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Biomedical subjects

D Kobiler

Publications and source records attributed to D Kobiler.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Expression of the myelin-associated glycoprotein in cultures of immortalized Schwann cells.

Although the myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) cannot be detected in primary cultures of rat Schwann cells in the absence of neurons, MAG expression was demonstrated in some lines of cultured Schwann cells that had been immortalized by repetitive passaging. Radioimmunoassay of one such Schwann cell line, S-16, showed a remarkably high MAG concentration of about 1 ng/microgram of total protein, a level that is comparable to the MAG concentration in adult sciatic nerve. The S-16 cells divide very rapidly, are rounder than normal Schwann cells, and elaborate many processes after reaching high density. The cells are galactocerebroside positive, but express little or no P0 glycoprotein or myelin basic protein. As in nerve, the MAG synthesized by the cultured cells is primarily the shorter isoform (S-MAG). Furthermore, the posttranslational processing resembles that occurring in vivo including a similar degree of glycosylation, sulfation of oligosaccharides, and phosphorylation of the polypeptide. The sensitivity of MAG to treatment of the intact cells with trypsin or neuraminidase, as well as surface labeling with [3H]borohydride reduction after periodate oxidation, demonstrated that most of the MAG expressed by the S-16 cells is located on the cell surface. This line of immortalized Schwann cells expressing a remarkably high level of MAG should be useful for investigating the cell biology and function of this glycoprotein.

Animals↗

Sodium dodecylsulphate induces a breach in the blood-brain barrier and enables a West Nile virus variant to penetrate into mouse brain.

A novel and convenient assay was used to determine the effect of recombinant Interleukin-2 (IL-2) on the function of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The assay is based on a variant of the West Nile virus, WN-25, which had lost its neuroinvasiveness but not its neurovirulence. WN-25, when injected intravenously, can cause the death of mice only if the function of the BBB is impaired. Sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS), a component in IL-2 excipient, was found to cause a short term breach in the BBB, enabling the penetration of viruses into the brain. Minimal amounts (30 ng/mouse) can induce a breach of about 10 min, which allows 0.1% of the injected virus to enter the brain. These findings demonstrate the possible use of SDS as a mean for intentional introduction of drugs into the brain, however they also call attention to the danger of using detergents as additives for drugs given intravenously.

Animals↗

Production of monoclonal antibodies toward bovine interferons-alpha suitable for immunopurification.

Five murine hybridoma clones, producing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to bovine interferon-alpha (BoIFN-alpha) were established. One of these, F12, secreted MAbs giving high titers, in ELISA tests, neutralizing both BoIFN-alpha, -alpha C, and BoIFN-alpha D activities, belonging to the mouse IgG1 class, and having a binding affinity constant of 10(8) M-1. F12 MAbs were used for immunoaffinity purification of BoIFN-alpha, and recombinant BoIFN-alpha C from Escherichia coli extracts was purified to homogeneity in SDS-PAGE analysis and to a specific activity of 2 X 10(8) U/mg with 90% recovery of activity.

Animals↗

Heterogeneity of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL): monoclonal antibodies phenotyping and induction of differentiation in vitro.

Fifty-eight pediatric patients with non-T acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) were diagnosed and evaluated at the Sambur Center of Pediatric Hematology Oncology. At least six subtypes of non-T ALLs were identified, corresponding to the various stages of B-cell differentiation, by utilizing an extensive panel of monoclonal antibodies directed against T- B- and myeloid-cell differentiation antigens. Moreover, leukemic cells expressing the phenotype of early B cells could be driven to differentiate along the B- cell lineage to express CALLA and BL antigens and cytoplasmic and/or surface immunoglobulins (IgM). A unique phenotype of non-T ALL was also identified. These leukemic cells expressed B cell antigen exclusively, i.e., HLA/DR and B4 (CD19). Myeloid-cell antigens, however, were expressed on these cells spontaneously after a 24-hour incubation in culture medium in vitro. In addition, leukemic cells of four patients with a phenotype of HLA/DR, CD19, and CD10 expressed antigens of the T-cell lineage: CD7 (3AI) and CD2 (leu 5), and/or of the myeloid cell lineage (My7). These results provide confirming evidence for the wide scope of the heterogeneity of ALL. It stresses the validity of accurate classification of leukemia to identify biologically and clinically unique subtypes of ALL, which bears specific prognostic parameters; and designates therapeutic protocols.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Human cell lines secreting lymphokines. I. Establishment of T-T hybridomas.

