Immunological cross reaction between sera from patients with breast cancer and mouse mammary tumor virus

Sera of Japanese women with breast cancer and without disorders of the mammary gland gave positive immunofluorescence reaction with mouse mammary tumor cells (MMT cells) producing type-A and type-B virus particles. Among these, 55.1% (49/89) of the sera from patients with breast cancer reacted with MMT cells, whereas 60% (3/5) of the sera from patients with benign mammary hyperplasia (2 of 3 mastopathies, 1 of 2 cystosarcoma phyllodes), 30% (12/40) of the patients with other than breast cancer (4 of 14 stomach cancers, 6 of 20 uterine cancers, 1 of 3 lung cancers, 1 of 3 rectum cancers), and 26.5% (18/68) of the sera from apparently healthy women showed positive reaction with MMT cells. Distribution pattern of the specific fluorescence obtained with positive human sera was similar to that resulting from the reaction with rabbit antiserum of type-A particles. Results of absorption studies and blocking tests also suggested that the reaction was due to the antigenic components common to type-A and -B particles. Furthermore, the results of membrane immunofluorescence tests suggested that some human sera also react with envelope antigen(s) of B particles. Antinuclear antibody was found in sera from 15.7% (14/89) of breast cancer patients by the indirect immunofluorescence tests, and antibody cross-reacting with mouse mammary tumor virus was not found in most of the sera from breast cancer patients who have antinuclear antibody.

Demonstration of Hepatitis B e Antigen in the Core of Dane Particles

Dane particles were isolated in a large scale from plasma of asymptomatic carriers of hepatitis B surface antigen. The core of Dane particles was exposed by treatment with NP-40 and 2-mercaptoethanol. The antigenicity of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) was not detected on the surface of Dane particles or of their cores. However, when Dane particle cores were treated with Pronase, some activity of HBeAg was liberated from them as a small molecule. When the cores were further treated with SDS, they revealed a high activity of HBeAg, indicating that HBeAg existed in the core of Dane particles in a cryptic form, which can be exposed by treatment with proteolytic enzyme or SDS. Dane particles and their cores were subjected to polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in SDS. After electrophoresis, the gel was cut into two halves, and each half was determined for polypeptide composition and for HBeAg activity. Both of Dane particles and their cores disclosed two peaks of HBeAg activity associated with molecules with a size of 19,000 and 45,000 daltons. These two polypeptides were the major constituents of the cores. Dane particles revealed several polypeptides in addition to the HBeAg polypeptides, which were identified as hepatitis B surface antigen components. On the basis of the results obtained, HBeAg is an integral component of Dane particles, the presently accepted hepatitis B virions. These results provide the basis for the close correlation between HBeAg and Dane particles in the serum of persons infected with hepatitis B virus.

Pathological studies on a long-term survived case of gamma heavy chain disease--a brief review of 30 reported cases and a proposal for histological typing

A pathological and brief clinical study on the eleventh case of gamma heavy chain (gamma-chain) disease who died at the age of 44 after a long course of 12 years from the assumed onset of the disease was presented. Clinicopathological observations of the case showed a neoplastic nature which caused her death complicated by asthmatic attacks. Autopsy findings were characterized by diffuse infiltration of lymphoplasmacytoid cells and a few large immunoblastic cells into various organs. Literatures of 30 cases reported in the past, and the modern concept of lymphoma strongly suggest that the classificatory position of gamma-chain disease as well as Waldenström's macroglobulinemia should be placed between multiple myeloma and classic malignant lymphoma as an independent disease entity belonging to the same category. A proposal of histological typing of the disease was made in order to simplify various diagnostic designations in the literatures:--gamma-chain disease, 1) reticular type, 2) lymphocytic predominance, 3) plasmacytic predominance, 4) lymphoplasmacytoid cell type, 5) immunoblastic type. The present case belongs to type 4.

Duality of hepatitis B e antigen in serum of persons infected with hepatitis B virus: evidence for the nonidentity of e antigen with immunoglobulins

Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) is detected in the serum of some persons infected with hepatitis B virus. Owing to a close correlation of HBeAg and hepatitis B virus in the serum, it has been used as a practical indicator of infectivity. Two entities of HBeAg activity physicochemically different from each other were demonstrated in the serum of persons infected with hepatitis B virus. One was associated with a molecule that precipitated in 1.33 M ammonium sulfate solution, was larger than IgG, and had an electrophoretic mobility in the beta- to gamma-globulin regions and an isoelectric point of approximately pH 5.7. In contrast, the other HBeAg activity was associated with a molecule that was soluble in 1.33 M ammonium sulfate solution, was smaller than IgG, and had an electrophoretic mobility in the alpha-globulin region and an isoelectric point at pH 4.8. In spite of their marked physicochemical differences, a line of antigenic identity was clearly observed for them when they were tested against antibody to HBeAg by a them when they were tested against antibody to HBeAg by a double immunodiffusion method. The HBeAg activity associated with the large molecule was completely removed by an affinity column of anti-IgG, whereas the activity of the small molecule was not. These results indicate that, in the serum, HBeAg exists as a molecule smaller than IgG and also in association with IgG.

