[Determination of antiprotein antibodies for the diagnosis of brucellosis in animals].
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to C A Fossati.
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Antibodies against food antigens are usually produced in healthy people. This humoral response can be detected both in serum and secretions. The characterization of this response can be useful for a better understanding of food-related immunological alterations. In this study, IgA and IgG antibodies specific to ovalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin or gliadin were measured in serum, saliva, colostrum and milk from 40 healthy breast-feeding women. Specific IgA and IgG to the three antigens were measured by indirect ELISA. Specific IgG levels were highest in serum and very low in the other biological fluids. No correlation between the IgG specific to the different antigens was found. Specific IgA reactivity was found in all the samples analysed. Levels observed were higher in colostrum and milk than in serum and saliva. In spite of being three different unrelated food antigens, a correlation between the levels of specific IgA was found in saliva, colostrum and milk samples of all subjects studied. The specificity of IgA anti-gliadin antibodies from serum, saliva and colostrum was analysed by immunoblotting of SDS-PAGE-separated wheat proteins. Each sample presented a unique pattern of recognition. No common pattern of recognition was found either among the same biological fluids of the different subjects tested, or among the different samples--either serum, colostrum or saliva--of the same individual. Different degrees of specificity to wheat proteins among IgA from colostrum, saliva or serum were observed, suggesting that the local IgA-producing populations are functionally different in the different tissues of the organism.
BACKGROUND: Secretion of dietary antigens into breast milk has been extensively documented. The presence of these antigens is of relevance because they could be involved in the modulation of the immune response in neonates. The objective of this study is to determine the gliadin concentration in milk, colostrum, and serum samples from healthy lactating mothers on a normal diet. Gliadin levels in milk samples from a group of six mothers after a brief period of gluten restriction were also determined. The molecular weight of secreted gliadins was also analysed. METHODS: Gliadin concentration was determined with a highly sensitive competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, modified so as to eliminate anti-gliadin antibody interference. The level of gliadin/IgA anti-gliadin immune complexes in milk, colostrum, and serum samples was determined. RESULTS: Gliadin was detected in all 49 milk samples. Its concentration varied between 5 and 1200 ng/ml (mean, 178 ng/ml). In colostrum (n = 14) gliadin levels were higher (range, 28-9000 ng/ml; mean, 883 ng/ml), not being detectable in one case. Gliadin was detectable in 14 of 31 serum samples, in which levels were lower than in milk and colostrum samples (mean, 41 ng/ml). Neither a correlation between gliadin levels in milk, colostrum, and serum samples from the same subject nor a relation between gluten intake and gliadin concentration in milk samples from six subjects under a 3-day gluten-free diet could be found. Higher levels of immune complexes were observed in colostrum samples than in milk and serum samples. No correlation was detected between gliadin concentration and the level of immune complexes. The analysis of milk and colostrum samples by immunoblotting showed bands of immunoreactive gliadin presenting Mr similar to those of native proteins from wheat extracts. CONCLUSIONS: Very high levels of gliadin were detected in milk samples from healthy mothers on an unrestricted diet. Gliadin levels were higher than those reported for dietary antigens in other studies. Breast milk contained non-degraded gliadins and gliadin/anti-gliadin IgA immune complexes.
Two mouse monoclonal anti-anti-idiotopic antibodies (anti-anti-Id, Ab3), AF14 and AF52, were prepared by immunizing BALB/c mice with rabbit polyclonal anti-idiotypic antibodies (anti-Id, Ab2) raised against antibody D1.3 (Ab1) specific for the antigen hen egg lysozyme. AF14 and AF52 react with an "internal image" monoclonal mouse anti-Id antibody E5.2 (Ab2), previously raised against D1.3, with affinity constants (1.0 x 10(9) M-1 and 2.4 x 10(7) M-1, respectively) usually observed in secondary responses against protein antigens. They also react with the antigen but with lower affinity (1.8 x 10(6) M-1 and 3.8 x 10(6) M-1). This pattern of affinities for the anti-Id and for the antigen also was displayed by the sera of the immunized mice. The amino acid sequences of AF14 and AF52 are very close to that of D1.3. In particular, the amino acid side chains that contribute to contacts with both antigen and anti-Id are largely conserved in AF14 and AF52 compared with D1.3. Therapeutic immunizations against different pathogenic antigens using anti-Id antibodies have been proposed. Our experiments show that a response to an anti-Id immunogen elicits anti-anti-Id antibodies that are optimized for binding the anti-Id antibodies rather than the antigen.
