Role of CD14 molecules in internalization of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans by macrophages and subsequent induction of apoptosis

We report the evidence for apoptosis in J774.1 cells by the periodontopathic bacterium Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, suggesting that the ability of A. actinomycetemcomitans to promote apoptosis might be important in the initiation and development of periodontitis. In this study, we examined the role of macrophage CD14, anchored by a glycerophosphatidylinositol tail, in the induction of apoptosis by A. actinomycetemcomitans infection by using the parent J774.1 cells and CD14-defective mutant (LR-9) cells. A small number of A. actinomycetemcomitans Y4 cells inside the LR-9 cells compared with the number in J774.1 cells was detected by confocal scanning microscopy. We found that LR-9 cells showed a weak cytotoxic effect after being infected with A. actinomycetemcomitans Y4. Apoptotic cell death of LR-9 cells infected with A. actinomycetemcomitans Y4, compared with that of the parent J774.1 cells was almost undetectable, as shown by the proportion of fragmented DNA in agarose gel electrophoresis and by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP end-labeling method. Flow cytometric cell cycle analysis of J774.1 cells infected with A. actinomycetemcomitans Y4 revealed the increased percentage of apoptotic cells with hypodiploid DNA. However, LR-9 cells infected with A. actinomycetemcomitans Y4 showed no increase in population of apoptotic nuclei compared with the noninfected cells. These findings suggest that the CD14 molecules may contribute to the phagocytosis of A. actinomycetemcomitans by J774.1 cells and regulate, at least in part, apoptotic cell death of macrophages infected with A. actinomycetemcomitans.

Characterization of the immunodominant antigens of Porphyromonas gingivalis 381 in high-responder patients

The immunodominant antigens of Porphyromonas gingivalis 381 whole cells that reacted with sera from high-responder patients were examined in this study. Whole cells, phenol-water extracted lipopolysaccharide, and fimbriae from P. gingivalis 381 were analyzed using sera from 14 patients with adult periodontitis, rapidly progressive periodontitis or juvenile periodontitis as well as from two healthy subjects. Western blot analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were performed. On Western blots, among many prominent protein bands, a smear was observed which was removed after adsorption of the sera with P. gingivalis phenol-water extracted lipopolysaccharide. Two major protein bands of 43 kDa and 41 kDa were found to be prominent even at very high dilutions of sera, the latter of which showed the same molecular weight as the fimbrilin band. These two bands were resistant to treatment by papain and trypsin. ELISA titers remained high after adsorption of the sera with P. gingivalis phenol-water extracted lipopolysaccharide. The results of this study suggest that the 43-kDa and the fimbrilin (41 kDa) proteins may play an important role as immunodominant antigens of P. gingivalis 381.

Lectin cytochemical analysis of glycoconjugates in photoreceptor cell membranes of Lampetra japonica

Seven types of ferritinized lectin were used to examine the distribution of glycoconjugates on the outer segment membranes of lamprey photoreceptor cells. Ultrastructural pre-embedding labeling revealed that peanut agglutinin, soybean agglutinin and Ricinus communis agglutinin I were preferentially bound to the proximal, lateral and luminal surfaces of the long cell outer segments, whereas Griffonia simplicifolia agglutinin II and concanavalin A agglutinin were bound to the corresponding surfaces of the short cell outer segments. The results indicate that there is marked difference in the composition of glycoconjugates over the outer segment membranes between long and short photoreceptors.

