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Biomedical subjects

B Guilbert

Publications and source records attributed to B Guilbert.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Bulimia nervosa and autoimmunity.

The autoantibodies that react with dopamine and serotonin are of interest in the study of bulimia nervosa. These neurotransmitters play an important role in appetite control, sexual and social behavior, and stress responses, all of which form a part of the clinical picture of bulimia nervosa. Are these autoantibodies involved in the serotoninergic hypofunctioning present in bulimia nervosa? Are they a part of an immunity regulation system essential for the cerebral system's homeostasis? To address these questions, 31 bulimic females (diagnosed according to DSM-III-R criteria) were compared with 10 control subjects (matched to the patients for sex, age, and demographic/psychosocial features). Measurement of the activity of natural autoantibodies reacting with dopamine, dopamine-beta-hydroxylase and serotonin was performed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for typical immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM, IgA). All of the autoantibodies of the IgG type were lower in the bulimic group than in the control group, a difference that was statistically significant for IgG anti-serotonin and IgG anti-dopamine. There was a trend for the amount of IgM anti-dopamine to be lower in patients than in controls. Dopamine and serotonin are specific components of brain cells. It can therefore be hypothesized that these antigens acting with autoantibodies could be the antigenic cerebral targets reacting with 'anti-brain' antibodies. The study of these specific autoantibodies provides information about the immunological characteristics that may be related to brain disturbances.

Adult↗

Natural antibodies in childhood: development, individual stability, and injury effect indicate a contribution to immune memory.

Natural, often autoreactive antibodies are present in normal sera in large quantity and show alterations in specificity in diverse pathological situations. They have, however, usually not been studied longitudinally. Here we investigated some representative serum reactivities of natural antibodies in 67 normal children and 10 with injury during childhood, followed up for 3 years. Normal children showed an individually characteristic and relatively stable level of most IgM, IgG, and IgA reactivities when measured with ELISA by reference to a standard. Injured children showed some very rapidly enhanced reactivities within 3 days after trauma, which thereafter slowly diminished over years before coming back to a normal level. This period exceeds by far the lifetime of antibodies and plasma cells. We conclude that natural antibodies contribute to the establishment and maintenance of immune memory in a manner that is distinct from classical immune reactions.

Adolescent↗

The chemoenzymatic synthesis of neoglycolipids and lipid-linked oligosaccharides using glycosyltransferases.

The application of glycosyltransferases to the chemoenzymatic synthesis of neoglycosphingolipids and lipid-linked oligosaccharides allows the regio- and stereoselective formation of glycosidic bonds. In our laboratory galactosyl-, sialyl-, and fucosyltransferases have been used to assemble oligosaccharide headgroups directly on a sphingosine derivative without the need for any protection group strategies, including the Lewisx antigen. In complementary studies on N-linked oligosaccharide biosynthesis, chemically phosphorylated dolichol analogues have been tested as substrates for Dol-P-Man synthetase. Also, the substrate recognition of the core beta-1,4-mannosyltransferase from yeast has been investigated using a range of chitobiose derivatives as potential substrates.

Carbohydrate Sequence↗

Characteristics of polyreactive and monospecific IgG anti-laminin autoantibodies in the rat mercury model.

Brown-Norway (BN) rats injected with HgCl2 produce anti-laminin antibodies responsible for an autoimmune glomerulonephritis. The properties of three IgG1 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) previously obtained in this model, and of immunoglobulins eluted from kidneys of diseased rats, were compared in the present study. Two mAb (Hg15 and Hg16) recognized laminin only, while the third one (Hg17) was polyreactive, as were some of the kidney-eluted immunoglobulins; they reacted with laminin and with several other antigens including 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl (TNP). The Hg17 mAb and kidney-eluted polyreactive antibodies were affinity purified using a TNP-bovine serum albumin (BSA) column; their affinity for TNP was high (2 x 10(-8)M, and 1 x 10(-8)M, respectively) but less than that of a TNP-specific (LO-DNP-2) mAb (2 x 10(-11) M). The Hg17 mAb and kidney-eluted antibodies reacted more effectively with TNP28-BSA than with TNP8.5-BSA, while the TNP-specific mAb reacted equally well with both conjugates. The Hg17 mAb was the most cationic (pI: 7) of the anti-laminin mAb and this was even more evident when F(ab')2 fragments were studied (pI: 8.2). The polyreactive kidney-eluted immunoglobulins that bound TNP were also more cationic (pI: 7.4-9.3) than the fraction that did not recognize TNP (pI: 5.8-8.6). The anti-laminin mAb bound in vivo to the glomerular basement membrane, but only the Hg17 mAb could be eluted with DNP alone. This study shows that polyreactive anti-laminin antibodies are produced during this autoimmune disease, and indicates that they may have pathogenic potential.

