Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (IPEH) mimicking a lacrimal sac mass.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to C Barras.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
An autosomal recessive nonsyndromic deafness locus, DFNB10, was previously localized to a 12-cM region near the telomere of chromosome 21 (21q22.3). This locus was discovered in a large, consanguineous Palestinian family. We have identified and ordered a total of 50 polymorphic microsatellite markers in 21q22.3, comprising 16 published and 34 new markers, precisely mapped and ordered on BAC/cosmid contigs. Using these microsatellite markers, the locus for DFNB10 has been refined to an area of less than 1 Mb between markers 1016E7.CA60 and 1151C12.GT45. Six previously published cDNAs were mapped to this critical region, and their genomic structures were determined to facilitate mutation analysis in DFNB10. All six genes in this region (in order from centromere to telomere: White/ABCG1, TFF3, TFF2, TFF1, PDE9A, and NDUVF3) have been screened and eliminated as candidates for DFNB10. The new microsatellite markers and single nucleotide polymorphisms identified in this study should enable the refined mapping of other genetic diseases that map to 21q22.3. In addition, the critical region for DFNB10 has been reduced to a size amenable to an intensive positional cloning effort.
Trisomy 21, or Down syndrome (DS), is the most common genetic cause of mental retardation. Changes in the neuropathology, neurochemistry, neurophysiology, and neuropharmacology of DS patients' brains indicate that there is probably abnormal development and maintenance of central nervous system structure and function. The segmental trisomy mouse (Ts65Dn) is a model of DS that shows analogous neurobehavioral defects. We have studied the global gene expression profiles of normal and Ts65Dn male and normal female mice brains (P30) using the serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) technique. From the combined sample we collected a total of 152,791 RNA tags and observed 45,856 unique tags in the mouse brain transcriptome. There are 14 ribosomal protein genes (nine under expressed) among the 330 statistically significant differences between normal male and Ts65Dn male brains, which possibly implies abnormal ribosomal biogenesis in the development and maintenance of DS phenotypes. This study contributes to the establishment of a mouse brain transcriptome and provides the first overall analysis of the differences in gene expression in aneuploid versus normal mammalian brain cells.
Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy syndrome type 1 (APS-1; MIM# 240300) is a rare autosomal recessively inherited disease characterised by destructive autoimmune diseases of endocrine glands. The gene responsible for APS-1, known as AIRE (for autoimmune regulator), was recently identified and contains motifs suggestive of a transcription regulator. To date, nine APS-1-associated mutations have been identified in the AIRE gene, including two common mutations R257X and 1094-1106del. In addition to these two mutations, we report seven novel mutations in 16 APS-1 patients from North America. We found that 1094-1106del and R257X were the most common mutations in this population of mixed geoethnic origin, accounting for 17/32 and 4/32 alleles, respectively. Haplotype analyses suggest that both are recurrent mutations, occurring on several different haplotypes with closely linked markers. All the novel mutations appear to be rare, occurring in only single APS-1 families. After examining all coding sequences and exon/intron boundaries of the AIRE gene, the other APS-1 allele remained unidentified in three patients. Genotype-phenotype correlations for APS-1 remain difficult, suggesting that other genetic or environmental factors, or both, influence the clinical presentation and disease progression in individual APS-1 patients.
OBJECTIVE: To determine levels of lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) in serum and in synovial fluid (SF) of patients presenting with various articular disorders [degenerative arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), reactive arthritis (ReA)] and to correlate these levels with C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), 2 markers of the acute phase response. METHODS: LBP was measured by a radioimmunoassay made up of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to capture LBP and radiolabelled anti-LBP antibodies to detect LBP. LBP was also measured for its ability to present fluorescein isothiocyanate LPS (FITC-LPS) to human monocytes. CRP was measured by nephelometry and IL-6 bioassay. RESULTS: Levels of LBP in serum and in SF were significantly higher in patients with RA and ReA than in the control group of degenerative arthropathies. In the latter group, LBP values were similar to those found in controls. Serum LBP values correlated positively with SF LBP values. LBP values also correlated with CRP and IL-6 levels measured in SF. Functionally, LBP was found to be active and able to present LPS to monocytes, resulting in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) release upon LPS challenge. CONCLUSION: These in vitro data support the observation that LBP could play a major role in local joint disorders. Our results also strengthen the view that LBP may be a new marker of synovial inflammation.