Lymphokines (Lks) are conventionally produced by mitogen stimulation of T lymphocytes. However, this procedure results in a mixture of factors, some of which may have antagonistic effects. An alternative method of producing Lks is the construction of monoclonal T-T hybridomas which secrete distinct Lks. By adapting the hybridoma technology for T cells, one can select distinct T hybridomas which may serve as constant sources for the production of uniform and well defined Lks. Since the compatibility of a certain cell line to serve as a fusion partner is unpredictable, several lines were tried in the hybridization procedure. An obligatory requirement of such a mutant line is its sensitivity to a selective medium, in which only the hybrid cell would survive. For this purpose three 8-azaguanine (8AG) resistant mutant lines (Jurkat/12 CEM/14 and Molt-4/10) were established from the respective T leukemic cell lines. This was achieved by culturing the cells in the presence of 200 microM 8AG. The surviving resistant cells were sensitive to aminopterin and azaserine inhibitors. Depending on the cell line and the inhibitor, death of these mutants was complete in 7 to 14 days. Non-adherent peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) stimulated for 48 hours with 1 microgram/ml phytohemagglutinin (PHA), were fused with the CEM/14 line. Fifteen hybridomas secreted a substance with B cell growth factor (BCGF) activity, nineteen hybridomas secreted T cell growth factor (IL-2), and eight hybridomas secreted gamma-interferon (gamma-IFN). The six lines which exhibited BCGF activity only, were expanded and cloned. The BCGF activity in the supernatant of a positive clone, designated TH-5, was found to be 3-fold more potent than a preparation of BCGF obtained by stimulation of PBL with PHA.

Cells, Cultured↗

Human cell lines secreting lymphokines. II. BCGF production by a T hybridoma and B cell lines.

B cell growth factor (BCGF) is a lymphokine (LK) primarily produced and secreted by activated T cells. This LK induces proliferation of B cells in culture and can maintain continuous growth of human B cells. One of the putative uses of this factor might be the establishment of monoclonal B cell lines which secrete specific antibodies. These antibodies could be used for passive immunization or in vivo immunodiagnostics. As conventional mitogen activation of T cells induces the secretion of many factors, some of them with opposite effects, the approach taken by us and others was to establish monoclonal hybridomas which produce constitutively a single factor. Such a human T-T cell hybridoma (TH-5), has been established and is growing and secreting constitutively BCGF for the tested 18 months. This BCGF induces proliferation of human B-cells without the requirement of B cell preactivation. No secretion of interleukin-2 or gamma-interferon by this hybridoma was detected. Furthermore, no influence of this factor was detected on T cells. Under optimal growth conditions, the generation time of this hybridoma is 16 hours and it reaches a maximum concentration of 3 X 10(6) cells/ml. The hybridoma cells could grow in serum-free-media and secrete BCGF for a limited time. The produced BCGF was found to be stable for the four tested months at -20 degrees C, at least one week at 4 degrees C and several hours at 37 degrees C. Its activity was destroyed at pH 2.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

B-Lymphocytes↗

Long-term culture of infant leukemia cells: dependence upon stromal cells from the bone marrow and bilineage differentiation.

Infant leukemia cells with 46XY,t(11; 17)(q23; p13) karyotype and a hybrid pre B myeloid phenotype (HLA-DR, (Ia), B4 and My7-positive and CALLA and T11-negative) and immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement were maintained in long-term culture for over 10 months. The in-vitro survival and growth of the leukemia cells were strictly dependent upon the presence of their autologous marrow stromal cells. The latter could be replaced by the 14F1.1 clone of preadipocytes derived from mouse bone marrow. Neither heterologous human marrow or foreskin fibroblasts nor fibroblast or endothelial like cell lines from mouse stroma could mimic the effect of autologous stroma or 14F1.1 adipocytes. The leukemia cells maintained their original phenotype throughout the 10-month culture period with either their autologous stroma or the 14F1.1 adipocytes. They could be induced to differentiate in two distinct directions. Phorbol myristate acetate induced adherence of the leukemia cells and development of macrophage properties. In contrast, conditioned medium from a hybridoma producing B-cell growth factor caused aggregation of the leukemia cells and expression of CALLA antigen and surface IgM. This bipotency of the leukemia cells and their dependence upon marrow stroma are properties in common with stem cells.

Bone Marrow Cells↗

Entamoeba histolytica: correlation between virulence and content of proteolytic enzymes.

Intact trophozoites of the virulent Entamoeba histolytica strain HM-1:IMSS (HM-1) destroyed a monolayer of baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells at a higher rate and efficiency than trophozoites of the nonvirulent strain HK-9. The destructive effect could be partially attributed to the proteolytic activity of the amoeba, since quantitative differences were found in the enzymatic activity of the two strains tested. Crude extracts or secreted enzymes of HM-1 trophozoites digested Azocoll, as well as the bovine cold-insoluble globulin fraction, at a much higher rate than the corresponding preparations from HK-9. This proteolytic activity was found to be activated by free sulfhydryl groups. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the BHK cell proteins of pre- and postamoebic activities showed patterns similar to the trypsin effect on the same target cells. These enzymes were found to digest the proteins participating in the attachment of the target cells to the substrate and, consequently, cause detachment of these cells.

