Structure of human rhinovirus complexed with Fab fragments from a neutralizing antibody

We have determined the structure of a human rhinovirus (HRV)-Fab complex by using cryoelectron microscopy and image reconstruction techniques. This is the first view of an intact human virus complexed with a monoclonal Fab (Fab17-IA) for which both atomic structures are known. The surface area on HRV type 14 (HRV14) in contact with Fab17-IA was approximately 500 A2 (5 nm2), which is much larger than the area that constitutes the NIm-IA epitope (on viral protein VP1) defined by natural escape mutants. From modeling studies and electrostatic potential calculations, charged residues outside the neutralizing immunogenic site IA (NIm-IA) were also predicted to be involved in antibody recognition. These predictions were confirmed by site-specific mutations and analysis of the Fab17-IA-HRV14 complex, along with knowledge of the crystallographic structures of HRV14 and Fab17-IA. The bound Fab17-IA reaches across a surface depression (the canyon) and meets a related Fab at the nearest icosahedral twofold axis. By adjusting the elbow angles of the bound Fab fragments from 162 degrees to 198 degrees, an intact antibody molecule can be easily modeled. This, along with aggregation and binding stoichiometry results, supports the earlier proposal that this antibody binds bivalently to the surface of HRV14 across icosahedral twofold axes. One prediction of this model, that the intact canyon-spanning immunoglobulin G molecule would block attachment of the virus to HeLa cells, was confirmed experimentally.

Effect of orthovanadate on tyrosine phosphorylation of P120 GTPase-activating protein in rat liver macrophages (Kupffer cells)

GTPase-activating protein (GAP), a protein capable of regulating the activity of p21ras protein, is phosphorylated on tyrosine residues following the activation of tyrosine kinase(s) associated with several growth factor receptors. The present study was designed to examine potential role of phosphotyrosine phosphatase in tyrosine phosphorylation of GAP. Addition of orthovanadate, a phosphate analogue known to inhibit phosphotyrosine phosphatase, to cultured liver macrophages induced tyrosine phosphorylation of numerous cellular proteins with a range of molecular weights between 30-130 kDa; one tyrosine-phosphorylated protein was identified as the 120 kDa GAP. The effect of orthovanadate on the tyrosine phosphorylation of GAP was time- and concentration-dependent. Quantitated data indicated that approximately 4% of the total content of cellular GAP was tyrosine-phosphorylated upon orthovanadate treatment. These observations suggest a potential regulatory role of phosphotyrosine phosphatase in the tyrosine phosphorylation of GTPase-activating protein in cellular signaling mechanisms in the hepatic macrophages.

Immunoregulatory effects of superantigens: interactions of staphylococcal enterotoxins with host MHC and non-MHC products

Staphylococcus aureus carries a highly conserved set of genes which encode a set of secreted enterotoxins. Although it is likely that these enterotoxins affect the host/parasite in favor of the bacterium, we do not understand the molecular basis of this interaction. We summarize recent evidence that defines two types of interaction between the bacterial toxin and host cellular receptors that may subvert the host immune response to S. aureus. An interaction between the toxin and class II products on APC can result in inhibition of costimulatory activity and thus impair clonal expansion of T cells specific for bacterial antigens. Studies using anti-class II antibodies suggest that this may reflect transmission of a negative signal to APC after ligation of class II products. A second interaction between a subset of toxins, including SEC, with non-MHC products stimulates both T-cell proliferation as well as toxin-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTL). We put forward the hypothesis that this interaction reflects binding of a VCAM-1-like subsequence of SEC to VLA-4 expressed by activated target cells. We suggest that this interaction may serve to inhibit the host response by subversion of lymphocyte homing to sites of infection by SEC-producing staphylococci and by local elimination of (VLA-4+) memory T cells.