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein (LBP) has been shown to regulate the response of monocytes to LPS in vitro. In a previous study, polyclonal anti-LBP IgGs were found to protect D-galactosamine-sensitized mice against a lethal endotoxemic shock induced by a low challenge of LPS or lipid A when administered simultaneously with endotoxin. In the present study, we investigated the mode of action of these anti-LBP IgGs. In vitro, we demonstrated that they interfere with LPS binding to monocytes or polymorphonuclear cells in different ways: by the mere prevention of binding of LPS to LBP thus preventing the binding of LPS to CD14, or by reacting with LPS-LBP complexes thus mediating their binding to complement or Fc receptors on monocytes and on polymorphonuclear cells. In vivo, we demonstrated that anti-LBP IgGs afforded protection against lethal endotoxemic shock by one of two mechanisms. First, LBP blockade by pretreatment with anti-LBP IgG allowed protection against a low dose of LPS (100 ng). This protection occurred despite LPS levels in blood similar to those in control mice but in the absence of detectable tumor necrosis factor (TNF). This demonstrated that anti-LBP IgG could block the LBP-mediated TNF release upon LPS challenge. In contrast, anti-LBP IgG did not afford protection in mice not sensitized with D-galactosamine and challenged with high-dose LPS (1 mg), confirming that LPS at high concentrations could stimulate cells independently of the LBP pathway. Second, anti-LBP treatment administered simultaneously with LPS challenge protected mice against both low and high doses of LPS. Unlike after pretreatment with anti-LBP IgG, this protection was accompanied by a decrease of circulating LPS, suggesting that anti-LBP IgG in these conditions facilitated clearance of LPS probably by clearing LPS-LBP complexes. These data and the fact that LBP binds to all LPS through lipid A suggest that antibody directed to LBP could be a candidate for therapeutic strategies in endotoxemic shock.
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein (LBP) and CD14 represent key elements in monocyte activation by LPS. The mean concentration of LBP was 18.1 microgram/mL in normal serum and 40-60 micrograms/mL in serum of patients with septic shock, independent of the fact that patients had gram-negative or other infections. Ten percent normal serum presented large concentrations of LPS (in the microgram range) to monocytes. Only when diluted 1:100 was LBP in plasma a limiting factor for monocyte activation, as measured by tumor necrosis factor (TNF) release. When LBP was depleted from serum with anti-LBP antibodies, the resulting serum did not support TNF release of monocytes upon LPS challenge. In conclusion, monocyte activation resulting in TNF secretion was related to LBP, which is abundantly present in normal serum, and elevated two to three times in patients with septic shock.
Purified cell walls representing a wide variety in teichoic acid and peptidoglycan structure prepared from eight different gram-positive bacterial species induced the production of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 from human monocytes in the presence of 10% plasma or serum. Significant amounts of cytokines began to be produced at concentrations above 100 ng to 1 microgram of cell walls per ml, with maximal production requiring 10 to 100 micrograms of cell wall material per ml. In the absence of plasma, the cytokine-inducing capacity of cell wall preparations was lower by at least an order of magnitude. The serum-derived cofactor was inactivated by heating at 90 degrees C for 30 min, suggesting that the activity is associated with a protein. On the other hand, replacement of normal with hypogammaglobulinemic plasma, inactivation of complement (at 56 degrees C), and blockade by the monoclonal antibody MY4 of the CD14 receptors on monocytes did not inhibit the production of TNF-alpha induced by whole cell walls. Cell walls also stimulated production of TNF-alpha induced by whole cell walls. Cell walls also stimulated production of TNF-alpha in the presence of polymyxin B, and macrophages derived from the lipopolysaccharide-insensitive cell line of C3He/HeJ mice also produced this cytokine when stimulated by cell walls. Both peptidoglycan and the soluble glycan-teichoic acid component prepared by an enzymatic method from the same wall preparation exhibited a serum-dependent induction of TNF-alpha from monocytes, while stem peptides and disacharride peptides had only poor, if any, activity. Cell walls may contribute to the septic shock induced by gram-positive bacteria.