Animals↗

Attachment and ingestion of bacteria by trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica.

Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites were found to be very selective in their interactions with bacteria. Two principal mechanisms were shown to be responsible for these interactions. Certain bacteria, such as a number of Escherichia coli and Serratia marcescens strains which are known to contain mannose-binding components on their cell surface, bound to mannose receptors on the amoeba membrane. This attachment was markedly inhibited by alpha-methylmannoside (0.5%), especially when the incubations were done at low temperature (5 degrees C). Other bacterial species, such as Shigella flexneri and Staphylococcus aureus, which do not possess a mannose-binding capacity, attached to the amoebae, but only with the aid of concanavalin A or after opsonization of the bacteria with immune serum. In both types of attachment, between 40 and 100 bacteria bound per amoeba, and considerable ingestion of bacteria into amoeba vacuoles was observed at 37 degrees C. The attachment of opsonized bacteria to the amoebae does not appear to be mediated by Fc receptors since Fab' dimers obtained after pepsin digestion of immunoglobulin were capable of mediating adherence. Furthermore, preincubation of the amoebae with aggregated human immunoglobulin G or with heat-inactivated immune serum and EDTA did not inhibit the attachment of opsonized bacteria. The attachment of opsonized bacteria was markedly inhibited by N-acetylglucosamine-containing glycoconjugates, such as peptidoglycan and chitin oligosaccharides, as well as by N-acetylgalactosamine. These results indicate that amoebae can attach and ingest bacteria either by using their membrane-associated carbohydrate-binding protein or by having their mannose-containing cell surface components serve as receptors.

Animals↗

Heparin-inhibitable lectin. Purification from chicken liver and embryonic chicken muscle.

The heparin-inhibitable lectin activity from adult chicken liver and embryonic chick pectoral muscle has been purified by gel filtration on Sepharose CL-2B followed by affinity chromatography on heparin-Sepharose. Specific activity of this abundant material was increased about 70-fold with about 28% recovery of activity. The purified lectin, which behaved as a large aggregate, could be dissociated into two proteins with apparent molecular weights of 13,000 and 16,000 upon electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate. 125I-tryptic peptide maps of these proteins showed that they were distinct from each other and also from lectins of similar molecular weight previously purified from chicken. Agglutination activity of the lectin, tested with specially prepared rabbit erythrocytes, was very sensitive to heparin which inhibited 50% at concentrations of approximately 10(-5) mM. Dermatan sulfate and heparan sulfate were also potent inhibitors, whereas other glycosaminoglycans were not. The most potent monosaccharide hapten inhibitor was N-acetyl-D-galactosamine. Because of its properties, we operationally refer to this material as chicken heparin-lectin, recognizing that this does not necessarily indicate that it functionally interacts with heparin in vivo.

Animals↗

Adhesion properties of Entamoeba histolytica.

Trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica adhere to and phagocytize red blood cells and bacteria. Furthermore, in the initial step of the amoebic infectious process the parasite attaches to intestinal epithelial cells. A lectin (carbohydrate-binding protein) which apparently has a role in the attachment of the parasite to host cells was found in trophozoites of E. histolytica. When amoeba cells were disrupted by freeze-thawing, the lectin activity, as determined by haemagglutination of human erythrocytes, remained associated with the sedimented membrane fraction. This activity was pH dependent and heat and oxidation-sensitive, and was destroyed by proteolysis and on autoincubation. Moreover, the lectin activity was inhibited by a variety of N-acetylglucosamine-containing compounds such as chitin and chitin oligosaccharides, bacterial peptidoglycan, rabbit colonic mucus, bovine and human serum, an IgA fraction isolated from human colostrum, and IgG from sera of amoebiasis patients. These glycoconjugates also interfered with the adherence of intact radiolabelled amoeba trophozoites to human intestinal epithelial cells as well as their attachment to red blood cells. Although the lectin activity and the toxin-like activity previously found in E. histolytica seem to be two separate substances, they share a number of properties which suggest that they are related and may have a function in pathogenicity.

Acetylglucosamine↗

Adhesion of Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites to monolayers of human cells.

The adhesion of radiolabeled trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica to monolayers of a human intestinal epithelial cell line was found to be dependent on time, temperature, and concentration. Adherence seems to be mediated by a carbohydrate binding protein (lectin), which was previously found in trophozoites of E. histolytica. The adherence of the trophozoites was found to be pH-dependent and was inhibited by several N-acetyl-glucosamine-containing glycoconjugates, such as bacterial peptidoglycan, chitin, and IgA; similar results were obtained with the isolated lectin. Furthermore, the semipurified amoebic lectin and wheat germ agglutinin, which have similar sugar specificities, competed with the intact amoeba for receptor sites on the epithelial cells. In addition, both sera from patients with amoebiasis and an IgG fraction from these sera inhibited lectin activity and the adherence of the trophozoites.

