled with peak velocity in relation to the control gain. The results show that non-human primates adopt a consistent strategy when learning to scale a multi-joint movement. The metrics of the movement scaled yet the time to peak velocity remained constant, suggesting independent control of time and amplitude. Keeping time to peak velocity constant as well as the scaling of peak velocity with distance to peak velocity are viewed as ways to simplify the learning process.

Animals↗

The effects of diet, age, and sex on the mineral content of primate bones.

The effect of diet, age, and sex on the mineral content of primate bones was determined for free-ranging rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) from the Caribbean Primate Research Center. Monkeys in this study were of known age and sex and had been provided with either a low protein (15%) or a high protein (25%) diet for most of their lives. Instrumental neutron activation analysis was used to assess bone mineral content. Results showed that diet had no significant effect on the bulk mineral composition of Ca, Mg, Br, and Cl in the bones. Of the minerals analyzed, only Na and Mn showed significant diet-related effects. The bone Ca content was found to be lower in females than in males when controlled for age. Finally, Ca content was found to be higher in young adults, lower at middle age, and higher in old age in both male and female monkeys. In conclusion, this study has shown that increasing protein content in the diet does not change the bulk mineral content of primate bones. The nondietary effect that Ca content of monkey bones is lower during middle age has not been previously reported.

Aging↗

Recently amplified satellite DNA in Callithrix argentata (primates, Platyrrhini).

A satellite DNA has been cloned from the neotropical primate Callithrix argentata and designated CarB. The presence of the satellite was assayed in New and Old World primates by blot hybridization: CarB is highly amplified in the genomes of all three species belonging to the C. argentata species group (C. argentata, C. emiliae, C. humeralifer), but is either absent, or present in only minor amounts, in other primates, including the closely related species, C. jacchus. A completely sequenced CarB monomeric unit was 1528 bp in length and mapped to the telomeric C-band-positive regions of many C. argentata species group chromosomes. Sequence data from eight CarB clones indicated an average difference of 3.5% when base substitutions alone were counted. The hybridization and sequence data suggest that this satellite underwent a period of amplification and dispersal in the genome of a recent ancestor of the C. argentata species group.

Animals↗

Transmission of Sarcocystis suihominis from humans to swine to nonhuman primates (Pan troglodytes, Macaca mulatta, Macaca irus).

Sporocysts of Sarcocystis suihominis obtained from human feces were used to infect swine. Heart, tongue, and skeletal muscle from experimentally infected and noninfected control swine were fed via stomach tube to nonhuman primates including chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta), and cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca irus). All primates fed infected swine tissues shed sporocysts beginning 13 to 15 days postinfection and were still shedding sporocysts at the conclusion of the experiment, 30 days postinfection. Rhesus and cynomolgus monkeys were fed infected swine tissues a second time and shed sporocysts. All primates remained in good health throughout both experiments and exhibited no unusual clinical signs as a result of infection.

Animals↗

Biochemical characteristics of primary and passaged cultures of primate brain microvessel endothelial cells.

Rhesus macaque monkey brain microvessel endothelial cells (BMECs) were isolated and grown in culture in an effort to establish an appropriate primate in vitro model of the endothelial component of the blood-brain barrier. The presence of Factor VIII antigen, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, lactate dehydrogenase, total protein, and the passive permeability properties was documented for both primary and passaged cultures. Primate BMECs were shown to exhibit similar morphological and biochemical properties described for other BMEC culture systems derived from other species. In addition, the passaged primate BMECs were particularly notable for the changes in enzyme activities and total protein that parallel age-dependent changes in brain capillary endothelia. This study provides further support for the possible application of BMEC culture systems in investigations of blood-brain barrier functions under normal, aging, and diseased conditions.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Disposition of homovanillic acid in the primate.