Animals↗

IgG auto- and polyreactivities of normal human sera.

Using a panel of self antigens, IgM autoreactivities were clearly and constantly detected by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) in the sera of 29 normal human individuals. Similarly, IgM autoreactivities in sera were reproducibly detected by immunoblotting, using human organ extracts as the antigen sources. In contrast, IgG reactivities were low in whole sera but were considerably increased after affinity-chromatography purification on protein G-Sepharose. These increases differed from one individual IgG preparation to another and from one antigen to another (from 1-94 times) resulting in a unique IgG autoreactivity pattern for each subject. IgG reactivities diminished markedly when the IgG-depleted serum was added to the isolated autologous IgG. IgM antibodies isolated from sera on F(ab')2 IgG immunoadsorbent partially inhibited the binding of IgG to tubulin and myosin but not to actin. The individual IgG preparations examined separately exhibited, with all the autoantigens of the panel, higher autoreactivities than those of the same-but-pooled IgGs, which in turn were higher than those of a commercially available human IgG preparation obtained from approximately 8,000 healthy donors and used for intravenous injection. Depending upon the individual IgG sample, 31-65% of the IgG were bound to a DNP-Sepharose column and were eluted with DNP-glycine. The isolated anti-DNP antibodies were found to be polyreactive and possess higher autoreactivities than the original IgG preparation for all the antigens of the panel. Similarly, IgG antibodies analysed using an antibody exchange procedure were found to be essentially polyreactive but some apparently monospecific antibodies were also noted. These results suggest that the great majority of IgG present in normal humans are composed of polyreactive autoantibodies. IgG autoreactivities are only marginally expressed in these whole sera because of IgM-IgG, IgG-IgG and other, still unidentified, interactions.

Actins↗

Common idiotypes expressed on human, monoclonal, abnormal immunoglobulins and cryoglobulins with polyreactive autoantibody activities.

Several human monoclonal immunoglobulins with the same autoantibody activity have been shown to have cross-reactive idiotypes (CRI). In this study, using polyclonal anti-idiotypic antibodies, we found that 28% of human monoclonal immunoglobulins with polyreactive autoantibody activity from myeloma, Waldenström's macroglobulinaemia and cryoglobulinaemia patients shared common idiotype(s). Furthermore, the latter were expressed on human and murine natural MoAbs (respectively in 12% and 22% of the clones tested) and on human IgG preparations used for therapeutic intravenous injections (IVIg) and which contain natural antibodies. These findings suggest that monoclonal immunoglobulins could arise from the proliferation of a clone that normally produces a natural antibody. The existence of common idiotype(s) between monoclonal immunoglobulins and IVIg could be relevant to the improvement noted after treatment with IVIg in patients suffering from peripheral neuropathies associated with monoclonal gammopathy.

Animals↗

Characteristics of Epstein-Barr virus transformed B cell lines from patients with Alzheimer's disease and age-matched controls.