Nutritional analysis and an enriched medium for fermentative treponemes isolated from subgingival plaque

In order to cultivate fermentative treponemes isolated on Medium 10 with the plate-in-bottle method from subgingival plaque, we developed the enriched Medium 10. Enriched Medium 10 broth consisted mainly of Trypticase peptone (2 g/L), yeast extract (10 g/l), glucose (5 g/l) and volatile fatty acids mixture (3.1 ml/l). The growth curves in enriched Medium 10 broth showed that clinical isolates of Treponema socranskii reached the early stationary phase on the 3rd-5th day, and the doubling times averaged 22.2h. By using enriched Medium 10, the nutritional analysis of oral treponemes was examined for each compound of the volatile fatty acid and various sera. Clinical isolates were found to require iso-butyric acid, 2-methylbutyric acids and/or iso-caproic acid independently for their growth. However, the growth of these fermentative treponemes was inhibited by addition of various sera to this medium.

Detection frequencies and the colony-forming unit recovery of oral treponemes by different cultivation methods

Selected media were compared for primary isolation and detection of oral treponemes from clinical samples. Forty-eight subgingival plaque samples from 45 patients suffering from periodontitis were anaerobically cultivated for 2 weeks at 37 degrees C. Of the 9 media studied, Medium 10 (M10), which was supplemented with 10% rabbit serum and incubated using the plate-in-bottle method, supported the highest colony-forming units of the anaerobes. The treponemal colonies were detected at least on one medium from 83% of the subgingival plaque samples. The new oral spirochete medium in an anaerobic chamber supported the highest detection frequency of the oral treponemes (64% of samples); however, M10 in the plate-in-bottle was found to produce the highest colony-forming unit recovery of the oral treponemes (median 3.6% of the total colony-forming units). This study suggests that M10 in the plate-in-bottle and new oral spirochete medium in the anaerobic chamber are essential in cultivating oral treponemes.

pH-dependent changes in interphotoreceptor matrix domains surrounding cone photoreceptors

The cone matrix sheath is a biochemically and structurally distinct domain of the retinal interphotoreceptor matrix (IPM). In the present study, the insoluble components of the cone matrix sheath were extracted from bovine retina, and examined for pH-dependent morphological changes by light and electron microscopy. After soaking unfixed retinas in 25 mM HEPES-buffered solution (pH 2.0), sheets of aqueous-insoluble IPM containing cone matrix sheaths were physically dissociated from the inner retina. The insoluble IPM preparations were treated with 1.0% Triton X-100 to extract contaminating photoreceptor outer segment membrane, and exposed to HEPES-buffered solutions at pH 2.0, 4.5, 7.0, or 9.5. The cone matrix sheath, specifically stained with peanut agglutinin, appeared finely granular at pH 2.0, but was markedly condensed at pH 4.5. Cone sheath morphology became dispersed and appeared as a network of thick fibrils at pH 7.0, and further dispersed fibrillar and granular elements at pH 9.5. These findings suggest that pH changes in the interphotoreceptor space can alter the molecular organization of the IPM and influence the function of the IPM in the transport of nutrients and metabolites, and in retinal adhesion.

Activin A-induced apoptosis is suppressed by BCL-2

Activin A, a member of TGF beta superfamily has various activities including induction of apoptosis in mammalian cells. However, it remains unknown how activin A induces cell death. To clarify this, we investigated the expression of BCL-2 and BAX, and the effect of BCL-2 overexpression on activin A-induced apoptosis in B cell hybridoma cell lines. The activin A-sensitive cell lines expressed BAX but not BCL-2 and that activin A did not increase BAX levels. Overexpression of human BCL-2 suppressed activin A-induced apoptosis in these cells. Thus, activin A has been shown to induce apoptosis by a BCL-2-inhibitable mechanism without activating BAX.

[Measurement of serum and sputum eosinophil cationic protein concentrations in asthma]

Concentrations of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) were measured in serum from patients with asthma, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and healthy subjects. The relationships between serum ECP concentration and percent of predicted FEV1 (%FEV1), and between serum and sputum ECP concentrations were also examined in patients with asthma. Serum ECP concentration in asthma was significantly higher than those in COPD patients and healthy subjects. There was a significant inverse correlation between serum ECP concentration and %FEV1 when analysis was restricted to data from asthma patients less than 60 years old. ECP concentration in serum and in sputum were significantly correlated. These results suggest that in asthma patients, eosinophils are activated in serum, and that the degree of eosinophil activation in the airway can be estimated by measuring serum ECP to some extent. Because it does not require bronchial biopsy or bronchoalveolar lavage, measurement of serum ECP may be useful as a minimally invasive monitoring of asthma.

