Immune response to human papillomavirus type 16 E6 gene in a live vaccinia vector

Immunization of mice with a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing the human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) E6 gene elicits specific antibody, proliferative and cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses. T and B cell epitopes were mapped by using synthetic peptides. This study provides the background to future investigation aimed at developing prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines against HPV-16 infection and cervical cancer.

Deletion spanning the 5' ends of both the COL4A5 and COL4A6 genes in a patient with Alport's syndrome and leiomyomatosis

Alport's syndrome is characterized clinically by a nonimmune glomerulopathy, often accompanied by sensorineural hearing loss and lens abnormalities, frequently due to mutations in the COL4A5 gene. The association of AS with diffuse leiomyomatosis, a benign proliferation of smooth muscle that occurs most often in the esophagus, trachea, and female genitalia, has been reported. Recently, a deletion involving both the COL4A5 and COL4A6 genes has been reported in four unrelated families. We report an additional case with Alport's syndrome associated with leiomyomatosis carrying a deletion of both COL4A5 and COL4A6 genes. A detailed characterization of the genomic region involved in the deletion event has been performed. Our results demonstrate that the deletion removed exon 1 of COL4A5 and exons 1 and 2 of COL4A6.

Effects of tetrahydroberberine on isoproterenol-stimulated mitochondrial 45Ca uptake in rabbit myocardia

Cardiac mitochondria of rabbit was prepared by differential centrifugation. Tetrahydroberberine (THB) 10 mumol/L inhibited isoproterenol 1 mumol/L induced 45Ca uptake in the mitochondria by 48.58%. The inhibition is concentration-dependent and may play an important role in the protection of mitochondrial function in cardiac ischemia and reperfusion injury.

Xenogeneic dopaminergic grafts reverse behavioral deficits induced by 6-OHDA in rodents: effect of 15-deoxyspergualin treatment

Foetal rat mesencephalic dopamine-containing tissue was transplanted into the lateral ventricle of mice previously subjected to a 6-OHDA lesion of dopaminergic nerve terminals in the corpus striatum. The graft recipients were immunosuppressed by subcutaneous injections of 15-deoxyspergualin (DSG). Four weeks postgrafting, all DSG-treated mice showed partial or complete functional compensation in amphetamine-induced motor asymmetry. The immunohistochemical staining of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) revealed large numbers of surviving dopamine neurons and abundant fibers in the grafted animals. In contrast, all grafts in non-DSG-treated animals were rejected and functional compensation was lacking. It is concluded that DSG treatment promotes xenogeneic intracerebral graft survival, recovery of function and reduce the histological sign of rejection.

Anatomy of the insulin-like growth factor system in the human testis

OBJECTIVE

To study the cellular patterns of gene expression for insulin-like growth factors I and II (IGF-I and IGF-II), their receptors and specific high-affinity binding proteins (IGFBPs) in the human testis.

DESIGN

In situ hybridization histochemistry was used to localize messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNAs) for IGF-I and IGF-II, the IGF-I and IGF-II receptors and IGFBP-1 to 6 in fresh-frozen testis sections from healthy young men who died of trauma.

RESULTS

Insulin-like growth factor I mRNA was not detected. Insulin-like growth factors II mRNA was abundant in testicular blood vessels and peritubular connective tissue. Both IGF-I and IGF-II receptor mRNAs were most abundant in the germinal epithelium. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 mRNA was not detected. Binding protein-2 mRNA was expressed in both Leydig and Sertoli cells. Binding protein-3 mRNA was detected only in the endothelium of testicular blood vessels. Binding protein-4 mRNA was also localized in endothelium but, in addition, was present in Leydig cells and interstitial connective tissue. Binding protein-5 mRNA was abundant in connective tissue and was detected at low levels in Leydig cells. Binding protein-6 mRNA was present in some of the peritubular cells and in some cells of the interstitial compartment.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that IGFs may play significant roles in testicular function and germ cell development.

