Monoclonal antibodies against antigens expressed by human sperm

The production and characterization of 21 mouse monoclonal antibodies (TüS1-TüS21) with specificity predominantly for human spermatozoa antigens is described. Reactivity of cells from human ejaculates, peripheral blood and several organs was determined using the alkaline phosphatase-anti-alkaline phosphatase (APAAP)-technique as well as the indirect immunofluorescence test. 15 of the monoclonal antibodies reacted with various regions of human sperm and often also with their precursor cells in the testis. Cross-reactivity with animal spermatozoa was frequently observed.

Immunoelectron microscopy of human spermatozoa

A number of immunocytochemical methods using various markers for electron microscopy have been developed in recent years. The immunogold technique has been especially effective in histotopochemical studies. The value of this technique for demonstrating sperm antigens results from the high electron density of gold, which makes it easily detectable under the electron microscope. The high resolution of the electron microscope permits precise localization of immunologic reactions in the sperm cell. Light microscopy findings can thus be elucidated. We tested a number of monoclonal antibodies that react with sperm antigens. Of three techniques for preparing the spermatozoa, the pre-embedding method and marking of cryoultra-microtome sections proved best.

Infrared nanoscopy of strained semiconductors

Knowledge about strain at the nanometre scale is essential for tailoring the mechanical and electronic properties of materials. Flaws, cracks and their local strain fields can be detrimental to the structural integrity of many solids. Conversely, the controlled straining of silicon can be used to improve the performance of electronic devices. Here, we demonstrate that infrared near-field microscopy allows direct, non-invasive mapping and a semiquantitative analysis of residual strain fields in polar semiconductor crystals with nanometre-scale resolution. Our experiments with silicon carbide crystals yield optical images of nanoindents showing strain features as small as 50 nm and the evolution of nanocracks. In addition, by imaging nanoindents in doped silicon, we provide experimental evidence for plasmon-assisted near-field imaging of free-carrier properties in nanoscale strain fields. Near-field infrared strain mapping provides possibilities for nanoscale material and device characterization, and could become a tool for nanoscale mapping of the local free-carrier mobility in strain-engineered semiconductors.

Aberration-corrected microscopy for structural biology applications

This study explores the potential of a C(s)-corrected transmission electron microscope for structural studies of biological samples, in particular isolated macromolecular complexes. A 300-kV transmission electron microscope, equipped with a C(s) corrector was employed to record sets of images at different defocus and C(s) settings. The experiments were designed to determine whether imaging with large defocus benefits from C(s) correction. Defocus contrast in biological imaging has a stronger influence on image resolution than any other parameter. We find the results are in good agreement with theoretical framework, verifying that the typical imaging conditions required for biological investigations are not affected by C(s) correction.

Mating in parents of type 1 diabetes families as a function of the HLA DR-DQ haplotype

AIM

The Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) region on chromosome 6p21 (IDDM1) contributes about half of the familial clustering of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Several studies have revealed that highly polymorphic genes within the MHC may associate with the mating choice. Our study should determine whether a specific mating effect is detectable in T1D families as a function of human leucocyte antigen (HLA) DR-DQ, which could contribute to disease susceptibility.

METHODS

We analysed the parental HLA-DR genotypes in 829 diabetic families. The families derive from the Type 1 Diabetes Genetics Consortium (T1DGC) in addition to those of our own centre and the original UK, US and SCAND diabetic families.

RESULTS

A total of 307 of 829 parental couples (37.0%) were matched for at least one known T1D risk haplotype (DR3 or DR4), which is significantly less than the expected 374.9 (45.2%), derived from population genotype frequencies (p < 0.0009). Parents share less susceptibility haplotypes and rather complement each other as both carry one different risk haplotype (DR3 or DR4). The number of such parental couples was significantly higher than expected (293 vs. 223.4; p < 0.0003). All non-transmitted DR haplotype pairs were also analysed. More often than expected, both parents did not transmit DR1 (94 vs. 59.1; p < 0.003) and DRy (y: not DR1, not DR3, not DR4; 63 vs. 30.3; p < 0.0005). In contrast, the parental non-transmitted pair of haplotypes DR1-DRy was observed to a far lesser extent than expected (26 vs. 84.7; p < 10(-8)). These observations were only made in multiplex families, whereas in simplex families, no deviation from the expected frequencies was observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data are consistent with the conclusion that genes in the HLA region may influence the mating choice in parents of T1D patients, thus contributing to familial clustering of T1D in multiplex families. This may indicate a different parental background of multiplex compared with simplex T1D families.