Characterization of oral treponemes isolated from human periodontal pockets

A total of 90 clinical strains of oral treponemes was isolated from subgingival plaque in patients with periodontal disease. They were characterized by biochemical means as well as cell enzyme, protein analysis using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and DNA dot blot hybridization. Sixty strains were isolated on Medium 10 (M10), which was fundamentally serum-free. The remainder were isolated on serum-containing media. Isolates were divided into 6 groups according to their biochemical characteristics. Three of the 6 groups were asaccharolytic, and 2 of these 3 groups were Treponema denticola and "Treponema vincentii". The other 3 groups were saccharolytic and further divided into 9 subgroups. The analysis of cell enzyme, cell protein and dot blot hybridization with the DNA probe of Treponema socranskii indicated that all the saccharolytic groups were T. socranskii or closely related species. This study indicated that the newly characterized saccharolytic oral treponemes could be identified using M10 from the human periodontal pocket.

[Improvement of pulmonary eosinophilic granuloma after smoking cessation in two patients]

We encountered two cases in which pulmonary eosinophilic granuloma improved after cessation of smoking. The patient in case 1 was a 39-year-old woman. She smoked 10-15 cigarettes a day for 20 years. The patient in case 2 was a 19-year-old man. He smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 5 years. CT revealed cystic lesions and small nodular lesions predominantly in the upper and middle lung fields. Diagnosis was made by thoracoscopic lung biopsy in case 1 and by transbronchial lung biopsy in case 2. After smoking cessation, symptoms, CT findings, and vital capacity of both patients improved remarkably. Smoking cessation may have been related to the improvement in these patients.

Specific inhibitors of vacuolar type H(+)-ATPases induce apoptotic cell death

Concanamycin A and bafilomycin A1 are known as strong inhibitors of the vacuolar type H(+)-ATPases in vitro. These inhibitors exhibited cytotoxic effects on twelve cell lines in cell viability assay. On the other hand, the F1F0-type H(+)-ATPase inhibitor oligomycin and the E1E2-type H(+)-ATPase inhibitor vanadate showed no cytotoxic effect. We show here that concanamycin A and bafilomycin A1 induce a significant increase in the proportion of fragmented DNA in agarose gel electrophoresis. Flow cytometric cell cycle analysis of WEHI 231 cells stimulated with concanamycin A revealed the increased percentage of apoptotic cells with hypodiploid DNA. These findings indicate that cell death induced by specific inhibitors of vacuolar type H(+)-ATPases occurs through apoptosis.

[Investigation of Cryptomeria japonica pollinosis in Izu-Oshima]

We surveyed by questionnaire 4,673 residents of Izu-Oshima who were 15 or more years of age with regard to Cryptomeria japonica pollinosis. The response rate was 22.3%. In the early spring, nasal symptoms were reported by 8.9% of the respondents, ocular symptoms by 5.7%, and dermal symptoms by 8.1%. On scratch tests of symptomatic subjects, 13.8% were positive for Cryptomeria japonica antigen, and 33.3% had an IgE RAST score of 2 or more. The peak Cryptomeria japonica pollen concentrations between February and April 1990 were 118/cm2 on March 7 at the Northern Clinic and 271/cm2 at the Southern Clinic. A second questionnaire survey (response rate: 53.1%), designed to estimate the number of persons with Cryptomeria japonica pollinosis among all residents, revealed that 4.7% concurrently had three or more nasal symptoms and two ocular symptoms. By combining these results with those of a telephone survey of 100 randomly selected nonrespondents, 5.64% of all inhabitants were estimated to have suspected Cryptomeria japonica pollinosis.