Electrochemical detection of cobalt in hair following on-column derivatization with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol-6-sulphonic acid and reversed-phase liquid chromatography

A method for the specific determination of cobalt based on reversed-phase liquid chromatography with amperometric detection via on-column complex formation has been developed. A water-soluble chelating agent, 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol-6-sulphonic acid (PAN-6S), is added to the mobile phase and aqueous cobalt solutions are injected directly into the column to form in situ the cobalt-PAN-6S chelate, which is then separated from other metal PAN-6S chelates and subjected to reductive amperometric detection at a moderate potential of -0.3 V. Because the procedure eliminates the interference of oxygen and depresses the electrochemical reduction of the mobile phase-containing ligand PAN-6S, by virtue of the quasi-reversible electrode process of the cobalt-PAN-6S complex, a low detection limit of 0.06 ng can be readily obtained. Interference effects were examined for sixteen common metal species, and at a 5- to 8000-fold excess by mass no obvious interference was observed. The feasibility of the method as an approach to the specific analysis of cobalt in a hair sample has been demonstrated.

Suppression of immunorejection against rat fetal dopaminergic neurons in a mouse brain by 15-deoxyspergualin

In this study, the immunosuppressive effect of 15-deoxyspergualin (DSG) on the survivability of rat embryonic dopaminergic neurons grafted into the lateral ventricle of adult mice was investigated. DSG was administered daily in dose of 5 mg/kg for 2 weeks postgrafting, commencing on the day of transplantation, in the immunosuppressant-treated groups. Animals were then allowed to survive for 2 to 4 weeks after transplantation. Histological analysis revealed that most of transplanted rat fetal neural tissue was destroyed and scavenged in 2 weeks after transplantation in the non-immunosuppressed group. However, a large number of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive grafted neurons survived and grew postgrafting in the brain of the host administered with DSG even if they suffered from T lymphocyte infiltrations visualized by cytotoxic T cell immunohistochemistry. The results thus indicated that DSG is an potent immunosuppressant in neural transplantation as well as in transplantation of other organs in animals. It seems to be able to block, at least in part, the ability of mature specific cytotoxic T cells to lyse their targets.

Wilms' tumor (WT1) gene expression in rat decidual differentiation

The Wilm's tumor suppressor gene (WT1) encodes a zinc-finger containing transcription factor that is selectively expressed in the developing urogenital tract, where it is thought to play a role in the differentiation of these tissues. We have used immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization to study WT1 expression in the rat uterus during normal development and pregnancy from 0 to 20 days post coitum (p.c.). WT1 mRNA was abundant in uterine stroma from juvenile rats, but was much less abundant in uterine tissue from sexually mature rats; WT1 expression is not affected by ovariectomy or by treatment with estradiol or estradiol plus progesterone. WT1 gene was highly expressed, however, in the endometrial cells of early pregnancy. On day 6 p.c. WT1 mRNA was detected in anti-mesometrial decidual cells, and WT1 immunoreactivity was concentrated in the nuclei of these cells. All cells of fully-developed deciduoma at 7-8 days p.c. demonstrated WT1 expression. WT1 was not detected in trophoblast/placental tissues but remained abundant in the decidua basalis until parturition. The expression of WT1 was compared with insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) and its receptor in the decidual since it has been shown that IGF-II gene transcription is repressed by WT1 in vitro. However, no spatiotemporal correlation in the expression of these three genes was found in differentiation of the rat decidua. In summary, these data suggest a role for WT1 in decidualization, since its expression is activated during the differentiation of uterine stromal cells into decidual cells.

Deletion of the paired alpha 5(IV) and alpha 6(IV) collagen genes in inherited smooth muscle tumors

The gene encoding alpha 6(IV) collagen, COL4A6, was identified on the human X chromosome in a head-to-head arrangement and within 452 base pairs of the alpha 5(IV) collagen gene, COL4A5. In earlier studies, intragenic deletions of COL4A5 were detected in a subset of patients with Alport syndrome (AS), a hereditary defect of basement membranes. In some families, AS cosegregates with diffuse leiomyomatosis (DL), a benign smooth muscle tumor diathesis. Here it is shown that patients with AS-DL harbor deletions that disrupt both COL4A5 and COL4A6. Thus, type IV collagen may regulate smooth muscle differentiation and morphogenesis.

