Gel high-performance liquid chromatographic studies on the elution behavior of chemically deglycosylated human chorionic gonadotropin and its subunits

The elution behavior of human chorionic gonadotropin and its subunits, and their desialylated and deglycosylated derivatives was studied on gel high-performance liquid chromatography. Using three TSK G-SW columns, excellent separations were achieved for eleven human chorionic gonadotropin derivatives. In a comparison of the native (30% carbohydrate content), asialo (24%) and HF-deglycosylated (8%) subunits, the estimated values of molecular weights on the basis of a series of reference globular proteins deviated in various degrees from the actual molecular weight. The extent of deviation depended on the carbohydrate content and possibly the location of carbohydrate chains. The data from recombination studies suggest that the beta-subunit is the dominant determinant for their expanded molecular size.

Biochemical analysis and electron microscopy of human mitral valve collagen in patients with various etiologies of mitral valve diseases

Biochemical analyses and electron microscopy of mitral valve collagen were carried out in 29 patients with various mitral valve diseases. They were divided into 3 groups: (1) rheumatic heart disease (15 patients), (2) isolated rupture of chordae tendineae (8 patients), and (3) floppy mitral valve (6 patients). Normal mitral valves obtained at necropsy from 6 patients who died from extracardiac causes were used for control observations. Results of the electrophoretic analysis of the collagen of normal and diseased valves showed that all valves contained collagen types I, III, and AB collagen with similar electrophoretic patterns. Electron microscopic observations and comparisons of the segment-long-spacing crystallites of each type of collagen revealed similar band patterns, irrespective of the normal or diseased valves sources. It is concluded that the composition and primary molecular structure of mitral valve collagen are usually not altered in a wide variety of disease processes affecting the mitral valve.

Scanning and transmission electron microscopic studies on isolated ruptures of chordae tendineae

Electron microscopic studies of chordae tendineae of the mitral valve were carried out in 17 patients who underwent mitral valve replacement due to a spontaneously isolated rupture of chordae tendineae. The normal chordae, used as the control group, were obtained at autopsy from 5 patients who died from extracardiac causes and were compared with the ruptured chordae. In all patients with chordal rupture, scanning electron microscopy showed perforations of the chordae tendineae, with extensive desquamation and disruption of the endothelial cells and wide-spread destruction of the collagen fiber bundles in the central collagenous core. These pathological findings were not observed in the normal chordae from the control group. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the ruptured chordae were characterized by heterogeneous collagen fibrils with intrinsic structural alterations and disorganization in fibril arrangement. There was a wide variation in the diameters of collagen fibrils which always showed abnormal morphology, with abnormally large, peculiarly shaped fibrils. Apparent loss and/or a disordered arrangement of the typical periodicity of the fibrils were frequently observed. In addition, various degrees of degenerative changes of collagen tissue were often present. These abnormalities were never seen in the fibrils of the normal chordae, and were observed consistently in both the fibrils of the ruptured chordae and in the macroscopically intact chordae in the group with spontaneous rupture of chordae tendineae. These results suggest that a defective organization of collagen into fibrils and fibers, associated with secondary degeneration of collagen within the central collagenous core of the chordae tendineae, are important pathogenetic mechanisms for spontaneously isolated ruptures of chordae tendineae.

Studies of the human chorionic gonadotrophin-like substance of human pituitary glands and its significance

Radioimmunoassays utilizing antisera specific for the carboxyl-terminal portion of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) beta-subunit were used to measure the concentration in human pituitary extracts of an immunoactive hCG factor (hCG') which was different from human LH (hLH). The content of hCG' from different human pituitary pools collected between 1966 and 1979 was relatively constant at 0.5-1.1 microgram per gland. The hCG' concentrations observed in acetone-dried powder of individual human pituitary glands (0.4-26 ng/mg) were close to those reported for full-term placental powder. After separation and partial purification of human pituitary glycoprotein hormones, pituitary hCG' was found mainly in the crude human FSH (hFSH) fraction. It was separated from hFSH by diethylaminoethyl-cellulose chromatography at pH 7 and by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. On gel filtration its molecular size was larger than that of hLH or hFSH and it was strongly bound to Concanavalin A-Sepharose. The most active preparations of pituitary hCG' obtained by these procedures were approximately 5 per cent as potent by specific radioimmunoassay as hCG purified from pregnancy urine. Although the hCG' content in individual pituitary glands was more variable than the hLH content, on average pituitary hCG' was estimated to be around 25- to 50-fold less than the content of hLH, hFSH or human TSH in the human pituitary gland.