Prevention of phospholipase-C induced aggregation of low density lipoprotein by amphipathic apolipoproteins

Phospholipase C (PL-C) digestion of human low density lipoprotein (LDL) results in hydrolytic cleavage of the phosphocholine head group of phosphatidylcholine, thereby generating diacylglycerol. Loss of amphiphillic surface lipids and/or accumulation of diacylglycerol causes LDL samples to develop turbidity. Examination of PL-C treated LDL by electron microscopy revealed a progressive aggregation of LDL as a function of phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis: fused particles, clusters, and multiple stacked aggregates were observed. Lipid analysis of untreated and aggregated LDL confirmed that the phosphatidylcholine content of the latter had decreased with a corresponding increase in diacylglycerol. It is likely that phospholipolysis created hydrophobic gaps within the surface monolayer of LDL, thereby inducing LDL fusion and aggregation. When amphipathic alpha-helix-containing apolipoproteins, such as human apoA-I or Manduca sexta apolipophorin III (apoLp-III) were present, PL-C treated LDL did not aggregate. Compositional analysis of apolipoprotein-containing PL-C LDL showed that phospholipolysis was not affected by the presence of apolipoproteins. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of lipoproteins re-isolated following incubation with PL-C revealed an association of apoA-I or apoLp-III with PL-C digested LDL. Electron microscopy showed no major morphological differences between native LDL and apoprotein stabilized PL-C treated LDL and the average particle diameter of apoA-I stabilized PL-C LDL was 22.5 +/- 2.2 nm versus 22.8 +/- 1.6 nm for control LDL. Incubation of tritium-labeled apoLp-III with LDL and PL-C demonstrated that association of apoLp-III with PL-C LDL correlated with the extent of phospholipid hydrolysis, the apolipoproteins apparently being recruited to compensate for the increased hydrophobic surface created by conversion of phosphatidylcholine into diacylglycerol. The results suggest that transient association of amphipathic apolipoproteins with damaged or unstable LDL may provide a mechanism to obviate formation of atherogenic LDL aggregates in vivo.

Production of anti-tumor human monoclonal antibodies using different approaches

The production of anti-tumor human monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) by human-human or human-mouse hybridoma technology was studied. UC729-6, a human lymphoblastoid cell line, or NS-1, a mouse myeloma cell line, were fused with lymphocytes isolated from regional lymph modes of 26 patients with breast or gastrointestinal cancer, resulting in 130 immunoglobulin-secreting human-human hybrids and 21 human-mouse hybrids. The supernatants of 88 hybrids were screened against a panel of cancer cells. The supernatants of 37 human-human hybrids and 2 human-mouse hybrids reacted with cancer cell lines. After three times subcloning, only one anti-breast cancer hybrid human MAb, IgG(lambda) human-human hybridoma (MUBL-6), and one anti-gastric cancer human MAb, IgM(lambda) human-mouse hybridoma (HMG-1), were obtained. The antibody-secreting level was 1-4 micrograms/ml/24 h. Production of anti-breast cancer human MAbs by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) hybridoma was also studied. Human lymphocytes were derived from draining lymph nodes of a breast cancer patient, whose serum antibody strongly reacted with tumor associated antigen (TAA). The enriched B cells were transformed with EBV in vitro. Positive antibody-secreting B cells were selected, expanded, and fused with heteromyeloma SHMD-33. The fusion frequency was 28/10(7) lymphocytes. Among them were 16 hybridomas secreting human immunoglobulin. After subcloning, 60% of the cloned hybridomas kept their antibody-secreting ability. Six observed hybridomas remained stable for more than 1 year in tissue cultures. The antibody-secreting level was 2.9-30 micrograms/ml/24 h. Supernatants from these hybridomas all reacted with breast cancer cell lines but not with gastric cancer cell lines.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Studies on CD spectra of derivatives of shikonin and alkannin]

The circular dichroism (CD) and electronic absorption spectra of seven derivatives of shikonin and alkannin isolated from the roots of Onosma confertum W.W. Smith (from Sichuan) and Arnebia euchroma (Royle) Johust (from Xinjiang) were described. Each pair of CD spectra obtained was exact mirror images and the UV spectra of these compounds were very similar. In comparison with the CD spectra of shikonin given in literature, the configuration of the pigments from Sichuan was assigned R and from Xinjiang were all S.

