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Reversible inhibition of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) haemolysis by bivalent cations.

The capacity of paramyxoviruses for haemolysis (hl) is enhanced after treatment with physical agents and complement (C'). Bivalent cations in the medium inhibit HL. The inhibition is proportional to the molar concentrations, and is graded Ba++ greater than Ca++ greater than Mg++. Substitution of the bivalent cations with K+ and re-incubation leads to reappearance of HL, but in reverse order. It is postulated that bivalent cations inhibit HL mainly by stabilising the virus membrane integrated into the erythrocyte membrane and slowing down the permeability rates. This inhibition is removed on substitution with monovalent cations. The bivalent cations also reversibly inhibit the permeability of the transferred C' lesion.

Barium↗

Affinity chromatography of tryptases: design, synthesis and characterization of a novel matrix-bound bivalent inhibitor.

beta-Tryptases are mast cell-derived serine proteases that are enzymatically active in the form of an oligomer consisting of four subunits each with trypsin-like activity. The active-site clefts, which are directed toward the central pore of the tetramer, form spatial arrays of four negatively charged S1 binding pockets. Therefore, dibasic inhibitors of appropriate geometry can bind in a bivalent fashion to neighboring subunits. We have recently identified a potent bivalent inhibitor (K(i)=18 nM), based on the bifunctional scaffold cyclo-(-D-Asp-L-Asp-) and the arginine mimetic dl-3-aminomethyl-phenylalanine methyl ester as a ligand for S1 pockets that takes advantage of the this unique tetrameric geometry. To generate an affinity matrix, the bivalent ligand was modified and immobilized on a Sepharose matrix by use of the PEG derivative Jeffamine ED 900 as spacer. This matrix selectively recognizes and binds beta-tryptase from crude protein mixtures and thus is useful as a geometry-driven means of isolating and purifying human mast cell tryptases.

Chromatography, Affinity↗

Monovalent single-chain Fv fragments and bivalent miniantibodies bound to vesicular stomatitis virus protect against lethal infection.

Several antibody-dependent mechanisms have been postulated to mediate neutralization of different animal viruses, including blocking of docking to receptors, induction of conformational changes in the virus coat, and Fc-dependent opsonization. We have studied the molecular requirements for antibody-mediated neutralization of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) in vitro and protection against lethal disease in vivo with a single-chain Fv fragment (scFv) and the corresponding bivalent miniantibody (scFv-dHLX) generated from a VSV-neutralizing monoclonal antibody. Both monovalent scFv and bivalent scFv-dHLX miniantibodies were able to neutralize VSV in vitro and to protect interferon-alphabeta receptor-deficient (IFN-alphabeta R-/-) mice against lethal disease after intravenous injection of 50 plaque-forming units (pfu) VSV pre-incubated with the scFv reagents. Similarly, severe-combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice infected with immune complexes of 10(8) pfu VSV and bivalent scFv-dHLX were protected against lethal disease; however, mice infected with immune complexes of 10(8) pfu VSV and monovalent scFv were not. Although repeated scFv-dHLX treatment reduced virus quantities in the blood, neither SCID nor IFN-alphabeta R-/- mice were protected against lethal disease after passive immunization and subsequent VSV infection. This was due to the short half-life of 17 min of scFv-dHLX in the circulation. These data demonstrate that neutralization of VSV and protection against lethal disease do not require Fc-mediated mechanisms and that cross-linking is not crucial for protection against physiologically relevant virus doses in vivo.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Theory of equilibrium binding of a bivalent ligand to cell surface antibody: the effect of antibody heterogeneity on cross-linking.

We investigate the equilibrium binding of symmetric bivalent ligands to a heterogeneous population of symmetric bivalent cell surface receptors. The receptors are heterogeneous in their binding affinities (equilibrium binding constants) for the ligand. For any distribution of receptor binding affinities we show how to calculate the total concentration of receptors that are cross-linked by the ligand, i.e., the concentration of cell surface aggregates composed of two or more receptors, as well as the concentration of any given aggregate. We show that certain qualitative properties of cross-linking which hold for homogeneous antibody populations fail to hold in the heterogeneous case. We use our results to interpret certain in vitro experiments in which synthetic bivalent haptens are used to trigger histamine release from basophils which have on their surface antibody specific for the hapten.