The enzyme stability of dehydro-enkephalins

Dehydro-enkephalins [delta Ala2]-, [delta Ala3]-, [delta Phe4]-, and [delta Leu5]enkephalins, were examined for their stability to enzymatic hydrolysis by carboxypeptidase Y [EC 3.4.16.1]. The successively liberated amino acids were determined quantitatively by amino acid analyses. The saturated leucine-enkephalin was rapidly hydrolyzed from the COOH-terminus. However, peptide linkages with alpha, beta-dehydroamino acid residues placed in the enkephalin molecule were strongly resistant to the enzyme at the carboxyl side and completely resistant at the amino side of the dehydro residue.

The daily profile of plasma melatonin in obese and Prader-Willi syndrome children

Daily plasma melatonin profiles were determined by RIA in exogenously obese and Prader-Willi syndrome children. The melatonin RIA was validated for use in human plasma by evaluating melatonin immunoreactivity in the resultant eluate fractions of a high performance liquid chromatogram of a chloroform-extracted pooled human plasma sample. Melatonin immunoreactivity in the plasma profile occurred only in the fraction that corresponded to the chromatographic position of authentic melatonin. Exogenously obese patients had plasma melatonin profiles characterized by low levels during the day (20-30 pg/ml plasma) and high levels at night (65-130 pg/ml plasma). The plasma melatonin profile did not vary as a function of weight or pubertal status. Prader-Willi syndrome patients had similar melatonin profiles to those of exogenously obese patients. Although the Prader-Willi children had a delayed onset of puberty, the plasma melatonin profile was unaltered. These data indicate that plasma melatonin may not play a role in the onset of puberty. However, the daily melatonin profile is a temporally precise hormonal rhythm in humans.

Microflora of Drainage from Ice in Fishing Vessel Fishholds

The microbial load in ice-melt drainage collected from fishholds of fishing vessels stowing lizard fish, black croakers, cuttle fish, or nemipterids was very high, ranging from 2.1 � 10 7 to 2.2 � 10 9 /ml for bacteria and 6.3 � 10 3 to 7.2 � 10 4 /ml for yeasts and molds. Analysis of 100 colonies each randomly isolated from drainage samples of cuttle fish and lizard fish showed that the occurrence of bacterial genera as a percentage of the total was Moraxella-Acinetobacter , 61 to 62%; Pseudomonas , 19 to 21%; Alcaligens , 5 to 10%; Flavobacterium , 1 to 4%; Micrococcus , 1 to 4%; Bacillus, Vibrio 0 to 2%; Corynebacterium , 1 to 2%; and others, 1 to 2%. The organisms demonstrated versatile hydrolytic activities to a wide range of biological substrates including casein, gelatin, starch, DNA, and RNA. The possible connection between these bacteria and the deterioration of fish quality are discussed.

Improved human chorionic gonadotropin detection with carboxyl-terminal radioimmunoassay of the beta subunit on concentrated 24-hour urine in patients with testicular cancer

The value of measuring serum levels of human chorionic gonadotropin in detecting and monitoring testicular cancer has been demonstrated convincingly. In this study the human chorionic gonadotropin was extracted by the kaolin-acetone procedure from 24-hour urine specimens and the total volume of the extract was adjusted to 15 ml. With a highly specific immunoassay system (H93) that recognizes the unique carboxyl-terminal peptide of human chorionic gonadotropin beta subunit (residue numbers 123 to 145) as described previously, the urinary human chorionic gonadotropin was measured serially in 32 patients of 15 patients with initially human chorionic gonadotropin-producing testicular tumors. These 15 patients had simultaneous measurements of serum human chorionic gonadotropin using an antiserum against the beta subunit (Sb6) and urinary human chorionic gonadotropin concentrates using H93 radioimmunoassay. The initial serum hormone levels of these 15 patients were elevated and returned to normal after therapy. However, despite this occurrence the urinary hormone levels also were elevated. The initial 5 patients with elevated urinary but normal serum human chorionic gonadotropin levels had recurrence. The use of this highly specific radioimmunoassay in measuring urinary human chorionic gonadotropin coupled with effective chemotherapeutic agents has been valuable in selecting patients in whom further therapy is warranted despite normal serum human chorionic gonadotropin and clinically undetectable tumor.