[Culture medium for protocorm differentiation in Dendrodium candidum Wall. ex Lindl]

Effects of basal culture medium, sucrose concentration, natural extracts and phytohormones on protocorm differentiation were studied. The suitable medium for protocorm differentiation has been found to be 1/2Ms basal medium plus 2% w/v sucrose, 2mg/L BA, 0.2mg/L NAA and 20% (w/v) potato extract.

Frequency of residual neoplasm in the prostate following three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy

The incidence of residual neoplastic cells on prostatic biopsy following conventional external beam radiotherapy is reported to range from 40-90%. As a result, it has been stated that current modalities of radiotherapy may carry an unacceptable local failure rate even in patients irradiated for low stage disease. In order to assess the potential benefits of three-dimensional (3-D) treatment planning, an unselected, consecutive group of patients with localized adenocarcinoma of the prostate was evaluated. This study was designed to determine the frequency of residual cancer in the prostate two years following definitive external beam radiotherapy designed, using a 3-D planning system. Between February 1988 and February 1989, 30 consecutive patients with localized (Stage T1-T3NxMo) adenocarcinoma of the prostate received definitive external beam radiotherapy. All treatment fields were designed with a computed tomography (CT)-based 3-D treatment planning system, resulting in a static conformal radiotherapy plan. The minimum dose delivered to the target volume, which included the prostate, periprostatic tissues, and a 1 cm margin, was between 65 and 69 cGy. Twenty-six patients had Stage T1, T2NxMo primary tumors and four were T3NxMo. Two years following the completion of treatment, all patients underwent digital rectal examination, transrectal ultrasound examination of the prostate with multiple biopsies, bone scan, and serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) determinations. Residual prostate cancer was proven by biopsy in six of 30 patients (20%). Four of 26 (15%) with Stage T1 and T2 tumors had a positive biopsy. However, two of the four Stage T3 tumors had postradiation biopsies positive for cancer (50%). Only one patient with a positive biopsy had an abnormal rectal examination. Five of the eight patients with elevated serum PSA levels after two years had residual neoplasia identified on biopsy. One of six patients with an abnormal postradiation ultrasound had residual tumor. Only one of the 22 patients (5%) with a normal serum PSA at two years had a positive postradiation biopsy. In patients with localized prostate cancer, the use of 3-D static conformal radiotherapy followed by multiple ultrasound guided biopsies confirmed the efficacy of external beam radiotherapy in low stage disease. We believe that the low incidence of positive biopsies in this study resulted from the benefits of 3-D treatment planning as well as the fact that all patients were evaluated, whereas past studies have been in selected patient groups when suspicion of residual disease existed prior to biopsy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Comparative efficacy of pivmecillinam and cotrimoxazole in acute shigellosis in children

In a prospective randomized double-blind trial, pivmecillinam was compared with cotrimoxazole (TMP-SMX), both given orally for a period of 5 days, for the treatment of 59 children with shigellosis. 29 patients were treated with pivmecillinam and 30 with cotrimoxazole. 14% of shigella organisms isolated were resistant to pivmecillinam and 21% to TMP-SMX. The diarrhea persisted for a mean (+/- SD) period of 74 +/- 24.8 h in the pivmecillinam-treated patients versus 73.8 +/- 34 h in the TMP-SMX-treated patients. Duration of fever, positive stool culture, visible blood, occult blood, and pus cells in the stools were similar for both treatment groups. Five patients (17%) in the pivmecillinam group and 4 patients (13%) in the cotrimoxazole group fulfilled the clinical criteria that defined treatment failure. One patient (3.4%) in the pivmecillinam group and 2 (6.6%) in the TMP-SMX group evidenced recurrence of the diarrheal symptoms at the follow-up visit. No major drug-related side effects were observed in either group. We concluded that pivmecillinam is equivalent to cotrimoxazole in the treatment of shigellosis in children.