Prior studies have shown that homovanillic acid is the principal metabolite of dopamine in the primate central nervous system (CNS). In studies of primates given deuterated homovanillic acid systemically, however, only 50% of the administered amounts have been recovered in the urine over the next 4-48 hr. These findings have left it unclear whether there is a slowly turning-over compartment of homovanillic acid, conversion of homovanillic acid to another compound, or excretion of homovanillic acid from the body by a nonrenal route. We synthesized [3H]homovanillic acid and administered it intravenously to four rhesus monkeys. Over the subsequent 4 hr, 94.9 +/- 8.9% (SD) of the administered radioactivity was recovered in the urine, almost entirely as homovanillic acid. These results are consistent with the interpretation that, in primates, there is not a major body pool of homovanillic acid with slow turnover, nor is metabolism to other compounds significant, nor is there evidence for nonrenal excretion.

Animals↗

Effects of membrane lipid and fluidity modifications on HIV-1 infectibility of primate lymphocytes in vitro.

Although most non-human primates, except the chimpanzee and the gibbon in vivo are not infectible by HIV-1, lymphocytes of several of these species can be infected by HIV-1 in vitro. In order to investigate whether the in vitro infectibility of primate lymphocytes might be attributed to plasma membrane adaptation processes or to serum factors, we compared HIV-1 infectibility of cultivated peripheral blood lymphocytes of macaques and of baboons on day one and on day ten of cultivation. These data were correlated to plasma membrane lipid composition and membrane fluidity. We found a correlation between increased HIV-1 in vitro infectibility and changes in plasma membrane lipid composition resulting in decreased membrane fluidity of cultured primate lymphocytes.

Animals↗

Linkage relationship between the genes for thymidine kinase and galactokinase in different primates.

In this study we investigated the expression of primate galactokinase in somatic cell hybrids between a thymidine kinase-deficient mouse cell line and two different primate cell lines, one of which was derived from African green monkey kidney cells and the other from chimpanzee fibroblasts. All the African green monkey-mouse hybrid clones, selected in HAT medium, expressed monkey galactokinase activity and contained a monkey chromosome similar to a human E-group chromosome. When these clones were backselected in medium containing 5-bromodeoxyuridine, both this chromosome and the monkey galactokinase activity were lost. All the hybrid clones between mouse and chimpanzee cells, which were selected in HAT medium, contained the chimpanzee chromosome 17 and expressed chimpanzee galactokinase activity. These results indicate that the linkage relationship between galactokinase and thymidine kinase has been maintained in 3 divergent primate species--man, chimpanzee, and Old World monkey.

Animals↗

Molecular characterization of HLA-A, B homologues in owl monkeys and other nonhuman primates.

Mouse anti-HLA-A, B monoclonal antibodies have been used to study the homologues of HLA-A, B antigens in other primate species. Immunoprecipitates of primate histocompatibility antigens from extracts of radioactively labeled lymphocytes were analyzed by SDS-polyacrylamide electrophoresis. Primate histocompatibility antigens appear to have similar molecular structure to human HLA antigens. Owl monkeys, which react polymorphically with some monomorphic anti-HLA antibodies, showed biochemical differences which correlated with the serological polymorphism. An antibody (W6/32) which only reacts with the HLA/beta 2-microglobulin complex in humans and not with the free HLA heavy chain has the reverse specificity in some owl monkeys.

Animals↗

The contribution of neural pathways to blood volume homeostasis in the subhuman primate.

Studies are presented which indicate that the neural components of an atrio-renal reflex appear to be present in the primate and thus presumably in man. However, this reflex does not appear to contribute importantly to blood volume homeostasis in the primate. It is our hypothesis that it is the high-pressure baroreceptors, i.e., those in the carotid sinus and those in the aortic arch which play the major role in the neural control of blood volume in the primate and thus in man. This apparent evolutionary change in the importance of high pressure vs. low pressure receptors in the neural modulation of blood volume may be related to the assumption of an upright or semi-upright posture.

Animals↗

Serotonergic and dopaminergic aspects of neuroleptic-induced extrapyramidal syndromes in nonhuman primates.