An antigenic capture ELISA was developed to measure serum antibodies against an 18 kDa cytoplasmic protein of Brucella. This assay was used to detect anti-18 kDa reactivity in sera from 30 dogs having confirmed or suspected brucellosis. Antibodies against the 18 kDa protein were found in 26 of them, which were also positive by the slide agglutination test (2ME-RSAT). The overall correlation (positive and negative results) between the ELISA and 2ME-RSAT tests was 93.3%. Additionally, these sera were assayed by an indirect ELISA using a whole extract of cytoplasmic proteins of B. abortus (LPS-free CYT). The results of both ELISAs were coincident in 28 of 30 (93.3%) dogs having confirmed or suspected brucellosis. When a serological follow-up was performed on some dogs having confirmed brucellosis, antibody titers measured by both ELISAs showed a parallel progression. On the other hand, the capture ELISA showed good specificity, since a positive result was obtained only in 2 of 103 sera from healthy dogs. These preliminary results show that the ELISA for detecting serum antibodies against the 18 kDa cytoplasmic protein of Brucella could be useful for the diagnosis of canine brucellosis. This study also shows that the results obtained with this single protein of Brucella are equivalent to those obtained with the whole extract of cytoplasmic proteins.
A serological 2-year follow-up of 35 patients who had brucellosis with different clinical outcomes was performed. Patients were followed up by standard tube agglutination (STA) and 2-mercaptoethanol STA (2ME-STA) tests and by two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) to independently measure values of serum IgG to either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or cytoplasmic proteins of Brucella. Whereas STA and 2ME-STA tests revealed characteristic antibody profiles for patients who recovered (group I), this was not the case for patients with persistent illness (group II) or patients with relapses (group III). On the other hand, titers measured by the 2ME-STA test were low or negative in 10 patients who had positive blood cultures. Levels of IgG antibodies to LPS and proteins in each group of patients exhibited characteristic changes. For group I, however, antibodies to proteins were better predictors of recovery, since titers reached negative values for five patients. Levels of IgG antibodies to LPS and proteins were persistently high in group II patients, and peaks in these antibody levels corresponded with relapses in group III patients. The determination of values of IgG antibodies to proteins by ELISA appears useful for the serological follow-up of patients with brucellosis.
The objective of this study was to analyze both the allergenicity and immunogenicity of cow's milk proteins. To this end, 80 milk-atopic patients were selected on the basis of the presence of cow's milk-specific IgE antibodies in serum and compatible clinical history. Fifteen patients allergic to other allergens and 10 nonatopic subjects were studied as controls. The specificity of serum IgG and IgE antibodies was determined by immunoblotting, employing both cow's milk and milk components, i.e., alpha- and beta-casein, beta-lactoglobulin, and alpha-lactalbumin separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The experiments showed that casein-specific IgE antibodies were present in all (80/80) sera examined; 10/80 showed reactivity to beta-lactoglobulin, and 5/80 showed reactivity to alpha-lactalbumin. None of the 25 negative control sera analyzed showed the presence of specific IgE antibodies against milk proteins. These results were similar to those corresponding to the detection, by the radioallergosorbent test, of IgE antibodies against the milk components coupled to paper disks. All sera from milk-atopic patients also showed IgE reactivity against a high-molecular-mass fraction that hardly enters the gel. This fraction, after separation by gel filtration and treatment with beta-mercaptoethanol and urea, was shown by SDS-PAGE analysis to be formed by casein monomers. All sera analyzed by immunoblotting reacted against the components corresponding to casein monomers. Inhibition of immunoblotting by adsorption with different milk components confirmed that those high-molecular-mass aggregates are formed by casein components. The results presented here strongly suggest that casein is the major allergenic component of cow's milk.
The humoral immune responses against three different antigens of Brucella abortus were monitored by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in cattle vaccinated with B. abortus S19 or experimentally infected with Yersinia enterocolitica serotype 0:9. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM responses against (i) B. abortus lipopolysaccharide (LPS), (ii) total cytoplasmic proteins depleted of LPS (LPS-free CYT), and (iii) B. abortus 18-kDa cytoplasmic protein were measured. Vaccinated animals and Yersinia-infected animals developed high anti-LPS IgM and IgG titers, which overlapped with those obtained with sera from B. abortus 544-infected animals used as positive controls. In contrast, only a slight or negative IgG and IgM response against LPS-free CYT and the 18-kDa protein was detected in vaccinated or Yersinia-infected cattle, although its levels were always significantly lower than those of B. abortus 544-infected animals. These data indicate that cytoplasmic proteins of B. abortus could be useful for the differential diagnosis of bovine brucellosis.
