Immunochemical characteristics of human anti-T antibodies

Pneumococcus-induced T-antigen activation in hemolytic uremic syndrome and anemia

The hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is most commonly associated with Escherichia coli, but has been associated with other infections such as Streptococcus pneumoniae. Pneumococcus-induced HUS carries an increased risk of mortality and renal morbidity compared with E. coli-induced HUS. The pneumococcal organism produces an enzyme, which can expose an antigen (T-antigen) present on erythrocytes, platelets, and glomeruli. Antibodies to the T-antigen, normally found in human serum, bind the exposed T-antigen, and the resultant antigen-antibody reaction (T-activation) can lead to HUS and anemia. Clinicians need to be aware to request specific testing when pneumococcus-induced HUS/anemia is suspected, as current blood banking techniques do not routinely test for the presence of the T-antigen. Once this association is documented, washing all blood products and avoiding plasma products, if possible, is recommended. Plasmapheresis can be considered for the more critically ill patient. The incidence of pneumococcus-induced HUS may be increasing. We report six cases of pneumococcus-induced HUS/anemia presenting at our hospital.

Stimulation of proliferation in human colon cancer cells by human monoclonal antibodies against the TF antigen (galactose beta1-3 N-acetyl-galactosamine)

In many tissues, the TF (Thomsen-Friedenreich) blood group antigen (Galbeta1-3GalNAc alpha-) behaves as an onco-foetal carbohydrate antigen, showing increased expression in malignancy and hyperplasia. Dietary lectins which bind the TF antigen have marked effects on proliferation of epithelial cells without cytotoxicity. This led us to speculate that anti-TF antibodies, including those that naturally occur in humans, might have similar effects. Five anti-TF antibodies, TF2 (human), TF5 (human), 5A8 (mouse), 8D8 (mouse) and BM22 (mouse), but not TFI (human) or 49H.9 (mouse), showed marked dose-dependent stimulation (95-192%) of [3H]thymidine incorporation by HT29 human colon cancer cells. Similar stimulation of proliferation of HT29 cells by these monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) was found when cell count assessment was used. Antibody-stimulated proliferation was inhibited by co-incubation with glycoproteins expressing Galbeta1-3GalNAc alpha- (asialo glycophorin or [Galbeta1-3GalNAc alpha-O-p-aminophenyl]n-human serum albumin). A proliferative effect of these antibodies was also demonstrated on human colon cancer cell lines LS174T and HT29-MTX but not on Caco-2 cells. Although immunoblotting showed similar binding patterns of all the antibodies on HT29 cell membrane extracts, there was little correlation between cell surface binding assessed by immunofluorescence and proliferative response, and internalization of the biotinylated antibody TF5 was demonstrated by confocal microscopy. Our results provide further evidence that cell surface glycoproteins which express TF antigen may play an important role in the regulation of cell proliferation and also suggest that human anti-TF antibodies may have proliferative effects on cells which express TF antigen.

Blood group antigens on human erythrocytes-distribution, structure and possible functions

Human erythrocyte blood group antigens can be broadly divided into carbohydrates and proteins. The carbohydrate-dependent antigens (e.g., ABH, Lewis, Ii, P1, P-related, T and Tn) are covalently attached to proteins and/or sphingolipids, which are also widely distributed in body fluids, normal tissues and tumors. Blood group gene-specific glycosyltransferase regulate the synthesis of these antigens. Protein-dependent blood group antigens (e.g., MNSs, Gerbich, Rh, Kell, Duffy and Cromer-related) are carried on proteins, glycoproteins and proteins with glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor. The functions of these molecules on human erythrocytes remain unknown; some of them may be involved in maintaining the erythrocyte shape. This review describes the distribution, structures and probable biological functions of some of these antigens in normal and pathological conditions.

Biochemical characterization of the O-glycans on recombinant glycophorin A expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Alterations in N- and O-linked glycosylation affect cell surface expression and antigenicity of recombinant glycophorin A expressed in transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. To understand these effects further, glycophorin A was purified by immunoaffinity chromatography from transfected wild type and glycosylation deficient CHO cells. The O-glycans were characterized both biochemically, using gel filtration and high performance anion exchange chromatography, and immunologically, using carbohydrate specific monoclonal antibodies to probe Western blots. The O-glycans of human erythrocyte glycophorin A consist mainly of short oligosaccharides with one, two, or three sialic acid residues linked to a common disaccharide core, Gal beta 1-3GalNAc alpha 1-Ser/Thr, with the disialylated structure being the most abundant. With the exception of the trisialylated derivative, the same structures were found on recombinant glycophorin A expressed by wild type CHO cells. However, in contrast to human erythrocyte glycophorin A, the monosialylated oligosaccharide was the most abundant structure on the recombinant protein. Furthermore, recombinant glycophorin A was shown to express a small amount of the Tn antigen (GalNAc alpha 1-Ser/Thr). Recombinant glycophorin A had the same O-glycan composition, whether purified from clones expressing high or moderate levels of the recombinant glycoprotein. This indicates that the level of expression of the transfected glycoprotein did not affect its O-glycan composition. Deletion of the N-linked glycosylation site at Asn26, by introducing the Mi.I mutation (Thr28-->Met) by site-directed mutagenesis, did not markedly affect the O-glycan composition of the resulting recombinant glycoprotein expressed in wild type CHO cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Characterization of a neuraminidase from Corynebacterium aquaticum responsible for Th polyagglutination