Physical, biological, and immunological characterization of highly purified urinary human chorionic gonadotropin components separated by gel electrofocusing

A highly purified urinary hCG preparation was subjected to electrofocusing on polyacrylamide gel. It was shown to fractionate into at least 11 components that can be detected by coomassie blue staining, a radioligand-receptor assay (RRA), and four hCG RIAs using antisera against the purified hCG, its alpha- and beta-subunits, and the hCG beta carboxyl-terminal peptide. Refocusing shows that these components are not artifacts of the electrofocusing technique. Six of the major components were isolated, and their pIs were shown to correlate with their sialic acid content. When these components were assayed by radioligand-radioreceptor assay, the four hCG RIAs, and a rat uterine weight assay, they showed 1) similar in vitro biological activities, 2) identical immunological activities that were indistinguishable from the in vitro biological activities, 3) hCG-like and not hLH-like immunological characteristics, and 4) different in vivo biological activities which increased with sialic acid content. Thus, sialic acid alone and/or differences in subunit assembly seem to be responsible for the electrophoretic heterogeneity of highly purified hCG.

Detection of human chorionic gonadotropin in fresh and formalin-fixed testicular tumor tissue. Comparison of sensitivity of immunoperoxidase to radioimmunoassay

Immunmocytochemical techniques for the detection of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), such as immunoperoxidase or immunofluorescence, allow detection but not quantification of this hormone. A modification of standard radioimmunoassay (RIA) techniques allows utilization of tissue slurries and yields quantitative data on tissue HCG levels. Tissue slurry RIAs and indirect immunoperoxidase were performed on fresh and formalin-fixed tissue specimens from 15 patients with nonseminomatous testicular tumors. HCG detectability by RIA or immunoperoxidase was markedly decreased by formalin fixation. Tissue specimens with high levels of HCG in the fresh state yielded positive immunoperoxidase and RIA results, while specimens with minimally elevated HCG levels tended to be negative. Results of tissue slurry RIAs correlated well with immunoperoxidase results. The detection of HCG in fixed tissue appears to underestimate the amount of HCG present in fresh specimens. Therefore, a negative RIA on formalin-fixed tissue slurry or negative immunoperoxidase of the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue does not rule out the absence of HCG in fresh tissue.

Peripheral contrast echocardiographic findings of anomalous drainage of the right superior vena cava into the left atrium

A 1-year-old girl had cyanosis and signs of a "normal heart". Peripheral contrast echocardiography (M-mode and real time, two-dimensional) was performed with injection of saline into a superficial vein of the right hand. Contrast echoes did appear in the left atrium and ventricle, but did not in the right artium or ventricle. From these findings anomalous drainage of the right superior vena cava into the left atrium was suspected and was confirmed by cineangiocardiography.

Light scattering by polydisperse suspensions of inhomogeneous nonspherical particles

The extended boundary condition method is used to make angular scattering calculations for a polydisperse suspension of prolate spheroidal particles. To aid in interpretation of the nonspherical results, calculations are also made for spherical particle suspensions. The basic particle models are two-layered approximations of common bacteria. Using a quasi-Gaussian size distribution, changes in the average particle size are found to have the dominant effect on the scattering of a polydisperse suspension. The spherical and prolate spheroidal two-layered results are compared with similar calculations using the Rayleigh-Gans-Debye approximation and to results based on volume-averaged homogeneous models.