Because lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein (LBP) sensitizes monocytes to LPS in vitro, it has been suggested that LBP initiates host defenses against Gram-negative bacteria. The role of LBP in vivo, and particularly in endotoxemic shock, is unknown, however. Therefore an IgG against murine LBP was prepared. It was found to neutralize binding of LPS and subsequent activation of murine macrophages in vitro. This anti-LBP protected mice against the lethal effect of LPS when given at the same time as LPS challenge, but it failed to protect mice when delayed 15 min after LPS challenge. The same preparation was also effective after challenge with lipid A but not after challenge with Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin. The protection was correlated with a strong decrease of circulating tumor necrosis factor. These data demonstrate that in vivo LBP is a major mediator of the lethal effects of endotoxemia.
The role of IFN-gamma in the regulation of inflammation leading to gram-negative septic shock is still poorly understood. IFN-gamma blockade has been shown to improve the survival of animals challenged with i.v. bolus injections of LPS and gram-negative bacteria. We have investigated a model of focal Escherichia coli infection leading to peritonitis and septic shock. Mice were challenged i.p. with an inoculum near the LD50. The addition of rIFN-gamma together with bacteria increased the mortality and the level of blood TNF-alpha and IL-6. Conversely blockade of IFN-gamma with a neutralizing mAb significantly improved the survival of the mice. This beneficial effect was not associated with a stringent decrease in blood bacterial counts and TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels in survivors. In this model, the protective effect of anti-IFN-gamma mAb contrasted with the ineffectiveness of a neutralizing anti-TNF-alpha mAb. These findings suggest that overproduction of IFN-gamma might have a more detrimental role than overproduction of TNF-alpha during focal gram-negative infections.
Very little is known about early events in LPS binding and about the duration of LPS exposure required to activate monocytes. In the present study, we have investigated the kinetics of LPS binding to human monocytes and the time of exposure required to trigger the synthesis of TNF-alpha. We directly followed the binding of FITC-labeled LPS to monocytes by flow cytometry or confocal laser microscopy. LPS was able to bind to the cell surface within 1 min of exposure, and was internalized within 5 min. Equilibrium was reached within 15 min at all but the lowest LPS concentration tested (10 ng/ml). Binding was dependent on the presence of LPS-binding protein, supplied either as a plasma component or in purified form, and inhibited by an anti-CD14 mAb (MY4). Polymyxin B, an inhibitor of LPS-mediated activation, essentially abrogated the LPS-binding protein- and CD14-dependent binding of LPS to monocytes. Using either the anti-CD14 mAb or polymyxin B to block further LPS binding, we found that 5 to 10 min of exposure was sufficient to trigger maximal TNF-alpha release. Similarly, monocytes washed after 5 to 15 min exposure to eliminate LPS also produced high levels of TNF-alpha transcripts without further presence of LPS in the medium. We conclude that a few minutes of exposure to physiologically relevant concentrations of LPS are sufficient to trigger both maximal binding and activation of monocytes.
The bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) inhibits the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated activation of monocytes. Due to its inhibitory activity for various LPS, BPI has therapeutic potential in endotoxic shock. To be efficient in vivo, BPI should overcome the action of LPS-binding protein (LBP), a serum molecule that increases the expression of LPS-inducible genes via CD14 of monocytes, rBPI23, a recombinant fragment of BPI, prevented in a dose-dependent manner the binding and the internalization of LPS mediated by LBP. Consequently, rBPI23 also inhibited LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF alpha) synthesis from monocytes. LPS- and LBP-mediated activation of monocytes was totally inhibited when LPS was preincubated with rBPI23. Adding rBPI23 at the same time as LBP resulted in an important but partial inhibition of TNF alpha release, but this inhibition vanished with delaying the time of addition of rBPI23. These studies suggest that the inhibitory activity of BPI is related to its ability to compete with LBP for LPS.