Neuroleptic drug-induced acute extra-pyramidal syndromes are one of the major reasons why patients discontinue their antipsychotic medicines. The typical (e.g., haloperidol) neuroleptic drug produces acute extrapyramidal symptoms in the majority of patients, whereas the atypical (clozapine) neuroleptic produces only minimal motor system side effects. Serotonin S2 antagonists often reduce or prevent catalepsy in rodents, but the limited number of studies in nonhuman primates have produced conflicting results. The hypothesis of a high serotonin S2/dopamine D2 antagonism ratio as a mechanism underlying atypical neuroleptic effects in preventing acute extrapyramidal syndromes deserves further evaluation in nonhuman primate models because extrapyramidal symptoms in monkeys closely resemble those in patients. Cebus monkeys (22-28 years old) were tested with compounds that ranged from low to high S2/D2 antagonism ratios. These were haloperidol, fluphenazine, clopenthixol, melperone, tefludazine, setoperone, risperidone, and clozapine. A saline control was included with a wide dose range of each of these drugs that was tested in a once-weekly, blindly-scored random drug administration schedule. Dystonia was scored on four different symptoms by an experienced rater who was blind to drug dosage. All the compounds, with the exception of clozapine, produced clinically indistinguishable dose-related dystonia. The only difference was the dose at which dystonia appeared. In contrast to rodent studies, these nonhuman primate investigations with drugs, spanning a wide range of S2/D2 antagonism ratios, produced clinically similar extrapyramidal symptoms. Thus, adding an S2 antagonism component to neuroleptics does not appear to provide an explanation for the motor side effect profile of atypical neuroleptics, or a method for designing neuroleptic drugs that will be free of extrapyramidal symptoms.

Animals↗

Characterization of interleukin-8 receptors in non-human primates.

Interleukin-8 is a chemokine with a potent neutrophil chemoattractant activity. In humans, two different cDNAs encoding human IL8 receptors designated IL8RA and IL8RB have been cloned. IL8RA binds IL8, while IL8RB binds IL8 as well as other alpha-chemokines. Both human IL8Rs are encoded by two genes physically linked on chromosome 2. The IL8RA and IL8RB genes have open reading frames (ORF) lacking introns. By direct sequencing of the polymerase chain reaction products, we sequenced the IL8R genes of cell lines from four non-human primates: chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, and macaca. The IL8RB encodes an ORF in the four non-human primates, showing 95% - 99% similarity to the human IL8RB sequence. The IL8RA homologue in gorilla and chimpanzee consisted of two ORF 98% - 99% identical to the human sequence. The macaca and orangutan IL8RA homologues are pseudogenes: a 2 base pair insertion generated a sequence with several stop codons. In addition, we describe the physical linkage of these genes in the four non-human primates and discuss the evolutionary implications of these findings.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Postischemic therapy with MK-801 (dizocilpine) in a primate model of transient focal brain ischemia.

The purpose of this study was to develop a primate model for assessing EEG, behavior and histology, and to test the effect of NMDA receptor blockade in transient focal ischemia. Squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) under halothane anesthesia were subjected to 110 min of transient focal ischemia (n = 15) by temporary clip occlusion of the MCA. An eight-lead EEG was recorded. Neurobehavioral testing was done in a subgroup of animals (n = 6). Brain temperature (37.5 degrees C) was monitored and controlled to avoid hypothermia or intergroup temperature differences, and blood pressure was regulated to 60 mmHg. The entire brain was subserially sectioned, and 52 standardized coronal sections encompassing the infarct were examined histologically 2 wk after the ischemia. Animals were randomized to receive either (+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine (MK-801) 1 mg/kg of maleate salt or carrier solution, 20 min and again at 12 h after the onset of ischemia. Cingulate and retrosplenial cortex were examined for NMDA-antagonist-induced neuronal necrosis. No reduction, or trend toward reduction of neurobehavioral deficit was seen with MK-801. MCA occulsion reduced EEG power over the ischemic hemisphere. MK-801 appeared to cause brain activation, and globally increased power at several frequencies. MK-801 did not reduce infarction in either neocortex (p > 0.05) or striatum (p > 0.05). No selective neuronal necrosis was seen in the cingulate or retrosplenial cortex. We conclude that MK-801 given 20 min after the onset of transient ischemia offers no significant neuroprotective effect against either neurobehavioral deficit or ischemic infarction in this model of transient focal ischemia. Further experiments in unanesthetized animals are necessary to determine if MK-801-induced necrosis exists in the gyrencephalic brain, but the enhancement of primate brain electrical activity by MK-801 suggests that brain activation occurs in primates as it does in rodents.