Induction of apoptosis in B lineage cells by activin A derived from macrophages

A factor produced by P388D1 cell line murine macrophages showed a profound suppressive effect on the in vitro proliferation of B lineage cells. It was purified to homogeneity from conditioned media of P388D1 cells stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate for 48 h by a three-step procedure. The purified factor gave a single band of protein with a molecular mass of 16 kD on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. We show here that exposure of B lineage cells to this factor results in the induction of a cytotoxic effect and a significant increase in the proportion of fragmented DNA. DNA fragmentation was detected in B lineage cells after 3 h culture with the factor in the quantitative colorimetric determination. The mechanism of cell death was characterized by a ladder-like electrophoretic pattern of degraded chromosomal DNA, indicating that the factor induces apoptosis. The NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of this factor was identical with that of activin A over the 26 amino acid residues identified. We sought to determine whether apoptosis could be modulated by two kinds of inhibitor of protein kinases, H7 and HA1004, in concentrations that are below their toxicity limits. Apoptosis induced by the factor was suppressed by H7 but was relatively unaffected by HA1004. These findings suggest that the signals by protein kinases may regulate apoptotic B cell death by the factor activin A, derived from macrophages.

Membrane-associated interleukin-1 on macrophages stimulated with Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans lipopolysaccharide induces osteoclastic bone resorption in vivo

The effect of paraformaldehyde-fixed murine macrophage P388D1 cells stimulated with Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans Y4 lipopolysaccharide (membrane-associated interleukin-1) on osteoclastic bone resorption was investigated. Both the number of osteoclasts and the bone resorption surfaces increased considerably along the inside of the marrow space of mouse calvaria when membrane-associated interleukin-1 mediated by A. actinomycetemcomitans Y4 lipopolysaccharide were injected into the subcutaneous tissues overlying the central calvaria of 4-week-old C3H/HeJ mice. Membrane-associated interleukin-1 caused hypercalcaemia when injected into C3H/HeJ mice twice a day for 2 days. The calvaria of C3H-HeJ mice injected with membrane-associated interleukin-1 contained less mineral than those of the control mice. These results suggest that membrane-associated interleukin-1 on macrophages stimulated with A. actinomycetemcomitans Y4 lipopolysaccharide plays an important role in inflammatory osteoclastic bone resorption in periodontal diseases.

[Textbook of surgery by W. Schultze, used at the Tokyo Medical Academy in the early Meiji era]

Wilhelm Schultze, Professor of Surgery of the Tokyo Medical Academy, wrote "Vortraege der Allgemeine Chirurgie" for the benefit of his students in about 1880. The author examined this book and concluded that it was based upon "Lehrbuch der Chirurgie und Operationslehre" by Prof. Adolf Bardeleben, his teacher at the Charité in Berlin. Schultze's textbook was translated into Japanese and published by G. Yamazaki and U. Ishiguro, his students at the Tokyo Medical Academy, in 1884. This version was widely used as a textbook in many medical schools at that time, as well as S. Sato's translation of "Die Allgemeine Chirurgische Pathologie und Therapie" written by Prof. Theodor Billroth. The author found and introduced two different Japanese versions of Schultze's textbook printed without permission.

Dynamic light scattering of aqueous solutions of linear aggregates induced by thermal denaturation of ovalbumin