The primary structure of several chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (CFBPase) was deduced from DNA sequences, but only spinach, pea and rapeseed enzymes have been characterized structurally. We analyzed whether CFBPases from different phylogenetic origin contain a common epitope. To this end a DNA fragment of 1200 base pairs encoding 338 amino acid residues of wheat CFBPase (38 kDa) was cloned in the expression plasmid pGEX-1 in frame with the gene coding for glutathione S-transferase (GT) of Schistosoma japonicun (26.5 kDa). Upon transformation of Escherichia coli and induction with isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside, centrifugation of the lysate partitioned 10% of the fusion protein in the supernatant fraction and the remaining 90% in the precipitate. The expected 65 kDa protein was purified from both the soluble and the particulate fraction by affinity chromatography on columns of glutathione-agarose. This fusion protein was successfully used to produce a monoclonal antibody that specifically recognized the CFBPase region of the fusion protein but not the GT moiety. Moreover, the monoclonal antibody immunoreacted not only with polypeptides (ca. 40 kDa) present in leaf crude extracts of other varieties of wheat (Triticum spelta, T. aestivum and T. durum), but also with homogeneous preparations of the spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and rapeseed (Brassica napus) enzymes. Thus, the cross reaction of this monoclonal antibody with counterparts from different plant species indicates the persistency of a common epitope through biological evolution.
The aim of this study was to analyse four anti-DNP asymmetrically glycosylated monoclonal IgG3 antibodies (194/2, 194/5, 194/6 and 194/12) before and after carbohydrate manipulation. Microheterogeneity in the composition of the carbohydrate moiety involved in Fab' glycosylation was detected using lectins. Additional O-glycosidic carbohydrate chains were detected within the Fc region of two monoclonal antibodies. Fab' glycosylation produced a difference in the binding constants (Ka) in each paratope of two orders of magnitude, as determined by means of primary ligand-antibody interaction. The difference in binding affinity and the importance of Fc-Fc interaction was evidenced by a lack of BSA-DNP precipitation by the F(ab')2 fragments. The oxidation of the antibodies with sodium periodate caused the disappearance of the low affinity binding site as determined by fluorescence quenching. Furthermore, the enzymatic removal of the carbohydrate with N-glycanase determined the acquisition of precipitating activity by the F(ab')2 fragments.
Sera from three groups of Brucella abortus infected cattle were examined in immunoblots with the following antigens: sodium dodecyl sulfate/mercapto ethanol (SDS/ME) extracts of two rought B. abortus strains (45/20 and RB51) and rough B. ovis, smooth lipopolysaccharides (SLPS) from B. abortus strain 99 and Y. enterocolitica 0:9, and a cytoplasmic extract from smooth B. abortus strain 19-S. The sera groups were: (1) 26 sera from animals, experimentally infected with B. abortus strain 544, which were all positive in the conventional brucellosis serological tests; (2) 152 sera from naturally infected cattle herds with varying titres in the conventional brucellosis tests, and (3) 30 sera from naturally infected cattle with varying titres in the conventional brucellosis tests and from which B. abortus was cultured. B. abortus strain 99 and Y. enterocolitica serotype 0:9 SLPS staining showed up frequently in all sera groups and correlated well with the strength in the conventional brucellosis tests, confirming the immunodominance of SLPS in B. abortus infections. Another immunodominant component of 50-80 kDa was found in the rough B. abortus 45/20 antigen preparation but not in the B. abortus RB51 and in the B. ovis cell extracts. This component was also recognised by sera from Y. enterocolitica 0:9 infected cattle and is probably a protein-lipopolysaccharide complex. Although many of the sera from B. abortus infected cattle with high titres in the conventional brucellosis tests showed complex protein staining patterns in blots, no protein bands other than the 50-80 kDa bands were found to be immunodominant.
Circulating antibodies from human and murine chagasic sera are able to interact with myocardium, activating neurotransmitter receptors. Here, we studied the effects of a monoclonal antibody (MAb CAK20.12), which recognizes a 150 kilodalton antigen of Trypanosoma cruzi and reacts with normal human and murine striated muscles and with cardiac tissue. The MAb CAK20.12 binds to purified cardiac membranes and interferes with the binding of beta-adrenergic receptor radioligand ([125I]CYP) and muscarinic cholinergic receptor (mAChR) radioligand ([3H]QNB) in a noncompetitive way. As a consequence of this interaction, beta-adrenergic receptor and mAChR were activated, leading to increased intracellular levels of cyclic AMP as a result of beta-adrenergic receptor-coupled adenylate cyclase triggering. When its sympathetic action was abrogated, it also induced an mAChR-mediated increase in cyclic GMP. Furthermore, cardiac physiology was modified by MAb CAK20.12, as it was able to increase cardiac contractility through beta-adrenoceptor activation and to decrease atrial frequency as a result of mAChR activation. The fact that this MAb modulates and modifies the mechanical and biochemical activity of normal murine heart established an important basis for future research and understanding of how the host's humoral immune response acts on the course and development of the chronic chagasic myocardiopathy.