Animals↗

Characterization of a novel class of interspersed LTR elements in primate genomes: structure, genomic distribution, and evolution.

Retrovirus-like sequences and their solitary (solo) long terminal repeats (LTRs) are common repetitive elements in eukaryotic genomes. We reported previously that the tandemly arrayed genes encoding U2 snRNA (the RNU2 locus) in humans and apes contain a solo LTR (U2-LTR) which was presumably generated by homologous recombination between the two LTRs of an ancestral provirus that is retained in the orthologous baboon RNU2 locus. We have now sequenced the orthologous U2-LTRs in human, chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, and baboon and examined numerous homologs of the U2-LTR that are dispersed throughout the human genome. Although these U2-LTR homologs have been collectively referred to as LTR13 in the literature, they do not display sequence similarity to any known retroviral LTRs; however, the structure of LTR13 closely resembles that of other retroviral LTRs with a putative promoter, polyadenylation signal, and a tandemly repeated 53-bp enhancer-like element. Genomic blotting indicates that LTR13 is primate-specific; based on sequence analysis, we estimate there are about 2,500 LTR13 elements in the human genome. Comparison of the primate U2-LTR sequences suggests that the homologous recombination event that gave rise to the solo U2-LTR occurred soon after insertion of the ancestral provirus into the ancestral U2 tandem array. Phylogenetic analysis of the LTR13 family confirms that it is diverse, but the orthologous U2-LTRs form a coherent group in which chimpanzee is closest to the humans; orangutan is a clear outgroup of human, chimpanzee, and gorilla; and baboon is a distant relative of human, chimpanzee, gorilla, and orangutan. We compare the LTR13 family with other known LTRs and consider whether these LTRs might play a role in concerted evolution of the primate RNU2 locus.

Animals↗

Monophyletic origin of Alu elements in primates.

To get insight into the early evolution of the primate Alu elements, we characterized sequences of these repeats from the Malagasy prosimians, lemurs (Lemuridae) and sifakas (Indriidae), as well as from galagos (Lorisidae). These sequences were compared with the oldest Alu species known from the human genome: dimeric Alu J and S and free Alu monomers. Our analysis indicates that about 60 Myr ago, before the prosimian divergence, free left and right monomers formed an Alu heterodimer connected by a 19-nucleotide-long A-rich linker. The resulting elements successfully propagated in diverging primate lineages until about approximately 20 Myr ago, conserving similar sequence features and essentially the same Alu RNA secondary structure. We suggest that until that time the same "retropositional niche", molecular machinery making possible the proliferation by retroposition, constrained the evolution of Alu elements in extant primate species. These constraints became subsequently relaxed. In the Malagasy prosimians the dimeric Alu continued to amplify after acquiring a 34- to 36-nucleotide extension of their linker segment, whereas in the galago genome the "retropositional niche" was occupied by novel short elements.

Animals↗

Apoptosis is present in the primate macula at all ages.

BACKGROUND: It has become increasingly clear that apoptosis is a main event in photoreceptor cell death in a variety of retinal degenerations. We investigated the role of apoptosis in the physiologically aging primate macula. METHODS: Twenty maculae of rhesus monkeys, aged 6-34 years, were investigated. Apoptosis was determined in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded eyes using the TUNEL (TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling) method and quantitatively analyzed. Morphology of TUNEL-positive cells was studied by confocal laser microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The thickness of the outer nuclear layer (ONL) was determined by image analysis. Furthermore, expression of apoptosis-regulating proteins Bcl-x, Fas and Fas Ligand was studied by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: TUNEL-positive nuclei showed apoptotic features on confocal laser microscopy. They were scattered and sparsely found in the macula, most frequently in the ONL. The thickness of the ONL decreased with increasing age. Apoptosis was found equally distributed at all ages, although in the two oldest maculae up to 13 times more apoptosis was found. Expression of Bcl-x, Fas and Fas Ligand was equal at all ages. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that apoptosis in the primate macula occurs at all ages at similar rates, possibly increasing in the oldest age group, and may account for the decreasing thickness of the primate macula with age.

Aging↗