Rapid high-sensitivity peptide mapping by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Toward a complete LC-MS mapping system for peptides and proteins, we have coupled a precision-flow microbore HPLC system to an electrospray single quadrupole mass spectrometer. The HPLC system allows fast separation of protein digests with UV detection at the low pmol level. A 2 microliters/min portion (1:25) of the effluent is passed into a high-sensitivity electrospray MS system. The electrospray source allows for molecular mass associated ions (MH+, MH2(2+), MH3(3+), etc.) to be generated as well as collision induced dissociation of these ions before MS analysis. After LC-MS runs, with or without partial fragmentation, the data generated are largely interpreted by identification of predicted peptides, incompletely digested peptides, unusual peptide cleavages, and so on, using appropriate integrated software (PEPMAP, PEPMATCH). Examples of peptide mapping at the low pmol level using this integrated system will be shown (e.g., of the protein human growth hormone and of the glycoprotein, tissue plasminogen activator).

Identification of four novel mutations in the COL4A5 gene of patients with Alport syndrome

The type IV collagen alpha 5 chain (COL4A5) genes of patients with Alport syndrome were tested for major gene rearrangements by Southern blot analysis, using COL4A5 cDNA clones as probes. In addition, individual exons were screened for small mutations by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Four new COL4A5 mutations were detected. A duplication of the nine most 3' located nucleotides of exon 49 and the first nucleotide of intron 49 was identified in the COL4A5 gene of one patient. Two patients displayed single base substitutions leading to, respectively, a proline to threonine and an arginine to glutamine substitution in the C-terminal end. Both substitutions involve amino acids conserved through evolution. In COL4A5 intron 41 a mutation changing the splice acceptor site from AG to AA was identified. All mutations cosegregate with the clinical phenotype of Alport syndrome in affected family members. In a control population of 50 individuals tested by PCR-SSCP these mutations were never identified. Together with two mutations reported previously, a total of six mutations were found in 26 patients with Alport syndrome (23%) after systematic screening of about 30% of the COL4A5 coding region. The clinical features of these six patients are described in detail.

Endotoxin-mediated endothelial cell injury and activation: role of soluble CD14

Vascular endothelial cell (EC) injury by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) plays a major role in the pathogenesis of gram-negative bacterial sepsis and endotoxic shock. The studies described here were performed to define further the molecular mechanisms involved in the EC responses to LPS. We showed that serum was required for LPS-mediated cytotoxicity for bovine brain microvessel, pulmonary, and aortic ECs and that anti-human CD14 antibodies completely blocked LPS-mediated cytotoxicity for ECs in the presence of human serum. The addition of a recombinant soluble form of human CD14 to serum-free medium restored the LPS-mediated cytotoxicity, whereas the addition of LPS binding protein (LBP), a serum protein that potentiates LPS-induced responses to monocytes, had no effect. A similar dependency on serum or recombinant soluble CD14 (under serum-free conditions) was observed for LPS-induced secretion of interleukin-6 by human umbilical vein ECs. These findings indicate that soluble CD14 is required for LPS-mediated EC responses independently of LPB, suggesting that serum soluble CD14 represents a naturally occurring agonist for EC responses to LPS.

V3-specific neutralizing antibodies in sera from HIV-1 gp160-immunized volunteers block virus fusion and act synergistically with human monoclonal antibody to the conformation-dependent CD4 binding site of gp120. NIH-NIAID AIDS Vaccine Clinical Trials Network

Sera from 11 volunteers immunized with a recombinant HIV-1 gp160-expressing vaccinia virus (HIVAC-1e; Oncogen/Bristol-Myers Squibb, Seattle, WA) and boosted with baculovirus-derived rgp160 (VaxSyn; MicroGeneSys, Inc., Meriden, CT) were evaluated for functional serum antibodies and their epitopes. Sera obtained prior to boosting had undetectable HIV-1-specific IgG and neutralizing activity, and did not block HIV-1 from binding or fusing to CD4+ MT-2 cells. 14 d after boosting, sera from each volunteer contained HIV-1-specific IgG titers of 1:40 to 1:1,280. Five of these sera also contained neutralizing antibodies, where most or all neutralizing activity was blocked by a synthetic peptide corresponding to amino acids 307-330 of the V3 loop of gp120, indicating that neutralizing antibodies were mostly V3 loop-specific. All sera obtained after boosting contained HIV-1 binding/fusion-inhibition antibodies, and a significant portion of their activity was blocked by the V3 loop peptide, a result consistent with the presence of antibodies against the region of the V3 loop that participates in fusion. Three sera with V3 loop-specific neutralizing and fusion-inhibition antibodies were studied further. In competitive antibody binding experiments, antibodies reactive with the conformation-dependent, CD4 binding site of gp120 were undetectable in each serum. When evaluated in combination with a monoclonal antibody to the CD4 binding site of gp120, two sera demonstrated synergism in neutralizing assays, and all three sera demonstrated synergism in binding/fusion-inhibition assays, further indicating that the functional antibodies were primarily V3 loop-specific. The synergism also suggests that a vaccine that elicits strong serum antibody responses to both regions of gp120 may improve the potential for inducing protective immunity.