Dynamic light scattering measurements were performed on dilute aqueous solutions of native ovalbumin (OA) and on those of linear OA aggregates induced by thermal denaturation at low ionic strength and neutral pH. The weight-average molecular weight MW of four aggregates tested ranged from 1,700,000 to 5,500,000. The translational diffusion coefficient D0 of native OA at infinite dilution was estimated as 8.70 x 10(-7) cm2/s, which gave 56.0 A as the diameter of the rigid spherical particle. The intensity autocorrelation function of linear OA polymers was analyzed with the cumulant method to obtain the first cumulant gamma e. The dependence of gamma e on the scattering vector q at very low polymer concentration was found intermediate between those of a flexible chain and a rigid rod. The translational diffusion coefficient Dtr [identical to (gamma e/q2)q-->0] was in proportion to M-0.55W, and the magnitude was in good agreement with a value calculated from the wormlike cylinder model with values of three parameters determined in an earlier study, ML = 1600 A-1, d = 120 A, and Q = 230 A, where ML, d, and Q are the molecular weight per unit length, diameter, and persistence length, respectively. Based on these results, a new model, to be called as the dimer model, was proposed to interpret the formation mechanism of linear OA polymers induced by thermal denaturation.

[Isolation and characterization of oral treponemes]

The oral treponemes were isolated on nine media and classified according to Anaerobe Laboratory Manual (1977). The four media, which were used with the plate-in-bottle method, were Medium 10 (M10), M10 supplemented with 10% rumen fluid, M10 supplemented with 10% rabbit serum and cocarboxylate, and M10 added with rifampicin. The five media with the anaerobic glove box method were New Oral Spirochetes (NOS) medium, NOS medium added with rifampicin, alternated modified Oral Treponemes Isolation (aOTI) medium, and alternated M10 for anaerobic glove box. The isolation rate of the oral treponemes from 59 subgingival plaque samples of various forms of periodontal diseases was 85 percent. Ninety clinical isolates were subcultured and classified into six groups (I-VI) based on the carbohydrate fermentation and metabolic end products. Three saccaharolytic groups were further divided into nine subgroups by the fermentation patterns of sucrose, lactose, maltose and rhamnose. Two saccaharolytic subgroups were identified as Treponema socranskii, and two asaccharolytic groups were identified as "T. denticola" and "T. vincentii". However, the other subgroups and group could not be identified according to the characteristics of the presently recognized species.

Jaw cysts with orthokeratinization: analysis of 12 cases

The clinico-pathologic, immunohistochemical and radiological features of 12 jaw cysts with a prominent orthokeratinized epithelial lining were studied and compared with those of typical odontogenic keratocysts and dentigerous cysts. They differed significantly from odontogenic keratocysts in terms of biologic behavior and histopathologic findings. Although immunohistochemical staining of the epithelial linings for cytokeratins, EMA, CEA and involucrin has not shed any light on the histogenesis of these lesions, staining patterns for these markers were significantly different from those of odontogenic keratocysts and non-keratinized dentigerous cysts. Radiologically, nine cases appeared as dentigerous cysts; two cases, one with sebaceous differentiation, as non-dentigerous unilocular cysts, and the remaining one was exceptional as it showed multiple epidermal cysts with prominent dermal appendages histologically. It is suggested that most of the orthokeratinized jaw cysts may belong to clinico-pathological entities different from odontogenic keratocysts with the majority representing dentigerous cysts with orthokeratinization. The possibility of the existence of rare central dermoid or epidermoid cysts is also to be considered.

Uveoscleral permeability to intracamerally infused ferritin in eyes of rabbits and monkeys

The permeability of the uveoscleral outflow pathway from the anterior ocular chamber was examined in rabbit and monkey eyes using anionic ferritin as a tracer. Ferritin, infused intracamerally, had ready access to the choroidal interstitium, and the degree of penetration was generally correlated with the time and pressure relationships during infusion. In both species, there were accumulations of tracer in intercellular spaces at the lamina fusca, but tracer was also present in the sclera. Thus, in contrast to the situation in the eyes of hamsters, the uveoscleral outflow pathway in the eyes of rabbits and monkeys includes the choroidal connective tissue and allows passage of relatively large molecular weight substances.

