Repertoire of Abs primed by bacteria in gnotobiotic mice

Innate immunity natural Abs (NAbs) execute a number of functions, including protection and surveillance. Despite active research, the stimuli that induce the formation of NAbs are still described only hypothetically. Here, we compared repertoires of anti-glycan Abs in the peripheral blood of mice that received per os various bacteria. The repertoires of Abs of mice primed in this way were compared using a microarray that included about 350 glycans, as well as 150 bacterial polysaccharides. Sterile mice did not possess anti-glycan Abs. Oral inoculation of a single strain or combination of two to four strains of bacteria, as well as putting the animals on short-term nutrition with non-sterile food, did not contribute significantly to the formation of Abs, whereas a single gavage of digested food of non-sterile mice induced the formation of a repertoire close to the natural ones. Interestingly, the priming with polysaccharide Ags (in a composition of the bacterial cell envelope), that is, dominant Ags of bacteria, led to the induction of Abs against typical glycans of mammalian glycoproteins and glycolipids (e.g. Abs of the ABH blood group system) that do not have a structural similarity to the polysaccharides. The results support the importance of early contact with a naïve immune system with microorganisms of the environment to form a normal NAbs repertoire.

Multiplex determination of serological signatures in the sera of colorectal cancer patients using hydrogel biochips

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignancy in industrialized countries. Despite the advances in diagnostics and development of new drugs, the 5-year survival remains only 60-65%. Our approach to early diagnostics of CRC is based on the determination of serological signatures with an array of hemispherical hydrogel cells containing immobilized proteins and oligosaccharides (glycochip). The compounds immobilized on the glycochip include tumor-associated glycans (SiaTn, Tn, TF, Le(C) , Le(Y) , SiaLe(A) , and Manβ1-4GlcNAcβ) and antibodies against human immunoglobulins IgG, IgA, and IgM. The glycochip detects antibodies against tumor-associated glycans in patients' sera. The simultaneous measurement of the levels of immunoglobulins enhances the diagnostic impact of the signatures. In this work, we found previously unreported increase in antibodies against oligosaccharide Manβ1-4GlcNAcβ in patients with CRC. In parallel with these experiments, we determined the levels of oncomarkers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cancer antigen (CA) 19-9, CA 125, CA 15-3, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) using another gel-based biochip with immobilized antibodies (oncochip) developed earlier in our laboratory. In total, 69 samples from healthy donors, 33 from patients with colorectal carcinoma, and 27 from patients with inflammatory bowel diseases were studied. The use of combined signatures of antiglycan antibodies and oncomarkers provides much better predictive value than the conventional measurement of oncomarkers CEA and CA 19-9. Positive predictive value of CRC diagnoses using together glycochip and oncochip reached 95% with the sensitivity and specificity 88% and 98%, respectively. Thus, the combination of antibody profiling with detection of conventional oncomarkers proved to be a promising tool in diagnostics of CRC.

[Genetic and clinical characteristics of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome]

In a group of 140 patients with typical phenotype, the 22q11.2 microdeletion was detected in 43 patients (32%) using FISH and MLPA methods. There were no deletions of other chromosomal loci leading to phenotypes similar to the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS). Sequencing of the TBX1 gene did not detect any mutations, except for some common neutral polymorphisms. For the first time in the Russian Federation, the diagnostic efficiency of 22q11.2DS appeared to be 32%, as a result of the application of a combination of genetic approaches for a large group of patients with suspected 22q11.2DS.

[Generation and application of dynamic standard reference intervals for analyzing results of comparative genomic hybridization]

The present work was aimed at generating the dynamic standard reference intervals (DSRI) and their application for chromosomal-aberration (CA) analysis. The evaluation of the generated DSRI was performed using the DNA samples from four patients with already known CA. High-resolution comparative genomic hybridization analysis (HR-CGH) allowed us to not only identify all of the CAs, that were not revealed by CGH, but also to detect the breakpoints and to determine the size of chromosomal imbalance.

Changes in the repertoire of natural antibodies caused by immunization with bacterial antigens

The repertoire of natural anti-glycan antibodies in naïve chickens and in chickens immunized with bacteria Burkholderia mallei, Burkholderia pseudomallei, and Francisella tularensis as well as with peptides from an outer membrane protein of B. pseudomallei was studied. A relatively restricted pattern of natural antibodies (first of all IgY against bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan fragments, L-Rha, and core N-acetyllactosamine) shrank and, moreover, the level of detectable antibodies decreased as a result of immunization.

A 3-year-old boy with ovotestes: gender reassignment and surgical management

OBJECTIVE

We report a male patient with ovotesticular disorder of sex development (OTDSD), resulting from structurally abnormal Y chromosome.