Animals↗

Bivalent behavior in Drosophila melanogaster males containing the In(1)sc4Lsc8RX chromosome.

The sex chromosome bivalent was examined in Drosophila melanogaster males possessing the In(1)sc4Lsc8R X chromosome. Three-dimensional reconstructions from electron micrographs of serially cut thin sections were made. A large proportion of the kinetochores of In(1)sc4Lsc8R/Y bivalents did not face opposite poles during metaphase I and anaphase I. This suggests that In(1)sc4Lsc8R/Y bivalents may have difficulty achieving bipolar stability. Delay in achieving bipolar stability could contribute to the nondisjunctional behavior found in In(1)sc4Lsc8R/Y males.

Animals↗

Avian sex chromosomes in the lampbrush form: the ZW lampbrush bivalents from six species of bird.

The ZW bivalent has been identified and characterized in detail in its lampbrush form in oocytes of chicken, quail, turkey, pigeon, chaffinch and sparrow. The sex bivalent in all six species looks like a single highly asymmetrical chromosome. Most of it has the typical lampbrush organization. The terminal one-fifth is relatively thick and condensed and bears only a few pairs of lateral loops: this condensed terminal region is the W chromosome; the part with normal lampbrush morphology is the Z. The two are connected by a single near terminal chiasma. The fine scale morphology and arrangement of loops and markers on Z and W chromosomes are described for each species and lampbrush maps have been constructed. The identification of the lampbrush sex bivalent is based on the following criteria. The asymmetrical chromosome has two centromere regions. In the interstitial region of the asymmetrical chromosome where the junction between Z and W chromosomes is supposed to be, there are telomere-specific loops and telomeric DNA sequences and there is good morphological evidence for the presence of a chiasma. There are W chromosome specific DNA sequences in the region of the asymmetrical lampbrush chromosome that is thought to represent the W. Breed-specific variations in the morphology of the chicken W chromosome with respect to the sizes, numbers and arrangements of axial chromomeres and distributions of specified repeated DNA sequence families have been identified, offering one of the first examples of definitive correlation between a repeat family and a single chromomere. The lampbrush chromosomes of all the birds examined, except quail, terminate in distinctive free hanging loops. These are a novel feature in the sense that at the end of each chromatid there is a large transcription unit terminating in a cluster of telomeric DNA sequences.

Animals↗

Involvement of bivalent cations and arachidonic acid in neutrophil aggregation.

Chemotactic factors and arachidonic acid aggregate neutrophils; indomethacin and 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid, two blockers of cellular arachidonate metabolism, inhibit these responses. Additionally, A23187, an ionophore which specifically transports bivalent cations into cells, also aggregates the neutrophils, and this response, as well as the response to chemotactic factors, requires the presence of extracellular calcium and magnesium. In this report these relationships were further studied. It was found that human neutrophil aggregation stimulated by arachidonic acid required calcium and magnesium. Furthermore, cells preincubated with arachidonate for 4 min before exposure to the bivalent cations did not aggregate before or after this exposure and, following this exposure, were refractory to subsequent stimulation by more arachidonate, a chemotactic tripeptide (formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine), or A23187, i.e., these cells had become nonselectively desensitized to the aggregating agents. Finally, indomethacin and 5,8,11,14-eicoasatetraynoic acid inhibited the aggregation response stimulated by A23187 and their potency in doing so paralleled their potency in inhibiting the responses induced by arachidonate or the chemotactic tripeptide. Thus, the neutrophil aggregation responses induced by arachidonate, chemotactic factor, and A23187 were similarly influenced by preincubating the cells with arachidonate, had similar requirements for calcium and magnesium, and were similarly inhibited by blockers of arachidonate metabolism. It appears that bivalent cations and arachidonic acid play essential and, perhaps, interacting roles in the aggregation response to diverse stimuli.