The serum protein lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein (LBP) seems to play an important role in regulating host responses to LPS. Complexes of LPS and LBP form in serum and stimulate monocytes, macrophages, or polymorphonuclear leukocytes after binding to CD14. Previous reports have described the structure and properties of LBP from human and rabbit sera. Since mice are used in some experimental models of endotoxemia or gram-negative bacterial infections, information is needed about the properties of murine LBP. Murine LBP was purified by ion-exchange chromatography and high-pressure liquid chromatography; its NH2-terminal sequence (TNPGLVTRIT) was very similar to those of human and rabbit LBPs (80 to 90% amino acid identity). Murine LBP resembled LBPs from other species in that it promoted the binding of LPS to monocytes and enhanced the sensitivity of monocytes to LPS at least 100-fold. Mouse LBP, like rabbit and human LBPs, was found to be an acute-phase protein. Further in vivo studies with mice and anti-CD14 or anti-LBP reagents should help determine the role of LBP in response to LPS challenges.
We used flow cytometry to determine how LPS-binding protein (LBP) effects the binding of fluorescein-labeled LPS to human monocytes via receptor-dependent mechanisms. The addition of human, rabbit, mouse, or FCS strikingly increased the binding of LPS to monocytes compared with controls incubated in serum-free medium. This binding was totally prevented by preincubation of monocytes with MY4, an anti-CD14 mAb, or by enzymatic removal of CD14 from monocytes. Depletion of LBP from rabbit serum with anti-LBP antibodies also produced a similar suppression. Solutions of albumin did not support the enhanced binding observed in serum but the addition of purified rabbit LBP to albumin solutions resulted in binding similar to that observed in serum-containing medium. When type-specific anti-LPS mAb was added to human serum, LPS binding to monocytes occurred but was only partly inhibited by anti-CD14 mAb, suggesting that receptors other than CD14 (presumably Fc or complement receptors) were involved. Serum increased by 100- to 1000-fold the sensitivity of monocytes to the triggering by LPS resulting in TNF secretion. TNF secretion was inhibited by anti-CD14 mAb up to 100 ng/ml of LPS and by anti-LPS mAb up to 1 to 10 ng/ml. The inhibition of TNF secretion by anti-LPS mAb appeared to be the result of directing LPS to monocyte receptors other than CD14. In contrast, in medium containing normal as well as acute serum and in the absence of anti-LPS antibodies, the binding of LPS to monocytes and the triggering of TNF secretion appeared to be mediated mainly by interactions between CD14 and LBP-LPS complexes.
The production of TNF-alpha, IL-1, and IL-6 was measured in mice after bolus i.v. Escherichia coli O111 LPS injections and during bacteremia induced either by bolus i.v. or by i.p. challenges of live E. coli O111. High but transient TNF-alpha peaks were observed after bolus i.v. LPS or bacterial challenges. In contrast, the levels during lethal peritonitis increased progressively to values 50- to 100-fold lower than the peak values observed after i.v. injections, and remained sustained until death. Whereas after i.v. challenge with 1000 LD50 of LPS, anti-TNF-alpha antibody fully protected mice from death and reduced serum IL-1 and IL-6 levels, anti-TNF-alpha antibody did not improve the survival of mice nor reduced serum IL-1 and IL-6 levels after i.p. bacterial challenge. In contrast to anti-TNF-alpha antibodies, anti-LPS antibodies were protective in the peritonitis model. Protection was accompanied by a striking reduction of bacterial numbers and of TNF-alpha, IL-1, and IL-6 levels in the serum, but the levels of these cytokines were only marginally affected in the peritoneal lavage fluid. This latter observation demonstrates that the local peritoneal cytokines did not diffuse readily into the circulation, thus suggesting that at least part of the circulating cytokines are produced systemically. In conclusion, the striking differences between cytokine profiles as well as the divergent efficacy of anti-TNF-alpha antibody after i.v. bolus and after i.p. challenges suggest that TNF-alpha may not be as important in the pathogenesis of lethal peritonitis than after lethal acute bacteremia.