Effects of smoked substance abuse on nonspecific airway hyperresponsiveness

Previous data suggest that regular tobacco smoking may lead to nonspecific airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) independent of airway obstruction, possibly because of effects on bronchial inflammation or mucosal permeability. Little is known concerning the effects on AHR of other widely smoked substances besides tobacco such as marijuana or cocaine. The smoke of both marijuana and cocaine contains respiratory irritants that elicit cough and produce abnormalities in airway dynamics and bronchial mucosal histopathology in habitual smokers. Therefore, regular smoking of one or both of these illicit substances could cause AHR or augment the AHR associated with tobacco smoking. The present study examined the influence of habitual smoking of marijuana, cocaine, and/or tobacco on nonspecific AHR in 542 (456 male) healthy participants (mean age, 34.8 +/- 6.8 SD yr) in an ongoing cohort study of the pulmonary effects of habitual smoking of illicit substances. Subjects with a history of intravenous drug abuse, significant occupational exposures, asthma, or recent upper respiratory tract infection were excluded. Inhalation challenge studies were performed using solutions of diluent and methacholine chloride (1.25 to 25 mg/ml) aerosolized by a DeVilbiss no. 646 nebulizer attached to a breath-activated dosimeter inhaled by three to five inspiratory capacity breaths. Positive responses to methacholine were defined by > or = 20% or > or = 10% declines in FEV1 from the postdiluent control value after inhalation of each concentration of methacholine. Participants were categorized by smoking status (nonsmoking and smoking of marijuana, cocaine, and/or tobacco alone and in combination); most analyses were performed in men and women separately.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Protein tyrosine phosphorylation and regulation of the receptor for platelet-activating factor in rat Kupffer cells. Effect of sodium vanadate

Platelet-activating factor (1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, AGEPC) and sodium vanadate (a phosphotyrosine phosphatase inhibitor) induced a time- and concentration-dependent increase in phosphotyrosine in several proteins and stimulated prostaglandin (PG) E2 production in cultured rat Kupffer cells. In addition, vanadate induced a decrease in the surface expression of AGEPC receptors and, as a consequence, inhibited AGEPC-stimulated PGE2 production. The vanadate-induced decrease in the surface expression of AGEPC receptors was time- and concentration-dependent and was partially prevented by genistein, a putative tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Upon removal of vanadate from the culture medium and re-incubation of cells in vanadate-free medium, the surface AGEPC receptors were restored within 7 h after the removal of vanadate. Both AGEPC- and vanadate-stimulated PGE2 formation was attenuated by genistein. Thus the present investigation demonstrates that both AGEPC and sodium vanadate stimulate tyrosine phosphorylation of cellular proteins, and vanadate induces a decrease in the number of the surface AGEPC receptors. These results suggest that protein tyrosine phosphorylation may play a role, directly or indirectly, in the regulation of surface expression of AGEPC receptors as well as in PGE2 production in response to vanadate and AGEPC.

Determination of free valproic acid: evaluation of the Centrifree system and comparison between high-performance liquid chromatography and enzyme immunoassay

Valproic Acid (VPA) is an important drug for the treatment of several types of seizures because it has a wide spectrum of activity. Since VPA has an unusual nonlinear binding characteristic and a wide interindividual variation, monitoring of its free concentration can be helpful in patient management. The determination of unbound VPA is more difficult because an extra sample preparation step is needed and the concentration of free VPA is low. Free drug monitoring can assume a more important role if there is a refinement in the technology. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with isocratic elution has been established for the analysis of the 4-bromomethyl-7-methoxycoumarin (BrMMC) derivative of free VPA. This method has a better sensitivity, linearity, and precision than enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Ultrafiltration with the Centrifree system was evaluated for the sample preparation. The influence of centrifuge times, relative centrifugal forces, and the starting sample amounts on the final results of the ultrafiltration were investigated. There was a satisfactory correlation between the free VPA levels determined by the HPLC method and the concentrations obtained by EIA. The total and free VPA were determined on 100 samples from 36 patients. The total VPA levels were in a range of 25 to 208 micrograms/ml, free VPA concentrations ranged from 1.92 to 55.75 micrograms/ml with the free fractions from 7 to 37%.