5,8,11,14-Eicosatetraynoic Acid↗

Unequal crossing over and heterochromatin exchange in the X-Y bivalents of the deer mouse, Peromyscus beatae.

Differences in length of the heterochromatic short arms of the X and Y chromosomes in individuals of Peromyscus beatae are hypothesized to result from unequal crossing over. To test this hypothesis, we examined patterns of synapsis, chiasma formation, and segregation for male P. beatae which were either heterozygous or homozygous for the amount of short-arm sex heterochromatin. Synaptonemal complex analysis demonstrated that mitotic differences in heterochromatic short-arm lengths between the X and Y chromosomes were reflected in early pachynema as corresponding differences in axial element lengths within the pairing region of the sex bivalent. These length differences were subsequently eliminated by synaptic adjustment such that by late pachynema, the synaptonemal complex configurations of the XY bivalent of heterozygotes were not differentiable from those of homozygotes. Crossing over between the heterochromatic short arms of the XY bivalent was documented by the routine appearance of a single chiasma in this region during diakinesis/metaphase I. Sex heterochromatin heterozygotes were characterized by the presence of asymmetrical chiasma between the X and Y short arms at diakinesis/metaphase I and sex chromosomes with unequal chromatid lengths at metaphase II. These data corroborate our hypothesis on the role of unequal crossing over in the production and propagation of X and Y heterochromatin variation and suggest that, in some cases, crossing over can occur during the process of synaptic adjustment.

Animals↗

Long-acting agonist and antagonist activities of naltrexamine bivalent ligands in mice.

A series of naltrexamine bivalent ligands, compounds with two naltrexamine pharmacophores separated by a spacer which contains a variable number of glycyl units flanking a succinyl group, were synthesized and evaluated in vivo in mice. These compounds possessed long-acting agonist and especially antagonist activities. The bivalent ligands, 2 and 3 displayed antinociceptive activity that lasted greater than 4 h. Compound 1, a bivalent ligand and 4, the monomer, antagonized the antinociceptive effect of morphine for a week after a single injection i.c.v. The long duration of action may be due to entrapment of these ligands in the central nervous system. These compounds may give future insights into the design of long-acting agonists and antagonists.

Analgesics↗

Opioid agonist and antagonist bivalent ligands as receptor probes.

Bivalent ligands are molecules which contain two pharmacophores linked by a connecting chain (spanner). The present report describes the use of oxymorphamine (Oxy) and naltrexamine (Nal) as the opioid agonist and antagonist pharmacophores separated by a variable length spanner composed of succinyl-bis-oligoglycine. The agonist series, [CH2CO(Gly)nOxy]2, and antagonist series, [CH2CO(Gly)nNal]2, were synthesized (n = 0-4) and tested on the electrically stimulated GPI. All of the antagonist bivalent ligands (Nal) antagonized the effects of morphine, with the greatest potency enhancement (60 x) residing with the succinyl (n = 0) congener. A dramatically different SAR profile was observed in the agonist (Oxy) series where the greatest potency enhancement (17 x) occurs when n = 2. By contrast with the antagonist series the agonist bivalent ligand with n = 0 is equipotent to its monovalent agonist analogue. The significance of these results with respect to the possibility of discrete opioid agonist and antagonist recognition sites are discussed.

Animals↗

Efficacy of a trivalent Haemophilus paragallinarum vaccine compared to bivalent vaccines.

The efficacy of a trivalent oil-adjuvant Coryza vaccine containing serotypes A, B and C of Haemophilus paragallinarum has been compared with that of a bivalent oil-adjuvant Coryza vaccine containing serotypes A and C and that of a commercially available, bivalent A1(OH)3-potentiated vaccine, containing types A and C. The trivalent vaccine, given at 10 and 17 weeks of age, provided the best protection. Even at 55 weeks after booster vaccination, chickens were still significantly protected, following severe challenge with either of the three serotypes of Haemophilus paragallinarum. Both bivalent vaccines did not protect against type B challenge. Furthermore the oil-adjuvant vaccines induced higher HI-A titers, which correlate with protection, compared to the A1(OH)3-potentiated vaccine. The results show that type B strains are pathogenic and constitute a distinct immunotype and thus a Coryza vaccine should contain three serotypes to obtain a broader protection against all serotypes.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

A bivalent chromatin structure marks key developmental genes in embryonic stem cells.