A preparation of Brucella abortus cytoplasmic proteins was depleted of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by immunoadsorption with a monoclonal antibody (BC68) specific for the O antigen of B. abortus smooth LPS. This extract was used as antigen in an indirect ELISA for measuring antiprotein humoral immune response in dogs suffering from brucellosis and in healthy controls. All of the affected dogs studied showed IgG antiprotein response, while 2% (2 of 103) of the healthy dogs used as controls gave a positive result. All sera found to be positive by ELISA were also positive by the rapid slide agglutination test. These preliminary results show that the ELISA using B. abortus cytoplasmic proteins could be useful for the specific diagnosis of canine brucellosis.
Affinity chromatography on polymyxin B-Sepharose 4B is one of the most commonly used methods for the removal of contaminating lipopolysaccharides (LPS). However, the LPS of Brucella spp. do not bind to polymyxin B. An affinity chromatography method with an anti-O antigen of Brucella LPS monoclonal antibody as immunosorbent was developed. The method produced a 1000-fold reduction in the LPS content of the cytoplasmic fraction of B. abortus. The eluted proteins retained their antigenicity. The method, which uses mild physiological conditions, is simple, effective and reproducible.
An outbreak of Brucella melitensis in a family was studied. From the fourteen family members who ate unpasteurized goat cheese nine became ill. Patients included four females and five males of 8 to 75 years old. In seven of the patients the diagnosis was confirmed by positive blood culture for B. melitensis biovar 1. All the patients were analyzed by standard tube agglutination (STA) and standard tube agglutination with 2-mercaptoethanol (STA-2ME) tests at the time of diagnosis. In six of the patients, ELISA assays were used to assess the humoral immune anti-protein and anti-lipopolysaccharide (LPS) responses. Anti-LPS IgG antibodies were detected in all of the patients. Anti-proteins IgG antibodies were present at significant levels in all the studied patients including the STA-2ME negative ones.
It has been suggested that molecular mimicry between the antigens of Trypanosoma cruzi and the host could have a role in the onset of the chronic stage of Chagas' disease. In this article, we report on a monoclonal antibody (MAb), CAK20.12 (immunoglobulin G2b), which reacts with a polypeptidic epitope of a 150-kDa antigen expressed on the surface of several strains of T. cruzi. This MAb also causes lysis of bloodstream trypomastigotes. Serum samples from 30 of 30 patients with chronic and 11 of 13 patients with acute Chagas' disease present specific antibodies to this antigen. MAb CAK20.12 reacts, by indirect immunofluorescence, with human and syngeneic murine striated muscle tissue, with the smooth muscle layer of cardiac arteries, with the lamina muscularis mucosae and the external striated muscle layer of the esophagus, and with the smooth muscle cells of the colon from normal syngeneic mice. Reactivity with the small intestine was very weak, and no reactivity with ventricle or atrium tissue was detected. Adsorption with an antigenic fraction from normal murine striated muscle or from T. cruzi epimastigotes confirmed that MAb CAK20.12 recognizes a common epitope present in parasites and host tissues. MAb CAK20.12, lytic for the infective form of T. cruzi, recognizes an epitope expressed in striated and smooth muscle cells of the host tissues affected in the chronic stage of Chagas' disease.
The aim of this study is to identify the oligosaccharide residues involved in the asymmetric glycosylation of immunoglobulins. We have studied two anti-DNP monoclonal antibodies of the IgG1 isotype. Results show both qualitative and quantitative differences in the carbohydrates of both monoclonal antibodies and their fragments F(ab')2, Fab' and Fd. One of the antibodies -112D5-, which appears to be homogeneous in the Scatchard plot, has oligosaccharide residues in the L chain and in the Fd of one of the Fab'. On the other hand, 112B2 mAb, which also appears to be asymmetrically glycosylated, shows the bimodal curve characteristic of antibodies with different combining site affinities.
Some anticytoplasmic protein monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) from mice immunized by infection with Brucella ovis cells have been obtained. One of these MAbs, BI24, was used to purify by immunoaffinity a protein with a pI of 5.6 and a molecular mass of 18 kDa. This protein was present in all of the rough and smooth Brucella species studied, but it could not be detected in Yersinia enterocolitica 09. Three internal peptides of this protein were partially sequenced; no homology with other bacterial proteins was found. The immunogenicity of the 18-kDa protein was studied with both human and bovine sera by a capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay system with MAb BI24.