Acetylglucosamine↗

Lectin and toxin-like activities of Entamoeba histolytica: comparison of properties.

A comparison was made between properties of a recently discovered Entamoeba histolytica lectin which has a carbohydrate specificity for N-acetylglucosamine oligosaccharides and the previously found toxin-like principle of the ameba. A separation between these two activities was achieved upon subcellular fractionation by high speed centrifugation of freeze-thawed disrupted E. histolytica trophozoites (strain HM-1). Practically all of this lectin activity, as determined by hemagglutination of glutaraldehyde-fixed human erythrocytes, was found associated with the sedimented membrane fraction. This fraction did not affect monolayers of tissue-cultured mammalian cells. On the other hand, the soluble supernatant solution caused extensive damage to the tissue-cultured cells (change in morphology and detachment of cells). Both the lectin and toxin activities were heat-labile and their activities were preserved by the presence of reducing agents and proteolytic enzyme inhibitors. In contrast to the toxin, the isolated lectin was inactive at pH 7.2 and active only at pH 5.7-6.0. Both the lectin and toxin were inhibited by a number of macromolecular compounds such as chitin, peptidoglycan, bovine serum and an IgA fraction isolated from human colostrum. Only the lectin activity, however, was inhibited by low molecular weight chitin oligosaccharides (GlcNAc)n=2-6 or by lysozyme-digested peptidoglycan subunits. Moreover, fetuin and a ganglioside mixture extracted from ox brain were found to inhibit only the toxin-like activity. The IgG fraction of sera from patients with invasive amebiasis neutralized both lectin and toxin-like activities, while IgG from normal sera failed to neutralize either activity. Although our results indicate that in E. histolytica, lectin and toxin are two separate activities, both of them share a considerable number of properties which does not exclude the possibility that they may be related.

Antitoxins↗

Lectin activity in Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites.

A lectin (carbohydrate-binding protein) has been found in extracts of a number of axenically grown trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica strains. The strains grown in TYI-S-33 medium (Diamond et al., Trans. R. Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg. 72: 431-432, 1978) were HK-9, 200:NIH, and HM-1:IMSS. Strain HU-1:MUSC (HSC) was grown monoxenically in the same medium. The amoebic lectin agglutinated glutaraldehyde-fixed erythrocytes. This activity was pH dependent and heat and oxidation sensitive, and was destroyed by proteolysis upon autoincubation. The relative agglutinating potency of the different strains of amoebae was investigated. Strain HSC had the highest specific activity (210 U/mg of protein), and strain HM-1 had the lowest (14 U/mg). One unit of hemagglutinating activity is defined as the amount of lectin present in 1 ml of extract which will agglutinate 1 ml of 4% erythrocytes. Upon subcellular fractionation of the lectin present in extracts of strain HK-9, two-thirds of the activity was detected in the soluble, nonsedimentable (100,000 x g, 60 min) fraction. Partial hydrolysate of chitin was found to inhibit the hemagglutinating activity. Among the oligosaccharides of N-acetylglucosamine, the trimer and tetramer were the most potent inhibitors. The lectin was purified approximately 300-fold by a one-step affinity chromatography on a chitin column. The loading and elution from the column were based on the pH dependence of the lectin activity.

Agglutinins↗

A lectin activity in Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites.

A lectin (carbohydrate binding protein) has been found in extracts of a number of axenically grown trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica strains. The strains grown in Diamond's TYI-S-33 media were HK-9, 200:NIH and HM-1: IMSS. Strain HU-1: MUSC (HSC) was grown monoxenically in the same medium. The amoeba lectin agglutinates glutaraldehyde-fixed red blood cells. This activity is pH dependent, heat and oxidation sensitive and is destroyed by proteolysis upon auto-incubation. The relative agglutinating potency of the different strains was investigated. Strain HSC had the highest specific activity (210 units/mg protein) and strain HM-1 the lowest (14 units/mg). One unit of haemagglutinating activity is defined as the amount of leetin present in 1 ml of extract which will agglutinate 1 ml of 4 per cent red blood cells. Upon subcellular fractionation of the lectin present in extracts of strain HK-9, two thirds of the activity were detected in the soluble, non-sedimentable (100,000 x g, 60 min) fraction. Partial hydrolysate of chitin was found to inhibit the haemagglutinating activity. Among the oligosaccharides of N-acetylglucosamine, the trimer and tetramer were the most potent inhibitors. The lectin was purified approximately 300 fold by a one step affinity chromatography on a chitin column. The loading and elution from the column were based on the pH dependence of the lectin activity.

Entamoeba histolytica↗