Effects of adrenergic agonists and antagonists on immediate cutaneous reactions in bronchial asthma

Asthmatic patients who showed an allergic skin reaction to house-dust antigen (HD) were injected intradermally with a mixture of HD and a various dose of isoproterenol (Isopr) or propranolol (Propr). In some cases Isopr clearly suppressed the formation of the wheal, but in some others Isopr did not much affect the allergic skin reaction. Also Propr increased markedly the skin reaction of some patients, or had little effect on it. The sensitivity of the skin of asthmatic patients to these drugs was closely correlated with the general response of the patients to adrenaline, such as changes in heart rate, diastolic blood pressure, blood glucose level, and blood triglyceride level.

A human chorionic gonadotropin-specific antiserum against synthetic peptide analogs to the carboxyl-terminal peptide of its beta-subunit

A chemically synthesized Na-acetyl-triacontapeptide analogous to the carboxyl-terminal region (residues 116--145) of hCG beta-subunit was conjugated to bovine thyroglobulin. This synthetic antigen was used to immunize five rabbits; one of these rabbits (H-114) generated a useable antiserum. The binding properties of this antiserum were compared extensively to a well characterized antiserum (H-93) against the natural tricosaglycopeptide (residues 123--145) of desialylated hCG beta-subunit conjugated to bovine serum albumin. The two antisera showed nearly identical immunological specificities and sensitivities when examined in a conventional RIA system. These similarities included: 1) antibody recognition sites residing at the carboxyl-terminal pentadecapeptide region; 2) binding neither [125I]iodo-hLH nor [125I]iodo-oLH; and 3) lack of neutralizing capability against the biological activity of hCG in vivo. However, synthetic pentadeca or longer peptides are twice as potent in inhibiting 125I]iodo-hCG binding to H-114 than to H-93. Synthetic peptides may provide a superior means of generating antisera capable of distinguishing hCG from human LH, since they can be obtained more easily in large quantities than analogous purified natural fragments and because peptides of synthetic origin avoid the risk of contamination from strongly antigenic regions of the native molecules. Such hCG-specific antisera may have extensive application in RIA systems and fertility control, where selective binding to hCG but not human LH is desired.

Enzymatic fragmentation of tetanus toxin. Identification and characterization of an atoxic, immunogenic fragment

Purified filtrate tetanus toxin was subjected to limited digestion with papain and the resulting fragments were separated by gel exclusion chromatography and characterized. One atoxic fragment was shown to react with antiserum against tetanus toxoid and was capable of inducing antibodies in rabbits that neutralized native tetanus toxin, The fragment had an estimated molecular weight of 56,000 by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and 62,000 by sedimentation equilibrium. In the presence of a reducing agent, the fragment yielded two components with approximatec molecular weights of 23,000 and 32,000. Thus, it appears that the atoxic, immunogenic fragment is composed of two peptides joined by at least one disulfide bond. The fragment was examined by circular dichroism and data analysis indicated the presence of considerable beta-structure, but little, if any, alpha-helicity. This is significantly different from the estimates for filtrate toxin. 29% alpha-helicity and 23% beta-structure. Above 250 nm, the circular dichroic spectrum of the fragment was also distinct from that of intact toxin.

Highly sensitive radioimmunoassay for chorionic gonadotropin in human urine

The value of RIAs that measure hCG levels in human urine has been limited principally because of cross-reactivity with human LH. Recently, antisera generated to antigenic determinants on the intact hCG beta subunit and its carboxyl-terminal peptide have been shown to exhibit substantially reduced human LH cross-reactivity. To take maximal advantage of these antisera and to minimize interference by nonspecific substances in urine, a procedure for extracting and concentrating hCG from 24-h urine samples was developed. The procedure involves preparation of a standard kaolin-acetone urine concentrate and adsorption of the hCG in the concentrate to Concanavalin A covalently linked to agarose for purification and subsequent RIA. In urine samples obtained from patients with gestational trophoblastic disease, there was a direct correlation between hCG levels measured by RIA and those estimated by mouse uterine weight bioassay. In individual subjects, hCG levels were determined in serum and urine obtained the same day. When hCG was clearly detectable in the serum at levels greater than 1 ng/ml, the quantity of hCG measured in the urine concentrate exceeded 500 ng/24 h. The concentrates prepared from the urine of normal persons contained an hCG-like glycoprotein substance with antigenic determinants similar to those of the carboxyl-terminal peptide of hCG beta. As the range of hCG immunoreactivity measured in the urine concentrates of normal subjects was 6-52 ng/24 h, specific and sensitive detection of urinary hCG could be accomplished in patients whose sera contained hCG undetectable by conventional RIA. Partial purification and concentration of urinary hCG by this procedure with subsequent RIA provides a sensitive and reliable method for detecting hCG in urine.