MHC-environment interactions leading to type 1 diabetes: feasibility of an analysis of HLA DR-DQ alleles in relation to manifestation periods and dates of birth

AIM

The region on chromosome 6p21 (IDDM1) confers the largest part of genetic susceptibility to type 1 diabetes (T1D) with particular human leucocyte antigen (HLA) alleles predisposing and others protecting from it. As T1D is primarily a "sporadic" disease, the pathophysiology must involve gene-environment interactions. We searched for indirect evidence for such major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-environment interactions by asking two questions: (i) can the degree of an HLA association vary over time periods? and (ii) if a prenatal event like an intrauterine infection - that might cluster in seasons - leads to differences of HLA associations in patients with particular birth months?

METHODS

We screened the Type 1 Diabetes Genetics Consortium (T1DGC) database (in addition our own database and the original UK, US and SCAND databases) for MHC DR-DQ and CTLA4 associations. First, we separated the groups of patients with onset of disease before 1980 in comparison with onset after 1980. Second, we analysed the data according to dates of birth (grouped in months). Not all patients' dates of birth or manifestation periods were available, leading to different group sizes. There were 282 patients analysed for manifestation periods and 329 for birth month.

RESULTS

The cohorts of manifestation before 1980 demonstrated a significantly lower frequency of DQ2/X (2 vs. 14.2%; p = 0.03). There was a trend for DQ8/x to be more frequent for manifestations before 1980 (34 vs. 21.6%; p < 0.10). Other alleles did not differ significantly. The months of birth were not evenly distributed. Significant deviations from the whole group were seen in August (DQ2/8 trough and DQx/x high), whereas birth in September was more frequent in DQ8/x or DQ8/8 carriers. This pattern was significantly different from the expected distribution of months at birth (13.9 vs. 7.6%; p < 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrate the feasibility of an analysis that searches for indirect evidence of gene-environment interactions. These preliminary data need to be confirmed in larger data sets.

Large scale association analysis of novel genetic loci for coronary artery disease

BACKGROUND

Combined analysis of 2 genome-wide association studies in cases enriched for family history recently identified 7 loci (on 1p13.3, 1q41, 2q36.3, 6q25.1, 9p21, 10q11.21, and 15q22.33) that may affect risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Apart from the 9p21 locus, the other loci await substantive replication. Furthermore, the effect of these loci on CAD risk in a broader range of individuals remains to be determined.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We undertook association analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms at each locus with CAD risk in 11,550 cases and 11,205 controls from 9 European studies. The 9p21.3 locus showed unequivocal association (rs1333049, combined odds ratio [OR]=1.20, 95% CI [1.16 to 1.25], probability value=2.81 x 10(-21)). We also confirmed association signals at 1p13.3 (rs599839, OR=1.13 [1.08 to 1.19], P=1.44 x 10(-7)), 1q41 (rs3008621, OR=1.10 [1.04 to 1.17], P=1.02 x 10(-3)), and 10q11.21 (rs501120, OR=1.11 [1.05 to 1.18], P=4.34 x 10(-4)). The associations with 6q25.1 (rs6922269, P=0.020) and 2q36.3 (rs2943634, P=0.032) were borderline and not statistically significant after correction for multiple testing. The 15q22.33 locus did not replicate. The 10q11.21 locus showed a possible sex interaction (P=0.015), with a significant effect in women (OR=1.29 [1.15 to 1.45], P=1.86 x 10(-5)) but not men (OR=1.03 [0.96 to 1.11], P=0.387). There were no other strong interactions of any of the loci with other traditional risk factors. The loci at 9p21, 1p13.3, 2q36.3, and 10q11.21 acted independently and cumulatively increased CAD risk by 15% (12% to 18%), per additional risk allele.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings provide strong evidence for association between at least 4 genetic loci and CAD risk. Cumulatively, these novel loci have a significant impact on risk of CAD at least in European populations.