The most highly conserved noncoding elements (HCNEs) in mammalian genomes cluster within regions enriched for genes encoding developmentally important transcription factors (TFs). This suggests that HCNE-rich regions may contain key regulatory controls involved in development. We explored this by examining histone methylation in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells across 56 large HCNE-rich loci. We identified a specific modification pattern, termed "bivalent domains," consisting of large regions of H3 lysine 27 methylation harboring smaller regions of H3 lysine 4 methylation. Bivalent domains tend to coincide with TF genes expressed at low levels. We propose that bivalent domains silence developmental genes in ES cells while keeping them poised for activation. We also found striking correspondences between genome sequence and histone methylation in ES cells, which become notably weaker in differentiated cells. These results highlight the importance of DNA sequence in defining the initial epigenetic landscape and suggest a novel chromatin-based mechanism for maintaining pluripotency.

Animals↗

Nonspanning bivalent ligands as improved surface receptor binding inhibitors of the cholera toxin B pentamer.

A series of bivalent ligands of varying length were synthesized to inhibit the receptor-binding process of cholera toxin. Competitive surface receptor binding assays showed that significant potency gains relative to the constituent monovalent ligands were achieved independently from the ability of the extended bivalent ligands to span binding sites within the toxin pentamer. Several models that could account for the unexpected improvement in IC(50) values are examined, taking into account crystallographic analysis of each ligand in complex with the toxin pentamer. Evidence is presented that steric blocking at the receptor binding surface may play a role. The results of our study suggest that the use of relatively short, "nonspanning" bivalent ligands, or monovalent ligands of similar topology and bulk may be an effective way of blocking the interaction of multimeric proteins with their cell surface receptors.

Amides↗

The effects of bivalent inorganic salts on the mucoadhesive performance of a polymethylmethacrylate sodium salt.

The effects of bivalent inorganic salts, namely CaCl2, MgCl2, MgSO4, ZnCl2 and ZnSO4, on the mucoadhesive performance of a polymethylmethacrylate sodium salt (EuSNa) were investigated. The swelling properties and mucoadhesion of ten different blends made of EuSNa and 5 or 10% (m/m) inorganic salts were evaluated. Only the addition of Zn salts caused a significant reduction of mucoadhesive properties and an increase of swelling. Swelling and mucoadhesive properties of the linear polymethylmethacrylate salt were affected by a physical cross-linking due to bivalent cations. The extent of such interaction may be mainly ascribed to the different electronegativity of the bivalent cations. Attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and texture analysis supported this hypothesis. Adding magnesium and calcium salts, the intrinsic dissolution rate of EuSNa decreased of at least 25%. Mucoadhesive tablets were prepared with the most suitable blends and tested on human healthy volunteers. The addition of the magnesium and calcium increased the in vivo permanence time without affecting the mucoadhesive performances. The lack of swelling, mucosal irritation and unpleasant sensation allow the use of such blends in the preparation of mucoadhesive tablets.

Acrylic Resins↗

Sequence comparison between the extracellular domain of M2 protein human and avian influenza A virus provides new information for bivalent influenza vaccine design.

To prevent the human and economic losses caused by human and avian influenza viruses, it is necessary to prepare safe bivalent influenza vaccines. Recent studies found that human influenza vaccines based on the extracellular domain of influenza M2 protein (M2e) induced broad-spectrum protective immunity in various antigen constructs. A prerequisite for using the M2e protein as a bivalent influenza vaccine component was to find out the sequence differences between human and non-human (avian or swine) influenza M2e proteins. Here, we completed such a comparison using 716 influenza M2e sequences available in Genbank. The results found one region on M2e protein consistent with host restriction specificities: PIRNEWGCRCN, PTRNGWECKCS and PIRNGWECRCN (aa10-20; the human, avian and swine specific M2e sequence, respectively). Interestingly, the comparison result was then validated by immunoblotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The monoclonal antibody against the EVETPIRN sequence (aa6-13) of human M2e protein could weakly recognize avian M2e proteins bearing the EVETPTRN sequence (aa6-13) but failed to recognize avian M2e proteins bearing the EVETLTRN sequence (aa6-13). The data in this study provided useful information in the race to develop bivalent influenza vaccines against avian and human influenza A virus infection in human beings.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Chromosome segregation during meiosis: building an unambivalent bivalent.