Transitory hCG-like activity in the urine of some IUD users

Using an antiserum (H-93) specific to the COOH-terminal peptide of hCG beta and gel chromatography, we found the transitory (1-2 days) presence of a gonadotropin having immunological, biological, and physical similarity to hCG, but not typical hLH, in the late luteal phase (days 24-29) urine of some (5 of 26) IUD users. We did not detect hCG in sera from any of the women. Although the source of the hCG-like gonadotropin is unknown, the data suggest that late luteal phase implantation may have occurred transiently.

Genetic analysis of the nitrogen fixation system in Klebsiella pneumoniae

Fine structure mapping of nif mutations of Klebsiella pneumoniae was accomplished by means of Pl-transductional crosses and the plasmid R144 drd mediated conjugations. The physical distance between nif mutations based on the percentage of co-transduction with hisD of the nif mutations was estimated. The maximal distance between two mutations was calculated about 3 Kb, and the average distance between different nif mutations was about 1 to 2 Kb. So no "silent region" was shown within the nif cluster nearby the histidine operon. Several hisD-unlinked nif mutants were isolated and investigated genetically and biochemically. They all differed from the glutamineless mutants, one of these mutants was tentatively assigned as a sort of N-assimilation mutant with little activity of glutamate synthetase. It differed from the known N-assimilation mutants in its absence of nitrogenase activity. Since the wild type hisD-linked nif genes carried by the plasmid RP4 failed to complement the defects of the hisD-unlinked nif genes in the recipient cells but they were effective to facilitate E. coli in acquiring the ability to fix nitrogen, which indicates that the hisD-unlinked nif genes necessary for the functioning of the hisD-linked nif genes are present in E. coli.

Antigenic similarities to HCG subunits among chorionic gonadotropins of nonhuman primates

Comparison of antigenic similarity between human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) subunits and the chorionic gonadotropins of six species of nonhuman primates indicates marked similarity of antigenic determinants between both subunits of HCG and the chorionic gonadotropins of chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. Antisera to HCG subunits (alpha or beta) did not cross-react with the chorionic gonadotropins of baboons, macaques, or marmosets. Because of the relative availability of chimpanzees for laboratory studies, we suggest that chimpanzees may be the optimal nonhuman primate model for determining the advisability of vaccinations in man using conjugates of HCG fragments to achieve fertility control or for suppression of HCG-producing neoplasms.

Primate chorionic gonadotropins: antigenic similarities to the unique carboxyl-terminal peptide of HCGbeta subunit

Antigenic similarities of chorionic gonadotropin from human (hCG), chimpanzee (chCG), gorilla (gCG), orangutan (orCG), baboon (paCG), macaque (mCG), and marmoset (maCG) were investigated in a radioimmunoassay system using an antiserum (rabbit H93) with antigenic determinants known to reside in the terminal 15 amino acid residues of the unique carboxyl-terminal peptide of hCGbeta, which makes it highly specific for hCG without crossreactivity to hLH. Our findings indicate that the extreme antigenic similarity between chCG and hCG at the unique carboxyl-terminal region of hCGbeta, as well as the availability of these apes for laboratory research, make the chimpanzee the optimal nonhuman primate model for assessing potential risks of fertility control in women by immunization against hCGbeta.