CASE REPORT

A 3-year-old boy was admitted to the Surgical Pediatric Department for masculinizing reconstruction. He had a clitorophallus, bifid scrotum, perineal hypospadias and bilateral impalpable gonads. Pelvic ultrasound and laparoscopy showed a uterus and two gonads with primary ovarian follicles. Chromosome analysis detected a mos 47,XX,mar/46,XX karyotype. Complex genetic evaluation revealed that the marker was Yp isochromosome. Surgical care included a feminizing genitoplasty and separation of the gonads with total excision of testicular tissue.

CONCLUSIONS

The presented case emphasizes the importance of a systematic approach to the investigation and management of the patients with ovotesticular DSD. It also raises the important issue about gender reassignment in intersex individuals in mid-childhood.

Unique mosaic X/Y translocation/insertion in infant 45,X male

We report on a 45,X male with hydrocephaly, lobar holoprosencephaly and ichthyosis. In situ hybridization and molecular analysis have demonstrated the presence of a mosaic SRY-bearing derivative X chromosome that included Yp and heterochromatic Yq fragments.

2-Aminopyridine—a label for bridging of oligosaccharides HPLC profiling and glycoarray printing

2-Aminopyridine derivatives of oligosaccharides (OS-AP) were printed onto microchips by two different ways. The first method is based on direct covalent insertion of OS-AP in polyacrylamide gel 3D chip. The second method is based on conversion of OS-AP into more reactive OS-aminoalditol followed by covalent printing onto NHS-activated glass slides. This approach extends the range of saccharides suitable for covalent printing due to availability of commercial OS-AP and easy high-performance liquid chromatography separation of glycoprotein N-chains in form of AP derivatives.

Non-starch polysaccharides as correctors in cytostatic therapy of experimental tumors

We studied the effects of low-esterified pectin, calcium pectate, and alginate on the development of transplanted Ehrlich adenocarcinoma and Lewis pulmonary carcinoma and on the efficiency of cyclophosphamide treatment in mice.

Design of carbohydrate multiarrays

Recently, microarray technology has increasingly been widely applied in glycobiology. This technology has rather evident potential advantages: unlimited number of carbohydrate ligands coated onto one small sized chip, enormously low consumption of both carbohydrate ligands and carbohydrate-binding proteins to be tested, etc. Literature data demonstrate that three approaches are used for glycoarray design. The first one is based on the physical adsorption of glycomolecules on a surface (as in a common ELISA), the second one-on covalent immobilization, and the third one-on a streptavidin-biotin system. In all of the described methods, carbohydrate ligands were placed on chips as a 2D monolayer and high sensitivity was achieved due to fluorescent detection. Notably, a tendency of stepping from model chips toward real multiarrays, where the number of carbohydrate ligands can be up to two hundred, has been observed the last 2 years, this already producing a number of interesting findings when studying carbohydrate-binding proteins. In 2005 new construction, 3D glycochip was described, where 150 mum diameter polyacrylamide gel elements serve as microreactors instead of 2D dots. As a result of the 3D placement of a ligand, two orders of magnitude increase of its density is possible, this providing principal signal improvement during fluorescent detection and increasing method sensitivity. At the same time, carbohydrate consumption is low, i.e., approximately 1 pmol per gel element. Copolymerization chemistry enables the immobilization of several glycomolecule classes to the gel, in particular, aminospacered oligosaccharides, polyacrylamide conjugates, and even 2-aminopyridine derivatives of oligosaccharides, which are widely used in the structural analysis of glycoprotein N-chains.

High molecular weight neoglycoconjugates for solid phase assays

Adsorption of a carbohydrate on solid phase is the necessary stage of the immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and analogous methods of the study of carbohydrate-protein interaction. Usually physical adsorption on polystyrene requires a high concentration of conjugated carbohydrate and, thus, enormous consumption of it. In this study, we explored two approaches allowing more rational use of oligosaccharide (Glyc). The first of them is based on the covalent immobilization of neoglycoconjugates on the NH(2)-modified polystyrene; the second one is based on the elevated adherence of high m.w. neoglycoconjugates to polystyrene. Covalent immobilization of polyacrylamide conjugates, Glyc-PAA, provided a possibility to solve the problem, but the nonspecific binding of antibodies in ELISA proved to be unacceptably high. At the same time, the increase of the Glyc-PAA m.w. from 30 kDa to 2,000 kDa allowed a 10-20 fold decrease of its consumption, when using physical adsorption, whereas the assay background remained at the low level. The amount of 2,000 kDa Glyc-PAA that is sufficient for the coating of a standard 96-well plate corresponds to the nanomole level of oligosaccharide, this providing a possibility to use saccharides that are available in a very limited amount when studying the carbohydrate-protein interaction with solid-phase techniques.