Neutral axis location in bending and Young's modulus of different layers of arterial wall

With few exceptions, experimental results on the blood vessel elasticity have been analyzed with the blood vessel wall treated as a homogeneous material, probably because the experiments have been limited to inflation and stretching. To advance the subject, we must evaluate the force-deformation relationship of different layers of the vessel. A key strategy to do this is to study nonaxisymmetric deformation of the vessel wall so that the different layers of the vessel may deform in different amounts at different places. One of the most effective nonaxisymmetric deformations that can be imposed on the vessel wall is bending. The first important question to ask about bending is, Where is the neutral axis? In this study, a method to determine the neutral axis is presented. We found that the neutral axis of the aorta of the pig lies in the medial layer about one-third of the wall thickness from the endothelium. We measured the strain distribution in the vessel wall by optical methods. Using the load-deflection relationship, we evaluated the Young's modulus of the intima-media layer and that of the adventitia. They differ by an order of magnitude. Our results show that the Young's modulus of the intima-media layer of the pig thoracic aorta is 43.2 +/- 15.8 kPa, whereas the Young's modulus of the adventitial layer is 4.70 +/- 1.72 kPa, in a linear range of the stress-strain relationship including the zero-stress state and the no-load state.

Air pollution-type fluorosis in the region of Pingxiang, Jiangxi, Peoples' Republic of China

This paper reports on the epidemiology, environmental factors, geological features, and total amount of fluoride intake by residents of the Pingxiang region in the Peoples' Republic of China where there is a high incidence of endemic fluorosis. The results demonstrate that the type of endemic fluorosis is related to air pollution, the major source of which comes from coal that is burned by the residents in their homes. Air pollution also originates from the small kilns that are used to make bricks and tile. The fluorine content in the coal and mud used to mix the coal is considerably high; the content in the mud used as adobe for tiles exceeds 10,000 mg/kg. During the process of burning coal or baking bricks or tiles, a large amount of nonsoluble fluorine is converted into water-soluble fluoride, which can have major human health effects.

Generation of 11-fs pulses from a self-mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser

By optimizing the intracavity dispersion compensation in a self-mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser, we have generated pulses of 10.95-fs duration. Dispersion within the laser cavity is reduced by use of a short 4.5-mm highly doped Ti:sapphire crystal and fused-silica prisms. The output from the laser has an average power of as much as 500 mW, with a wavelength centered at 780 nm and a bandwidth of 62 nm. Our results demonstrate that the exceptionally broad bandwidth of Ti:sapphire can be utilized to generate pulses that, to our knowledge, are shorter than has been possible with any other type of laser material to date.

An Arabidopsis gene with homology to glutathione S-transferases is regulated by ethylene

A cDNA clone obtained from Arabidopsis leaf RNA encodes a 24 kDa protein with homology to glutathione S-transferases (GST). It is most homologous with a tobacco GST (57% identity). In Arabidopsis, expression of GST mRNA is regulated by ethylene. Exposure of plants to ethylene increased the abundance of GST mRNA, while treatment with norbornadiene had the reverse effect. Ethylene had no effect on the mRNA level in ethylene-insensitive etr1 plants. The abundance of this mRNA increased with the age of plants. DNA hybridizations indicate that GSTs are encoded by a large multigene family in Arabidopsis.