Failure of antibody to e antigen to precipitate Dane particles containing DNA polymerase activity and hepatitis B core antigen

Serum samples of 67 asymptomatic carriers were tested for Dane particles by electron microscopy, and for e antigen by immunodiffusion, as well as for hepatitis B antigen-associated DNA polymerase activity, and four samples enriched with respect to Dane particles were selected. Hepatitis B antigen particles in them were separated from e antigen and concentrated by centrifugation, and the Dane-rich preparations were incubated with buffer, antibody to e antigen (anti-HBe) or antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen. After centrifugation, the supernatant was tested for DNA polymerase activity, and both supernatant and precipitate were tested for hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) by the immune adherence haemagglutination method after the coat of the Dane particles had been disrupted with NP-40 and 2-mercaptoethanol. It was found that anti-HBe did not precipitate Dane particles as measured by DNA polymerase activity and HBcAg. On the basis of the results obtained, it has been concluded that e antigen does not exist on the surface of hepatitis B virions.

Effects of prostaglandins on Na transport in isolated collecting tubules

Direct tubular effects of prostaglandins (PG's) on Na transport were examined in isolated cortical and medullary collecting tubules of rabbits perfused in vitro. The animals were treated with deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA, 1 mg kg-1 day-1, i.m.) for 3-6 days before experiments. In the cortical collecting tubules PGE2 (1.2 X 10(-7)-2.5 X 10(-5) M), E1 (1.2 x 10(-5) M) and F2alpha (1.2 x 10(-5) M) added to the bath caused reversible decreases in transtubular potential difference (PDt). But neither PGE2 (1.2 X 10(-5) M) added to the perfusate nor PGA2 (1.2 X 10(-5) M) added to the bath had an effect on PDt. The net Na absorption was decreased with PGE2 (1.2 X 10(-5) M) added to the bath from 8.6 +/- 1.36 to 1.5 +/- 1.04 pEq cm-1 s-1 (P is less than 0.02). In rabbits not pretreated with DOCA, the net Na absorption was reduced from 2.73 +/- 0.74 to 1.02 +/- 0.74 pEq cm-1 s-1 (P is less than 0.01). In the outer medullary collecting tubules PGE2 (1.2 X 10(-5) M) added to the bath also caused a reversible decrease in PDt. It is concluded that PGE2, F2alpha and E1 inhibit Na absorption in the collecting tubules by acting on the peritubular membrane.

Determination of e antigen and antibody to e by means of passive hemagglutination method

A simple and sensitive method was developed for the detection of e antigen and antibody to e (anti-e) by means of the passive hemagglutination (PHA) method. Sheep erythrocytes were fixed by glutraraldehyde and coated with either e antigen or anti-e which had been specifically purified from plasma of asymptomatic carriers of hepatitis B antigen by affinity column chromatography, and then by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. A gain in specific activity of more than 2000-fold for e antigen and 100-fold for anti-e was achieved as compared with the original plasma pool which was used as the source for purification. The PHA method was at least 300 times more sensitive than the conventional immunodiffusion method both for e antigen and anti-e assays. When the PHA method was applied for neat serum samples of 80 asymptomatic carriers, e antigen was found in 21.3% and anti-e in 62.5%, at rates much higher than those determined by immunodiffusion for the identical serum samples at 3-fold concentration (16.3 and 30.0%, respectively).

Hepatitis B e antigen and infectivity of hepatitis B virus

For confirmation of the difference in the infectivity of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBS Ag)-positive serum according to differences in the e antigen system, four chimpanzees were inoculated with serum positive for hepatitis B e antigen (HBe Ag), and three chimpanzees were inoculated with serum positive for antibody to HBe Ag (anti-HBe). Since the infectivity titrations are not yet completed, the end infectivity titer of each serum is not known. All four chimpanzees given injections of 10(-1), 10(-4), or 10(-8) dilutions of HBe Ag-positive serum developed hepatitis B virus infection, whereas the one chimpanzee injected with undiluted anti-HBe-positive serum became infected, and other chimpanzees injected with diluted anti-HBe-positive sera did not. As judged from the length of the incubation period before appearance of HBS Ag in blood, there seemed to be a remarkable difference in infectivity between the HBe Ag-positive serum and the anti-HBe-positive serum; the former serum was 10(8) times more infectious than the latter.

High prevalence of e antigen among healthy blood donors carrying hepatitis B surface antigen in Japan

Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was detected by an immune adherence haemagglutination method in the serum samples of 292 voluntary, apparently healthy blood donors at four regional blood centres in Japan. Their serum samples were concentrated 3-fold and tested for e antigen (e Ag) and antibody to e (anti-e) by immunodiffusion. The e Ag was found in 41 samples (14.0%) and anti-e in 57 (18.6%). When 100 randomly selected serum samples containing HBsAg were tested as they were (unconcentrated), and at 3- and 5-fold concentrations, e Ag was detected in 3, 16 and 27, respectively, and anti-e in 10, 21 and 26. Subtypes of HBsAg were similar in carriers with e Ag and with anti-e. There is a high prevalence of e Ag in healthy individuals in Japan. There are also high rates of vertical transmission of hepatitis B virus from mothers to children, as well as a high incidence in the past of post-transfusion hepatitis. This is further evidence that e antigen is a marker for the infectivity of hepatitis B virus in carriers.