Analysis of cell-free fetal DNA in plasma and serum of pregnant women

Sixty blood samples from pregnant women during gestational weeks 9-28 were investigated. Cell-free fetal DNA was extracted from maternal plasma or serum to be detected by nested PCR for determination of fetal gender. The SRY gene as a marker for fetal Y chromosome was detected in 34/36 women carrying a male fetus. In 3/24 women carrying female fetuses, the SRY sequence was also detected. Overall, fetal sex was correctly predicted in 91.7% of the cases. Therefore, the new, non-invasive method of prenatal diagnosis of fetal gender for women at risk of producing children with X-linked disorders is reliable, secure, and can substantially reduce invasive prenatal tests.

Cyclometalated ruthenium(II) complexes as efficient redox mediators in peroxidase catalysis

Cyclometalated ruthenium(II) complexes, [Ru(II)(C~N)(N~N)(2)]PF(6) [HC~N=2-phenylpyridine (Hphpy) or 2-(4'-tolyl)pyridine; N~N=2,2'-bipyridine, 1,10-phenanthroline, or 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine], are rapidly oxidized by H(2)O(2) catalyzed by plant peroxidases to the corresponding Ru(III) species. The commercial isoenzyme C of horseradish peroxidase (HRP-C) and two recently purified peroxidases from sweet potato (SPP) and royal palm tree (RPTP) have been used. The most favorable conditions for the oxidation have been evaluated by varying the pH, buffer, and H(2)O(2) concentrations and the apparent second-order rate constants ( k(app)) have been measured. All the complexes studied are oxidized by HRP-C at similar rates and the rate constants k(app) are identical to those known for the best substrates of HRP-C (10(6)-10(7) M(-1) s(-1)). Both cationic (HRP-C) and anionic (SPP and RPTP) peroxidases show similar catalytic efficiency in the oxidation of the Ru(II) complexes. The mediating capacity of the complexes has been evaluated using the SPP-catalyzed co-oxidation of [Ru(II)(phpy)(bpy)(2)]PF(6) and catechol as a poor peroxidase substrate as an example. The rate of enzyme-catalyzed oxidation of catechol increases more than 10000-fold in the presence of the ruthenium complex. A simple routine for calculating the rate constant k(c) for the oxidation of catechol by the Ru(III) complex generated enzymatically from [Ru(II)(phpy)(bpy)(2)](+) is proposed. It is based on the accepted mechanism of peroxidase catalysis and involves spectrophotometric measurements of the limiting Ru(II) concentration at different concentrations of catechol. The calculated k(c) value of 0.75 M(-1) s(-1) shows that the cyclometalated Ru(II) complexes are efficient mediators in peroxidase catalysis.

[Fluorescent labels for analysis of mono- and oligosaccharides]

Various fluorophores used for improving the chromatographic and electrophoretic separation and the detection sensitivity in the analysis of reducing mono- and oligosaccharides are described. Complex bimodal labels that, in addition to fluorescent moieties, bear some additional functional groups are also discussed.

Analgesic and antiinflammatory activity of antibodies to histamine under experimental conditions

Ultralow doses of antibodies to histamine in produced an antiproliferative effect on experimental animals with inflammation. Analgesic activity of antibodies to histamine was revealed on the model of acetic acid-induced writhing.

Effect of potentiated antibodies to cyclophosphamide on the development of tumors and effectiveness of cytostatic therapy under experimental conditions

Antibodies to cyclophosphamide obtained by homeopathic potentiation and administered in ultralow doses exhibit no antiblastic activity and did not modulate the effectiveness of cyclophosphamide during antitumor therapy of animals with transplanted tumors (Lewis lung carcinoma and Ehrlich adenocarcinoma).

Antiulcer activity of ultralow doses of antibodies to histamine under experimental conditions

Ultralow doses of antibodies to histamine produced a considerable antiulcer effect in rats with gastric ulcers induced by various factors. Antibodies to histamine markedly decreased aggressiveness of the gastric juice.

Experimental study of antiblastic activity in potentiated antibodies to tumor necrosis factor-alpha

In mice with Lewis lung carcinoma and melanoma B-16 administration of potentiated antibodies to tumor necrosis factor-alpha started 1 day after transplantation of a small number of tumor cells (10(6)) produced an antiblastic effect.

Potentiated cyclophosphane: experimental study of the effect on tumor development and efficiency of cytostatic therapy

Experiments on animals with transplanted tumors (Lewis lung carcinoma and carcinosarcoma Walker-256) showed that combination treatment with cyclophosphane and its homeopathically potentiated forms increases antiblastic activity of the preparation.