Analysis of RET, ZEB2, EDN3 and GDNF genomic rearrangements in 80 patients with Hirschsprung disease (using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification)

Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) is transmitted in a complex pattern of inheritance and is mostly associated with variants in the RET proto-oncogene. However, RET mutations are only identified in 15-20% of sporadic HSCR cases and solely in 50% of the familial cases. Since genomic rearrangements in particularly sensitive areas of the RET proto-oncogene and/or associated genes may account for the HSCR phenotype in patients without other detectable RET variants, the aim of the present study was to identify rearrangements in the coding sequence of RET as well as in three HSCR-associated genes (ZEB2, EDN3 and GDNF) in HSCR patients by using Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA). We have screened 80 HSCR patients for genomic rearrangements in RET, ZEB2, EDN3 and GDNF and did not identify any deletion or amplification in these four genes in all patients. We conclude that genomic rearrangements in RET are rare and were not responsible for the HSCR phenotype in individuals without identifiable germline RET variants in our group of patients, yet this possibility cannot be excluded altogether because the confidence to identify variation in at least two percent of the individuals was only 95%.

Motion-compensated iterative cone-beam CT image reconstruction with adapted blobs as basis functions

This paper presents a three-dimensional method to reconstruct moving objects from cone-beam X-ray projections using an iterative reconstruction algorithm and a given motion vector field. For the image representation, adapted blobs are used, which can be implemented efficiently as basis functions. Iterative reconstruction requires the calculation of line integrals (forward projections) through the image volume, which are compared with the actual measurements to update the image volume. In the existence of a divergent motion vector field, a change in the volumes of the blobs has to be taken into account in the forward and backprojections. An efficient method to calculate the line integral through the adapted blobs is proposed. It solves the problem, how to compensate for the divergence in the motion vector field on a grid of basis functions. The method is evaluated on two phantoms, which are subject to three different known motions. Moreover, a motion-compensated filtered back-projection reconstruction method is used, and the reconstructed images are compared. Using the correct motion vector field with the iterative motion-compensated reconstruction, sharp images are obtained, with a quality that is significantly better than gated reconstructions.

Cathepsin C Gene Variants in Aggressive Periodontitis

Cathepsin C ( CTSC) mutations are known to cause Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome. The aim of this study was to examine the association of CTSC genotype with susceptibility to non-syndromic aggressive periodontitis. The CTSC gene was analyzed in 110 persons with generalized aggressive periodontitis in comparison with 78 control individuals, after identifying different variants in a cohort of 100 persons. Five out of 19 discovered variants were included in this association study, representing 5 single-nucleotide polymorphism groups in tight linkage disequilibrium. The relevance of genotypes on enzyme function was examined. The carrier frequency of the missense variant p.I453V was significantly increased in persons with disease compared with healthy control individuals (17.3% vs. 6.4%, p < 0.05). CTSC activity in leukocytes from individuals harboring this variant was significantly reduced (119.8 ΔOD/min*105 cells, 95% confidence interval 17.4–174.9, p = 0.018). No influence of promoter variants was found on mRNA expression. The results support the hypothesis that CTSC gene variants contribute to increased susceptibility in generalized aggressive periodontitis.

Binding and clustering of glycosaminoglycans: a common property of mono- and multivalent cell-penetrating compounds

Recent observations in cell culture provide evidence that negatively charged glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) at the surface of biological cells bind cationic cell-penetrating compounds (CPCs) and cluster during CPC binding, thereby contributing to their endocytotic uptake. The GAG binding and clustering occur in the low-micromolar concentration range and suggest a tight interaction between GAGs and CPCs, although the relation between binding affinity and specificity of this interaction remains to be investigated. We therefore measured the GAG binding and clustering of various mono- and multivalent CPCs such as DNA transfection vectors (polyethylenimine; 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane), amino acid homopolymers (oligoarginine; oligolysine), and cell-penetrating peptides (Penetratin; HIV-1 Tat) by means of isothermal titration calorimetry and dynamic light scattering. We find that these structurally diverse CPCs share the property of GAG binding and clustering. The binding is very tight (microscopic dissociation constants between 0.34 and 1.34 microM) and thus biologically relevant. The hydrodynamic radius of the resulting aggregates ranges from 78 nm to 586 nm, suggesting that they consist of numerous GAG chains cross-linked by CPCs. Likewise, the membrane-permeant monovalent cation acridine orange leads to GAG binding and clustering, in contrast to its membrane-impermeant structural analogs propidium iodide and ethidium bromide. Because the binding and clustering of GAGs were found to be a common denominator of all CPCs tested, these properties might be helpful to identify further CPCs.