The characteristics of B cell lines isolated from patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and age-matched controls were investigated after having been transformed by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). After isolation of mononuclear blood cells and in vivo or in vitro EBV infection, 35 and 21 lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) were generated from 19 patients with AD (mean age 79.4 years) and 21 age-matched controls (mean age 80.0 years), respectively. B lymphocytes from AD patients were immortalised more easily than those from controls; the percentage of in vitro EBV infected LCLs (B95-LCLs) obtained in the AD group was significantly higher (76.2% versus 33.3% in the control group) and the mean time required for establishment was significantly lower (20.2 and 21.9 days versus 26.7 and 60.9 days in the control group). The EBV receptor and surface immunoglobulin (Ig) analyses showed no difference between the two groups. The expression of Epstein-Barr early antigens (EA) and viral capsid antigens (VCAs) revealed a tendency to higher viral replication in LCLs from AD patients; however, VCA expression remained limited to a small number of cells and did not affect overall cell growth. Finally, qualitative and quantitative differences were observed in the pattern of Ig production. Whereas spontaneously established LCLs from AD patients were generally monoclonal (80% of LCLs versus 33% in the control group), B95-LCLs were all polyclonal and secreted more IgM and IgA than those from controls; the mean IgM level was significantly higher in B95-LCLs from the AD group. These results suggest that B cells derived from AD patients seemed to be less differentiated than cells from age-matched controls.

Aged↗

Ig repertoire of human polyspecific antibodies and B cell ontogeny.

A total of 463 EBV Ig-secreting clones were derived from embryonic tissues, cord blood, and adult peripheral blood. Subcloning and analysis of the H and K loci (germline vs rearranged DNA status) of 44 primary clones insured clonality in at least 92% of cases. Whatever the cell origin, a somewhat constant proportion of clones (i.e., 11 to 16%) expressed polyspecific antibodies when tested on a panel of nine Ag, including self-Ag. The VH and VK repertoires have been studied using VH1-VH6 and VK1-VK4 family-specific probes. For all EBV clones the VH and VK utilization was similar to that of the normal untransformed population. A correlation was observed between the level of expression and the gene number for VH, whereas a clear distortion appeared for VK. Moreover, the usage pattern of VH and VK families of the polyspecific clones did not significantly differ from that of clones of unknown specificity, suggesting that polyspecificity was not linked to a restricted repertoire.

Adult↗

Visualization of natural autoantibody polyreactivity by rotary metal-shadowing electron microscopy.

Immune complexes formed by mouse polyspecific natural autoantibodies and various structurally different antigens, such as DNA, tubulin and myosin, were analysed by rotary-shadowing electron microscopy. Each of the four natural IgM autoantibodies studied (E7, D23, 3C3 and M2-9) recognized multiple epitopes on the myosin molecule. These results, confirmed by immunoblotting experiments using myosin subfragments as antigens, strikingly contrasted with those obtained with an induced myosin-specific IgG antibody which interacted with a single myosin antigenic site. Based on the measurements of the antibody position on the antigen, made on a series of electron micrographs, two negatively charged myosin peptides were prepared by solid phase synthesis. Polymeric forms of one of the two peptides interacted with the positively charged CDR part of E7 and inhibited the binding of E7 and M2-9 to myosin. The importance of charge in the observed cross-reactivities was further supported by enzyme immunoassays showing that most, but not all, antigen/natural autoantibody interactions were sensitive to increasing concentrations of NaCl.

Actins↗

Experimental gold-induced autoimmunity.

The pathogenesis of gold-induced autoimmunity and membranous glomerulopathy is not well understood. HgCl2 and D-penicillamine, other chemicals known to trigger membranous glomerulopathy in humans, induce autoimmune manifestations in Brown-Norway (BN) rats but not in Lewis (LEW) rats. These chemicals trigger T-cell clones which are specific for self class II molecules from the major histocompatibility complex and are probably responsible for the polyclonal B-cell activation observed. The aim of this work was to test the effects of aurothiopropanolsulphonate (ATPS) in BN and LEW rats. In BN rats, ATPS induced a polyclonal B-cell activation marked by lymphoproliferation, hyperimmunoglobulinaemia affecting mainly IgE, and by the production of numerous autoantibodies. A glomerulonephritis occurred, initially due to anti-glomerular basement membrane antibody deposition, and later to the formation of granular deposits, occasionally resulting in a typical membranous glomerulopathy. Self class-II-specific T-cells were found that might be responsible for the polyclonal B-cell activation. Lewis rats were free of glomerulopathy but, like BN rats, exhibited an interstitial nephritis and some degree of polyclonal B-cell activation. These findings demonstrate that, depending on the strain, ATPS triggers different B-cell clones inducing different degrees of autoimmunity.