Acetylation of O-specific lipopolysaccharides from Shigella flexneri 3a and 2a occurs in Escherichia coli K-12 carrying cloned S. flexneri 3a and 2a rfb genes

Most of the Shigella flexneri O-specific serotypes result from O-acetyl and/or glucosyl groups added to a common O-repeating unit of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) molecule. The genes involved in acetylation and/or glucosylation of S. flexneri LPS are physically located on lysogenic bacteriophages, whereas the rfb cluster contains the biosynthesis genes for the common O-repeating unit (D.A.R. Simmons and E. Romanowska, J. Med. Microbiol. 23:289-302, 1987). Using a cosmid cloning strategy, we have cloned the rfb regions from S. flexneri 3a and 2a. Escherichia coli K-12 containing plasmids pYS1-5 (derived from S. flexneri 3a) and pEY5 (derived from S. flexneri 2a) expressed O-specific LPS which reacted immunologically with S. flexneri polyvalent O antiserum. However, O-specific LPS expressed in E. coli K-12 also reacted with group 6 antiserum, indicating the presence of O-acetyl groups attached to one of the rhamnose components of the O-repeating unit. This was confirmed by measuring the amounts of acetate released from purified LPS samples and also by the chemical removal of O-acetyl groups, which abolished group 6 reactivity. The O-acetylation phenotype was absent in an E. coli strain with an sbcB-his-rfb chromosomal deletion and could be restored upon conjugation of F' 129, which carries sequences corresponding to a portion of the deleted region. Our data demonstrate that E. coli K-12 strains possess a novel locus which directs the O acetylation of LPS and is located in the sbcB-rfb region of the chromosomal map.

[An anatomic study of transpedicular posterior fixation of spine and its clinical application]

Intact anatomic specimens of spinal column from T8-L5 were obtained and the height and width of vertebral pedicles, the distance between the pedicle to the upper and lower borders of the vertebral body, the angle of inclination of the coronal surface of vertebral pedicles, and other parameters were measured. Simulating pedicle screw implant in operation, K-wires were inserted into the pedicles and after taking X-ray films the pedicles were sectioned transversely. A series of morphologic parameters of the pedicles were obtained. The distances between the two K-wires' entry and exit points, and between the two pedicles of the same or the adjacent vertebra were measured. The relationships of the sites of determining the pedicle screw site was evaluated also from roentgenograms. Twenty two patients of thoracolumbar fracture were treated. The vertebral body height, kyphotic deformity and the displacement were corrected obviously. After operation the neural functions from incomplete paraplegia were recovered. Several problems about the pedicle screw implant technique were discussed.

Construction of a GAL1-regulated yeast cDNA expression library and its application to the identification of genes whose overexpression causes lethality in yeast

We have constructed a galactose-inducible expression library by cloning yeast cDNAs unidirectionally under control of the GAL1 promoter in a centromeric shuttle vector. Eleven independent libraries were made each with an average size of about 1 x 10(6) clones, about 50 times larger than the reported mRNA population in a yeast cell. From this library, LEU2 and HIS3 cDNAs were recovered at a frequency of about 1 in 10(4) and in 12 out of 13 cases these were expressed in a galactose-dependent manner. Sequence analysis of leu2 and his3 complementing cDNAs indicates that they contain all the coding sequence and much of the 5' untranslated region. To test the utility of the library for the identification of genes whose overexpression confers a specific phenotype, we screened 25,000 yeast transformants for lethality on galactose. Among 15 clones that showed galactose inducible lethality were cDNAs encoding structural proteins, including ACT1 (actin), TUB2 (beta-tubulin) and ABP1 (actin-binding protein 1), and genes in signal transduction pathways, including TPK1 (a cAMP-dependent protein kinase) and GLC7 (type 1 protein phosphatase). cDNAs overexpressing NHPB (nonhistone protein B) and NSR1 (nuclear sequence recognition protein) were also found to be lethal. Among these, ACT1 was isolated four times, and NSR1 three times. The useful features of this library for cDNA cloning in yeast by complementation, and for the identification of genes whose over-expression confers specific phenotypes, are discussed.