[Disorders of blood rheology in Walker's carcinosarcoma-256 and in cyclophosphamide treatment of rats]

Tumor process development in rats inoculated with cellular suspension of transplantable Walker's carcinosarcoma-256 involved enhanced thickening of blood on day 7. Treatment with 20 mg/kg cyclophosphamide, thrice a day, every other day, retarded tumor process and brought hemorheologic indices further down, at the same time. Similar treatment of intact rats with cyclophosphamide caused hemorheologic disorders too.

Effect of bioactive additive mammoleptin on development of transplanted tumors in mice

Bioactive additive mammoleptin used for the treatment of fibrocystic breast disease did not stimulate the growth of primary tumors and metastases in mice with transplanted tumors. Mammoleptin in high doses inhibited the growth of Ehrlich adenocarcinoma and metastatic spreading of solid tumors.

[Investigation of fetal cells isolated from maternal blood by different methods]

This paper presents the results of investigation of the isolated from maternal blood by 4 different methods according to the optimized protocols. All women had male fetuses. The mononuclear cells with fetal erythroblasts were preisolated by using density-gradient centrifugation of the maternal blood in the Ficoll solution. Fetal cells were detected by FISH for Y-chromosomal sequences. The fetal cells were 2.1% by fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS); 3.8% by magnetic field sorting, and 2.6% by two-stage density gradient precipitation. The fetal lymphocytes were investigated through air-cultivation of peripheral maternal lymphocytes. Their proportion was 3.9% in the culture samples. The findings lead to the conclusion that the new non-invasive approach is useful for prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal aneuploidies.

[Maternal blood fetal cells: new noninvasive approach in prenatal diagnosis of hereditary diseases]

A new noninvasive approach to prenatal diagnosis of hereditary diseases is being actively developed, which is based on the use of different fetal cells contained in pregnant females. Due to the fact that the native concentration of fetal cells is extremely low, their isolation requires the application of different know-how enrichment and sorting techniques. Either the FISH method with chromosome-specific probes or PCR is used to examine the cell fraction isolated, which detects fetal sex, Mendelian disorders such as beta-globin mutations. Promising results in the prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal aneuploidies were achieved in isolating and examining fetal erythroblasts. The results of numerous studies on the optimization of a protocol for isolating and reliably examining fetal cells from the blood of pregnant females allow the new noninvasive approach to the prenatal diagnosis of hereditary diseases to be considered to be highly promising.

[A noninvasive approach to studying fetal cells for prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal aneuploidies]

Fetal cells isolated from maternal peripheral blood during the second trimester of pregnancy were analyzed. Blood samples were centrifuged in a Ficoll-Paque gradient, the mononuclear cell fraction was isolated and stained with fluorescent monoclonal antibodies against glycophorine A (GPA + PE), transferrin (CD71 + FITC), and Hoechst 33342. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) was conducted on a Vantage flow cytofluorimeter (Becton Dickinson). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with Y chromosome-specific DNA probe revealed fetal cells that exhibited Y signal in all 20 blood samples obtained from women pregnant with healthy male fetuses. The concentration of these fetal cells averaged about 1.34% and ranged from 0.1 to 4.2% in different blood samples. In six cases, blood samples were obtained from pregnant women, in which prenatal cytogenetic analysis revealed various fetal aneuploidies. Using FISH with DNA probes specific for chromosomes X, 18, and 13/21, Fetal cells with chromosomal aberrations were detected in these six maternal blood samples at a concentration from 1.5 to 5.6% (on average 3.7%). These results indicate the possibility of a new noninvasive approach, which is safe for both mother and fetus when used for isolation of fetal cells from pregnant women's blood samples and prenatal diagnosis of a broad spectrum of fetal cell chromosomal aberrations.

[Chromosomal mosaicism of extraembryonic cell membrane, detected during prenatal diagnosis]

Data on detection of chromosomal mosaicism in amnionic cells and chorionic villi obtained by prenatal cytogenic diagnosis are presented. The frequency of chromosomal mosaicism in preparations of amniotic fluid cell culture was 2.6% (6 out of 226), and that in "direct" villus preparations was 1.6% (13 out of 774). The necessity perform an additional analysis of other fetal cells or neonatal lymphocytes to specify the diagnosis was shown. The analysis of the outcome of pregnancies during which chromosomal mosaicism in the extraembryonic cells was detected indicates that these women from a high-risk group of at, both genetically and obstetrically: in only 8 out of 19 cases did pregnancies end in normal deliveries at term; in three cases, spontaneous abortions occurred at 16-31 weeks of gestation; in three cases, the pregnancies were terminated due to fetal chromosomal aberrations in nonmosaic form; the outcome of pregnancy in five cases was preterm delivery of an underweight newborn.