Animals↗

Idiotypic interactions between normal human polyspecific IgG and natural IgM antibodies.

Pooled normal human polyspecific IgG (IVIg) contain anti-idiotypes against a variety of autoantibodies from patients with autoimmune diseases and IgG autoantibodies present in IVIg. The present study indicates that IVIg may also react through idiotypic/anti-idiotypic interactions with human natural IgM antibodies. Sixty-four percent of IgM secreted by B lymphoid cell lines derived from B cells of healthy elderly donors and 18% of IgM secreted by cloned EBV-transformed cord B cells that were tested, bound through their variable region to F(ab')2 fragments of IVIg. The binding to 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl (TNP) of a polyreactive IgM with anti-TNP specificity, was inhibited by F(ab')2 fragments from IVIg, indicating the presence in IVIg of anti-idiotypes that may interfere with the antibody-combining site of polyreactive IgM antibodies. The ability of IgM antibodies to interact with idiotypes on IVIg was not related to the degree of polyreactivity of natural antibodies. Our observations further document that IVIg contain antibody specificities against Ig from normal individuals and suggest that IgG originating from the physiologically expressed repertoire may modulate the expression of the potential B cell repertoire. The results may be relevant to the suppressive effect of IVIg in autoimmune diseases.

Antibody Specificity↗

Antibodies to viral antigens, xenoantigens, and autoantigens in Alzheimer's disease.

Sera from 19 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 21 control subjects were studied by immunofluorescence and enzyme immunoassay for antibody activity against various viruses and 12 self- and non-self-antigens. Total IgG mean level was significantly higher in the AD group; the IgG level was above 15 g/L in 52.8% of AD patients versus 14.3% of control subjects. Antiviral antibody titers showed no significant differences except for antibodies to herpes simplex virus-1, which were increased in control group. In contrast, autoantibodies were more frequently found in AD patients, and the prevalence of antibodies to spectrin, peroxidase, and thyroglobulin was significantly increased. Thus, in our series, autoimmune but not antiviral responses were heightened in at least 42% of AD patients (versus 9% of the control group) suggesting the existence of two subpopulations in the AD group.

Adult↗

Anti-tubulin antibodies in rabbits before and after immunization with pig tubulin.

Sera from rabbits before and after repeated injections of pig tubulin in complete Freund's adjuvant were examined for antibody activity against pig and rabbit tubulins and against a panel of antigens: actin, myosin, DNA, TNP/BSA. Antibody activity against all the antigens of the panel (PAg) increased moderately after the first but not after subsequent injections. Antibody activity against pig and rabbit tubulins strongly increased after the second immunization when the maximum was reached. Isolation of anti-tubulin antibodies from normal or immune sera on tubulin-immunoadsorbent demonstrated the presence of three different antibody populations: (1) polyspecific IgM reacting with the PAg and the tubulins, present in substantial amounts in normal sera and moderately increased in immune sera; (2) small amounts of polyspecific IgG detected only in immune sera; (3) high amounts of specific IgG reacting with pig and rabbit tubulins, present in immune but not normal sera. Western blot analysis of the specific IgG population showed that it contained antibodies reacting with both native pig and rabbit tubulins, as well as antibodies recognizing only the 30,000 proteolytic fragment of pig, but not that of rabbit tubulin. The results indicate that the immunization of rabbits with heterologous tubulin induced specific IgG anti-tubulin antibodies which recognize the self and non-self antigens differently.

Animals↗

Anti-Ia treatment modulates specific and polyclonal antibody responses in Trypanosoma cruzi-infected mice.