Th polyagglutinability is characterized by the agglutination of the red blood cells (RBC) by Arachis hypogaea, Medicago disciformis, Vicia cretica but, in contrast to the T phenomenon, not by Glycine max (Glycine soja). Because Th transformation of RBC has been obtained in vitro, the mechanism of Th polyagglutinability expression has been studied and reproduced experimentally. An enzyme with neuraminidase specificity has been isolated from the culture supernatant of Corynebacterium aquaticum, and further characterized (MW = 55,600 kDa, pH = 5.5, Km = 0.138 microM, Kcat = 0.22 micrograms). Reversely, Th transformation of RBC could be obtained by using other neuraminidases but in very mild conditions of hydrolysis. From our results, it can be concluded that by the release of less than 20 micrograms of sialic acid per 10(10) RBC, Th reactivity can be induced whereas hydrolysis of greater amounts of sialic acid (greater than 20 micrograms/10(10) RBC) give the classical T polyagglutinability.

Detection of anti-Lea in Le(a-b+) individuals by kinetic ELISA

Utilizing a kinetic enzyme-linked antiglobulin binding assay, eight examples of anti-Lea were detected in individuals whose Lewis phenotype is Le(a-b+). These antibodies were not detectable by routine hemagglutination techniques, but were indistinguishable from anti-Lea made by Le(a-b-) individuals in terms of their immunologic fine specificity. However, unlike most anti-Lea antibodies from Le(a-b-) individuals, none of the anti-Lea antibodies had an IgG component. Anti-Lea antibodies in Le(a-b+) individuals may represent immune responses on the continuum between autoimmunity and alloimmunity.

Use of synthetic antigens with the carbohydrate structure of asialoglycophorin A for the specification of Thomsen-Friedenreich antibodies

The panagglutination phenomenon described by Thomsen and Friedenreich (TF) is due to the reaction of naturally occurring TF-antibodies with the carbohydrate group beta-D-Gal-(1-3)-D-GalNAc of desialylated glycophorin A, the major glycoprotein component of the erythrocyte membrane. The specificity of human TF-antibodies reacting with this disaccharide was investigated by hemagglutination inhibition assay and radioimmunoassay using various synthetic oligosaccharides and neoglycoproteins as well as asialoglycophorin A. The results indicate that TF-antibodies represent a heterogeneous mixture of carbohydrate-specific antibodies. The disaccharide beta-D-Gal-(1-3)-D-GalNAc is the common structure recognized by all TF-antibodies. However, the conjugation mode of the carbohydrate to the carrier protein is important for defining the specificity of different subpopulations of TF-antibodies. The immunological reaction depends on the configuration of the glycosidical linkage as well as on the chemical nature of the aglycon, which is coupled to the disaccharide. These findings suggest that the heterogeneity of natural TF-antigens is due to the wide distribution of the carbohydrate structure beta-D-Gal-(1-3)-D-GalNAc. The characterization of TF- or TF-like antibodies directed to particular natural TF-antigens (e.g. asialoglycophorin A, tumor TF-antigens, glycolipids, bacterial antigens) requires TF-analogues, which contain the additional molecular regions together with the TF-disaccharide. These structures, apart from the TF-hapten, are obviously important for defining the immunodeterminant group of TF-antigens of different origin.

A method for T-antigen demonstration by a polyclonal antibody and peanut lectin; elimination of cross-reaction with naturally occurring antibodies

Antisera and a lectin were used to demonstrate T-antigens in colorectal carcinomas. Rabbits were immunized with red blood cells on which the T-antigen had been exposed. The obtained polyclonal antiserum and a crude lectin (PNA) prepared from peanuts were used in an immunoperoxidase technique. The crude lectin and a chromatographic pure lectin showed the same staining specificity. Different fixatives, length of fixation and buffer compositions were tested on paraplast and frozen sections. Four per cent formaldehyde preserved the antigens well in paraplast embedded tissues when fixation was shorter than 48 h. In the immunoperoxidase technique the chromatogen used was 3-amino-9-ethyl-carbazole whose staining intensity was sensitive to the H2O2 concentration. Agglutination of T-exposed red blood cells was used to assess the anti-T titre of various sera. Normal animal serum contained anti-T antibodies, and the possibility of false positive reactions and methods to avoid it in immunohistochemistry is discussed.