Regulation of the surface expression of the platelet-activating factor receptor in IC-21 peritoneal macrophages. Effects of lipopolysaccharide

The effect of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the expression of the receptor for platelet-activating factor (1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; AGEPC) was examined in cultured IC-21 peritoneal macrophages. AGEPC binding to its receptors reached saturation within 20 min at 25 degrees C and was reversible. Scatchard analysis revealed a single class of AGEPC receptors with a Bmax of approximately 170 fmol/mg cellular protein and a Kd of 0.25 nM. Preincubation of IC-21 cells with LPS (0.01-1,000 ng/ml) induced an increase in the surface expression of AGEPC receptors in a time- and concentration-dependent fashion. The maximal effect of LPS on the AGEPC receptor was observed between 5 and 8 h, with a typical increase between 150 and 200%. Scatchard analysis indicated that LPS treatment of IC-21 cells increased the number of AGEPC receptors on the cell surface without any apparent change in the affinity of the receptor for the ligand. The effect of LPS on the surface expression of the AGEPC receptor was nearly abolished by cycloheximide (0.1 mM) and by actinomycin D (3 microM), suggesting the involvement of enhanced receptor protein synthesis and mRNA production in this event. Moreover, LPS treatment increased the capability of the IC-21 cell to respond to AGEPC addition by elevating intracellular free Ca2+ without causing an increase in the basal level of intracellular Ca2+. The present study demonstrates that IC-21 peritoneal macrophages possess high affinity AGEPC receptors and provides the evidence that the number of functional AGEPC receptors on a cell can be increased significantly upon exposure to LPS.

31P-NMR study of the phospholipid moiety of lipophorin subspecies

31P-NMR spectra of four distinct subspecies of Manduca sexta hemolymph lipophorin revealed the presence of two resonances separated by 0.6 ppm. Phospholipid analysis of the lipoproteins showed that phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) were present and their mass ratio correlated well to the intensity of the two resonances in each of the different subspecies. The two resonances persisted in 31P-NMR spectra of organic solvent extracts of lipophorin. These results, together with the fact that PE, but not PC, can form an intramolecular hydrogen bond between the phosphate oxygen and the amino group of ethanolamine, resulting in deshielding of the phosphorus nucleus (and a 0.6 ppm downfield shift), strongly suggest the resonances observed represent the PC and PE components of these lipoproteins. 31P-NMR line-width data obtained as a function of temperature and solvent viscosity were used to calculate the chemical shift anisotropy (delta sigma), intrinsic viscosity (eta'), and lateral diffusion coefficients (DT) of PC and PE in different lipophorin subspecies. eta' and DT for PC and PE were similar among high-density lipophorins but differed in low-density lipophorin (LDLp). These differences may be related to the large increase in diacylglycerol content in this particle and/or the association of up to 16 molecules of apolipophorin III. On the basis of the known lipid compositional differences between LDLp and high-density lipophorin subspecies, we propose that uptake of large amounts of diacylglycerol during LDLp formation results in partitioning of this lipid to the surface monolayer where it intercalates between phospholipid molecules. Diacylglycerol intercalation creates gaps between phospholipid head groups that expose the hydrophobic surface.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of insulin on steady state kinetics of GLUT4 subcellular distribution in rat adipocytes. Evidence of constitutive GLUT4 recycling

We labeled rat adipocyte cell surface glucose transporters with an impermeable, photoreactive glucose analogue, 1,3-bis-(3-deoxy-D-glucopyranose-3-yloxy)-2-propyl 4-benzoylbenzoate (B3GL) and its radioactive tracer [3H]B3GL. The labeling did not affect glucose transporter subcellular distribution in basal and insulin-stimulated adipocytes. When basal or insulin-stimulated adipocytes were labeled with [3H]B3GL and incubated at 37 degrees C in steady state, labeled GLUT4 was rapidly reduced at the cell surface and stoichiometrically recovered in microsomes without any change in GLUT4 protein levels in either pool. The labeled GLUT4 equilibrium exchange was found to be a simple first order process describable by two first order rate constants, one for internalization (k(in)) and the other for externalization (kex). Insulin affected both rate constants, reducing k(in) by 2.8-fold and increasing kex by 3.3-fold. It is concluded that GLUT4 constantly and rapidly recycles in adipocytes between the cell surface and its storage pool, and insulin increases the cell surface GLUT4 level in rat adipocytes by modulating both the internalization and the externalization steps of constitutively recycling GLUT4.