Faithful chromosome segregation during anaphase requires that stable microtubule connections are established between chromosomes and both spindle poles by metaphase. Bipolar orientation follows an active period of transient connections between the kinetochores and poles, and tension mediated through attachments between the chromosomes stabilizes those bivalents that have connections to opposite poles. This review focuses on how the chromatids are tied together in the bivalent to ensure proper segregation in the two meiotic divisions. Homologs are partitioned in meiosis I, and reciprocal crossovers, cytologically defined as chiasmata, usually hold the homologs together for this division. The crossovers themselves must be prevented from migrating off the chromatid arms. Binding substances localized to the crossover and sister-chromatid cohesion distal to the crossover have been proposed to prevent loss of chiasmata. Spontaneous nondisjunction events and mutations that disrupt the maintenance of chiasmata are analyzed in the context of these models. Homologs that segregate in meiosis I without chiasmata are briefly discussed. The bivalent must also be constructed so that four chromatids present only two functional kinetochores prior to anaphase I. Cytology and genetic data suggest that the sister kinetochores are duplicated but constrained to act as a single kinetochore. Additionally, centromeric regions of sister chromatids preserve their cohesion until anaphase II, even as cohesion on the sister-chromatid arms is lost at anaphase I. Mutations that specifically disrupt this process are presented.

Animals↗

Synthetic bivalent CD4-mimetic miniproteins show enhanced anti-HIV activity over the monovalent miniprotein.

HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120 is displayed as a trimeric complex on the surface of virion and infected T-cells, making it a typical multivalent target. This paper describes the design and synthesis of bivalent CD4-mimetic miniproteins to target the conserved CD4-binding pockets in the trimeric gp120. Using miniprotein CD4M9 as the model inhibitor, we created bivalent inhibitors in which two CD4M9 moieties were tethered by a spacer of varied length and evaluated their anti-HIV activity using a cell culture assay. The synthetic bivalent miniproteins showed 5-21-fold enhancement in anti-HIV activity over the monovalent miniprotein. The activity enhancement is dependent on the length of the spacer. The study suggests that targeting the oligomeric gp120 complex by novel multivalent ligands offers a valuable strategy for developing highly specific and effective HIV entry inhibitors.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Chemical conjugate TMV-peptide bivalent fusion vaccines improve cellular immunity and tumor protection.

Chemical conjugation of CTL peptides to tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) has shown promise as a molecular adjuvant scaffold for augmentation of cellular immune responses to peptide vaccines. This study demonstrates the ease of generating complex multipeptide vaccine formulations using chemical conjugation to TMV for improved vaccine efficacy. We have tested a model foreign antigen target-the chicken ovalbumin-derived CTL peptide (Ova peptide), as well as mouse melanoma-associated CTL epitopes p15e and tyrosinase-related protein 2 (Trp2) peptides that are self-antigen targets. Ova peptide fusions to TMV, as bivalent formulations with peptides encoding additional T-help or cellular uptake via the integrin-receptor binding RGD peptide, showed improved vaccine potency evidenced by significantly enhanced numbers of antigen-reactive T cells measured by in vitro IFNgamma cellular analysis. We measured the biologically relevant outcome of vaccination in protection of mice from EG.7-Ova tumor challenge, which was achieved with only two doses of vaccine ( approximately 600 ng peptide) given without adjuvant. The p15e peptide alone or Trp2 peptide alone, or as a bivalent formulation with T-help or RGD uptake epitopes, was unable to stimulate effective tumor protection. However, a vaccine with both CTL peptides fused together onto TMV generated significantly improved survival. Interestingly, different bivalent vaccine formulations were required to improve vaccine efficacy for Ova or melanoma tumor model systems.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