Experimental Chagas' disease--infection of mice with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi--has been shown to increase the number of Ia-bearing cells in the spleen and the lymph nodes. The majority of these Ia-positive cells were Ig+ and included in the large cell fraction of lymphoid organs from T. cruzi-infected animals indicating that they were activated B cells. These data are consistent with the polyclonal B-cell activation occurring during acute and chronic T. cruzi infection. The levels of secreted natural antibodies, of both IgM and IgG isotypes, were significantly increased in the sera of the infected animals. The present communication demonstrates that in vivo anti-Ia treatment of C3H/HeJ mice infected with the CL strain of T. cruzi suppressed the polyclonal B-cell activation, affecting all the isotypes studied, including IgM, IgG2a and IgG2b, whose levels are predominantly increased during T. cruzi infection. In contrast to the decreased secretion of IgG autoantibodies, the levels of IgM autoantibodies were much less affected. The anti-Ia treatment totally abolished the specific anti-parasite response despite the fact that a pool of Ia-Ig positive cells remained after treatment.

Animals↗

Studies on active immunization with self antigens. I. Production of antibody to unmodified proteins by neonatal immunization.

Newborn BALB/c mice were repeatedly injected either with syngeneic (BALB/c) or xenogeneic (bovine) myosin, albumin, or actin in sterile physiological saline. The serum antibody response was evaluated by enzyme immunoassay 1 and 2 months after birth and after two booster injections. At 1 month, higher antibody titres were found in the sera of mice injected with syngeneic than with xenogeneic antigens. At 2 months and after boosting, anti-syngeneic actin antibodies were present in equal or higher amounts, anti-syngeneic albumin antibodies were not detected, and anti-syngeneic myosin antibodies were considerably decreased. Antibodies produced after booster injections of syngeneic actin were found to be highly specific and to belong mainly to the IgG isotype. These results suggest that newborn mice are better able than adult mice to respond to stimulation with self antigens, and that administration of self proteins during neonatal life may lead to the induction of immunological memory. They also indicate that one of the primary functions of the immune system in newborn mice is the recognition of self antigens.

Actins↗

Studies on active immunization with self antigens. II. Production of antibody related to hapten substitution.

BALB/c mice were injected during neonatal life with conjugates in buffered physiological saline, prepared by coupling trinitrophenyl groups (TNP) at various densities to either syngeneic mouse serum albumin (TNP-MSA) or xenogeneic bovine serum albumin (TNP-BSA). Serum samples were obtained on days 30 and 60 after birth, on days 75 and 88 after two booster injections, and monoclonal antibodies were prepared from spleens of neonatally treated mice. The antibody titres, isotypes, and specificities were evaluated by enzyme-immunoassay. It was found that the extent of the anti-TNP immune response to TNP-MSA conjugates depends on the degree of hapten substitution, which is not the case for the anti-TNP-BSA. All the TNP-MSA conjugates induced mainly IgG and only a few IgM antibodies. These antibodies reacted essentially with the TNP group but seemed to have a higher avidity for the TNP-protein conjugate used in their induction. During the course of the immunization, decreasing quantities of TNP-MSA conjugates were needed to inhibit antibody binding. A large amount of monoclonal anti-TNP antibodies was found in hybridomas obtained after neonatal treatment either with TNP-MSA or TNP-BSA. Therefore, it appears that the anti-TNP immune response obtained after antigenic stimulation with sufficiently substituted TNP-MSA conjugates possesses all the characteristics of a normally occurring humoral immune response.

Animals↗

Most B cells in acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection lack parasite specificity.

The specificity of B lymphocytes activated in the acute phase of murine Trypanosoma cruzi infection was analysed in a panel of immunoglobulin-secreting hybridomas derived by fusion of lymph node cells 7 days after intraperitoneal parasite inoculation. The immunoglobulin isotype distribution of the hybrids reflected the total plaque-forming cell (PFC) response in the animal at this point, with a predominance of IgG2a, IgM, and IgG2b. Screening of the hybridoma antibodies on parasite antigens by three independent methods (western blot, ELISA, and immunofluorescence) revealed only one (out of a total of 51) that bound a parasite molecule with an apparent molecular mass of 180 kDa. In contrast, antibodies of both IgM and IgG classes were found to react with a panel of autologous antigens. These results establish that most B cells activated by T. cruzi infection are not specific for parasite antigens and therefore indicate the relevance of analysing the totality of host responses to infection.

Acute Disease↗