Evidence for a gonadotropin from nonpregnant subjects that has physical, immunological, and biological similarities to human chorionic gonadotropin

Substances from urinary extracts of normal, nonpregnant subjects and human pituitary gonadotropin preparations were found to react similarly to human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in a radioimmunoassay system that is highly specific for hCG and without crossreactivity to human luteinizing hormone (hLH). The antiserum was produced in a rabbit immunized with a bovine albumin conjugate of the unique carboxyl-terminal peptide (residues 123-145) isolated from a tryptic digest of the reduced, S-carboxymethylated hCGbeta subunit. The antibody recognition site on the peptide was found to reside on the last 15 amino acid residues of the carboxyl-terminal peptide, as evidenced by the competitive binding activities against 125I-labeled hCG of a series of peptides chemically synthesized according to the carboxyl-terminal sequence of HCGbeta. In order to elucidate the nature of the crossreacting substance in urinary extracts, a human postmenopausal urinary preparation (Pergonal) and a kaolin-acetone extract of urine from a patient with Klinefelter's syndrome were subjected to gel chromatography on Sephadex G-100. The results indicate that fractions showing immunocrossreactivity with the antiserum to hCGbeta-carboxyl-terminal peptide coeluted with 125I-labeled hCG which was separated distinctly from hLH. The same fractions from this postmenopausal urinary gonadotropin preparation exhibited in vitro biological activity proportional to the immunocrossreactivity of the hCG-specific antiserum. Concentration of postmenopausal women's urine by acetone precipitation retained approximately five times more immunoreactivity per unit volume than kaolin-acetone extraction, when assayed with the antiserum to hCGbeta-carboxyl-terminal peptide.

A new radioimmunoassay for follicle-stimulating hormone in macaques: ovulatory menstrual cycles

A sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay system for macaque follicle-stimulating hormone (mFSH) was developed utilizing an antiserum (H-31) prepared in a rabbit against purified ovine FSH as the immunogen. Sera from castrated female, adult male, and juvenile rhesus monkeys, as well as urinary extracts from castrated rhesus and bonnet monkeys, were used to demonstrate parallelism with a standard of partially purified monkey pituitary gonadotropins (LER-M-907-D). An extract of baboon pituitary tissue also showed parallelism with the reference standard. A highly purified pituitary extract (WP-X-105-28), containing approximately 75% macaque luteinizing hormone (mLH) and 1% mFSH, was used to demonstrate the specificity of this mFSH assay system. Sera and urinary extracts obtained from hypophysectomized monkeys did not show cross-reactivity in the assay. Macaque chorionic gonadotropin (mCG) did not produce an inhibition curve in the assay, as determined from serum samples and urinary extracts collected from pregnant monkeys at the time of peak mCG secretion. Serum concentrations of mFSH were suppressed in ovariectomized monkeys by the administration of ethinyl estradiol for 3 days, but returned to near pretreatment values by 96 h after the last estradiol administration. The determination of serum mFSH concentrations in daily blood samples obtained from 20 rhesus monkeys throughout ovulatory menstrual cycles revealed a pattern similar to that previously reported for the rhesus monkey and the woman. The peak value of serum mFSH during the menstrual cycle coincided with the midcycle surge of mLH in each case. The gonadotropin peaks were preceded by increasing serum concentrations of estradiol and followed by rises in the serum concentrations of progesterone. The follicular phase of the menstrual cycle was characterized by continuously decreasing serum concentrations of mFSH, reaching a preovulatory nadir 48 h prior to the midcycle mFSH and mLH surges. Serum mFSH concentrations following the midcycle gonadotropin surges decreased progressively as serum progesterone concentrations increased and reached a plateau, and then increased during the last week of the menstrual cycle as corpus luteum function was waning. We have prepared a large pool of antiserum for distribution under the aegis of the Contraceptive Development Branch of the Center for Population Research, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Limitation of the specific serum radioimmunoassay for human chorionic gonadotropin in the management of trophoblastic neoplasms

Two cases of recurrent trophoblastic disease are presented in which human chorionic gonadotropin was detected in assays of urine concentrates at a time when serum levels were undetectable by a sensitive and specific beta-subunit radioimmunoassay. The potential greater usefulness of measurements of urinary concentrates is discussed.

Diagnosis of pregnancy in chimpanzees using the nonhuman primate pregnancy test kit

The usefulness of The Nonhuman Primate Pregnancy Test kit for diagnosis of pregnancy in chimpanzees was determined. This hemagglutination inhibition test for urinary chorionic gonadotropin accurately indicated conception by positive responses in 151 to 153 specimens collected between 20 and 133 days after the estimated day of fertilization. The rate of false positive responses did not exceed 1%.