[Ultrastructural studies of the lamina suprachoroidea in the human eye]

The lamina suprachoroidea of the human choroid was examined by electron microscopy using both thin sections and freeze fracture replicas. The lamina suprachoroidea was composed of 5-10 layers of pigmented cells interspersed with multiple layers of flattened fibroblastic cells. Tight junctions, gap junctions and intermediate junctions were seen between the fibroblastic cells. Tight junctions did not reveal zonula occludens but predominantly isolated types were revealed, as well as several pore-like fenestrations in the attenuated cell processes of the fibroblasts. The characteristic morphological appearance of the lamina suprachoroidea might suggest that the aqueous humour may be able to leak into the extraocular tissues through it. However, the numerous cellular layers and also the junctional complexes between the fibroblasts of the lamina suprachoroidea are likely to produce more resistance to uveoscleral drainage. As the multi-layered arrangement of fibroblastic cells and pigmented cells in the lamina suprachoroidea did not show the cellular barrier, it may be possible that the extraocular substances are able to flow into the eye through it.

[A case of Ramsey Hunt syndrome with multiple cranial nerve paralysis and acute respiratory failure]

The authors report a 56-year-old woman with Ramsey Hunt syndrome with multiple cranial nerve paralysis and acute respiratory failure. Five days before admission, she experienced right otalgia and right facial pain and consulted an otolaryngologist of our hospital, who diagnosed the illness as acute parotitis and laryngopharyngitis. One day before admission, she experienced mild dyspnea and general fatigue and came to our hospital emergency room. A chest X-ray film revealed no abnormalities but some blisters were observed around her right ear. The next day, her dyspnea became more severe and she was admitted. A chest X-ray film on admission revealed right lower lobe consolidation, and neurological examination disclosed multiple cranial nerve paralysis, i.e., paralysis of the right fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth and left tenth cranial nerve. The serum titer of anti-herpes zoster antibody was elevated to 1,024, and the patient was diagnosed as having Ramsey Hunt syndrome with multiple cranial nerve paralysis. Arterial blood gas analysis revealed hypoxemia with hypercapnea, which was considered to be due to aspiration pneumonia and central airway obstruction caused by vocal cord paralysis. Mechanical ventilation was soon instituted and several antibiotics and acyclovir were administered intravenously, with marked effects. Three months after admission, the patient was discharged with no sequelae except mild hoarseness. Patients with herpes zoster oticus, facial nerve paralysis and auditory symptoms are diagnosed as having Ramsey Hunt syndrome. This case was complicated by lower cranial nerve paralysis and acute respiratory failure, which is very rare.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Role of an intrachain disulfide bond in the conformation and stability of ovalbumin

Ovalbumin, which contains one intrachain disulfide bond and four cysteine sulfhydryls, was reduced with dithiothreitol under non-denaturing conditions, and its conformation and stability were compared with those of the disulfide-bonded form. The CD spectrum in the far-UV region revealed that the overall conformation of the reduced form is similar to that of the disulfide-bonded one. Likewise, the inaccessibility to trypsin and the non-reactivity of the four cysteine sulfhydryls, exhibited by the native disulfide-bonded ovalbumin, were still retained in the disulfide-reduced form. Thus, the reduced ovalbumin appeared to substantially take the native-like conformation. However, the near-UV CD spectrum slightly differed between the native and disulfide-reduced forms. Protein alkylation with a fluorescent dye and subsequent sequence analysis showed that the two sulfhydryls (Cys73 and Cys120) originating from the disulfide bond are highly reactive in the reduced form. Furthermore, upon proteolysis with subtilisin, the N-terminal side of Cys73 was cleaved in the reduced form, but not in the disulfide-bonded one. Upon heat denaturation, the transition temperature of the reduced form was lower, by 6.8 degrees C, than that of the disulfide-bonded one. Thus, we concluded that ovalbumin has a native-like conformation in its disulfide-reduced form, but that the local conformation of the reduced form fluctuates more than that of the disulfide-bonded one. Such local destabilization may be related to the decreased stability against heat denaturation.