While it is well established that activated T cells can produce tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), it is less clear whether this function is confined to a given subset, e.g., memory cells. To approach this question, we investigated the production of TNF-alpha by human peripheral blood T lymphocytes activated with anti-CD28 mAb since this activation pathway is known to potentiate cytokine production. Under the culture conditions used, the amount of TNF-alpha produced was markedly enhanced compared to that obtained after activation with immobilized anti-CD3 mAb. The enhancement of TNF-alpha production was already apparent after incubation of T cells for 6 hr. Up to 5 ng/ml of TNF-alpha was measured on Day 2 in supernatants of cultures of 10(4) T lymphocytes. To determine the source of the cells producing high amounts of TNF-alpha, T lymphocytes were separated into two subpopulations, namely naive cells (expressing the CD45RA isoform) and memory cells (expressing the CD45RO isoform). While both subpopulations proliferated equally well after stimulation with anti-CD28 mAb, up to 90% of the TNF-alpha produced under these conditions originated from memory T cells. These results thus document that T cell activation via CD28 results in a marked increase in TNF-alpha production without affecting the functional disparity that exists between naive and memory T cells.
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an epithelial tumor consistently associated with EBV. The histological picture is characterized by a strikingly abundant lymphocytic infiltrate. Furthermore, the epithelial tumor cells present several immunological characteristics which suggest an important role for tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) in the biology of this tumor. The present study reports the phenotypic and functional characterization of TIL from NPC obtained after enzymatic digestion of 15 NPC biopsies. Flow cytometric analysis of TIL suspensions indicated that most TIL were mature CD3+ T lymphocytes (mean = 60%) with a variable CD4/CD8 ratio. Most TIL were TCR alpha/beta-positive (mean = 55%) and only a few TCR gamma-delta-positive cells could be identified. A small percentage (mean = 9%) displayed an activated phenotype (CD25+, HLA class II+). Using limiting dilution analysis, we found that the average frequency of proliferative T-lymphocyte precursors (PTL-P) is lower among TIL (1/40) than in autologous (1/7) or normal PBL (1/1.4). Moreover, sorting experiments have shown that this defect is significantly more pronounced in the CD8+ than in the CD4+ TIL subset. Accordingly, the TCR and the CD2-mediated antigen-independent pathways of activation were impaired. Different types of cytotoxic precursor could be detected. These included lectin-dependent cell cytotoxicity (LDCC) and NK-like or lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) activity. Interestingly, some TIL from NPC were able to lyse an NPC tumor (C15) maintained in nude mice. Thus, despite impaired activation pathways, the cytolytic potential of proliferating TIL in NPC is preserved.
Evidence from the mouse system has suggested that T lymphocytes accumulating in non-lymphoid tissue, in particular epithelia, may preferentially express the T cell receptor (TCR) gamma delta. In this study, we characterize the T cell receptor alpha beta or gamma delta phenotype of lymphocytes infiltrating human tumors of epithelial origin using monoclonal antibodies (mAb) for immunohistology and flow cytometry on cells extracted by enzyme digestion. This report shows that the majority of CD3+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes are TCR alpha beta+ but a small percentage of TCR gamma delta can be clearly defined scattered throughout the tumor tissue with apparently no microanatomical selection. So far there has been little evidence for an accumulation of activated T cells in human tumor tissues as defined by mAb against molecules appearing transiently during the acute phase of activation. Now mAb are available that can identify primed or memory T cells such as mAb UCHL-1 recognizing the CD45RO antigen. Here we show that CD3+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes have a statistically significant accumulation of primed T cells, as compared to the autologous peripheral blood lymphocytes, suggesting their immune stimulation by tumor cells.