Molecular genetic and genetic correlations in sodium channelopathies: lack of founder effect and evidence for a second gene

We present a correlation of molecular genetic data (mutations) and genetic data (dinucleotide-repeat polymorphisms) for a cohort of seven hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HyperPP) and two paramyotonia congenita (PC) families from diverse ethnic backgrounds. We found that each of three previously identified point mutations of the adult skeletal muscle sodium-channel gene occurred on two different dinucleotide-repeat haplotypes. These results indicate that dinucleotide-repeat haplotypes are not predictive of allelic heterogeneity in sodium channelopathies, contrary to previous suggestions. In addition, we identified a HyperPP pedigree in which the dominant disorder was not linked to the sodium-channel gene. Thus, a second locus can give rise to a similar clinical phenotype. Some individuals in this pedigree exhibited a base change causing the nonconservative substitution of an evolutionarily conserved amino acid. Because this change was not present in 240 normal chromosomes and was near another HyperPP mutation, is fulfilled the most commonly used criteria for being a mutation rather than a polymorphism. However, linkage studies using single-strand conformation polymorphism-derived and sequence-derived haplotypes excluded this base change as a causative mutation: these data serve as a cautionary example of potential pitfalls in the delineation of change-of-function point mutations.

A novel angiotensin receptor subtype in rat mesangium. Coupling to adenylyl cyclase

The diversity of angiotensin II (Ang II) actions implies multiple receptor subtypes. To characterize these subtypes in rat mesangial cells, we used the angiotensin subtype 1A (AT1A) antagonist losartan (DuP 753), the subtype 2/1B (AT2/AT1B) antagonist PD 123319, and the AT2 antagonist CGP 42112A in radioreceptor and adenylyl cyclase assays. In radioligand binding competition experiments, approximately 25% of the specific binding sites labeled by 125I-[Sar1]Ang II were inhibited by low concentrations of PD 123319 (0.1 to 10 nM), whereas the AT2 antagonist CGP 42112A was inactive at concentrations less than 0.1 microM. Conversely, losartan inhibited 75% of the binding at low concentrations (0.1 nM to 0.1 microM), but higher concentrations (up to 10 microM) were required to inhibit the second component of 125I-[Sar1]Ang II binding. The effects of the different antagonists on the inhibition by Ang II of forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP production were also analyzed. Ang II inhibited forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase in a concentration-dependent fashion (IC50, 35 +/- 7 nM), and the maximal inhibition of adenylyl cyclase was 44 +/- 2%. In the radioligand binding experiments, both losartan and PD 123319 antagonized the inhibition of adenylyl cyclase elicited by 0.1 microM Ang II (IC50, 0.5 +/- 0.2 and 1.2 +/- 0.4 microM, respectively), whereas CGP 42112A was less potent (IC50, 5.7 +/- 1.6 microM). Comparison of binding affinities at AT1B receptor sites with antagonist potencies in the adenylyl cyclase assay show good agreement for losartan and CGP 42112A, whereas PD 123319 is less potent than expected from membrane binding assays, possibly because of partial agonist properties.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Purification of an autocrine growth factor homologous with mouse epithelin precursor from a highly tumorigenic cell line

PC cell line is a highly tumorigenic insulin-independent variant from the teratoma-derived adipogenic cell line 1246. Culture medium of PC cells contains a growth promoting activity for 3T3 cells and producer cells. PC cell-derived growth factor (PCDGF) was purified to homogeneity from PC cell-conditioned medium as an apparent 88-kDa protein by chromatography on heparin-Sepharose, Sephacryl S-200, and phenyl-Sepharose. Digestion with peptide-N-glycosidase F yielded an apparent 68-kDa protein component indicating that PCDGF is a glycoprotein containing about 20 kDa of carbohydrate. Partial sequence from Edman degradation of peptide fragments obtained by digestion of PCDGF with cyanogen bromide and trypsin demonstrates that PCDGF contains regions of sequence identity to that deduced from the granulin or epithelin precursor cDNAs. Granulins are small polypeptides purified from granulocyte extracts with no apparent biological functions. Epithelins are cell growth modulators purified as small molecular mass 6-kDa polypeptides from kidney extracts. The existence of a large molecular mass precursor for granulin or epithelin has been predicted based upon recently cloned cDNAs encoding these biomolecules within a 63.5-kDa protein with putative glycosylation sites. No biological activity has previously been attributed to the precursor. The present results indicate that PCDGF is a potential precursor for epithelin and/or granulin, that this 88-kDa protein is secreted and glycosylated, and that it can function as a mitogen for 3T3 cells as well as an autocrine growth factor for PC cells.