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Biomedical subjects

H von Bernuth

Publications and source records attributed to H von Bernuth.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

[Genetic predisposition and children infectious disease].

The classic primary immunodeficiencies confer predisposition to multiple infectious diseases. However since ten years severe pediatric infections which were idiopathic have now molecular explanation. Indeed, defects in several genes confer a predisposition to infection with specific pathogenes in otherwise healthy individuals. These children present a new kind of hereditary immunodeficiency with severe and/or recurrent infections caused by only one microorganisms family, in opposition of others patients with "classic" primary immunodeficiency.

Child↗

An interleukin-2-IgG-Fas ligand fusion protein suppresses delayed-type hypersensitivity in mice by triggering apoptosis in activated T cells as a novel strategy for immunosuppression.

BACKGROUND: Cell-mediated immune responses can be down-regulated by induction of apoptosis of immunoreactive lymphocytes. In the present study, we have tested the feasibility of a strategy for immunosuppression by the selective induction of apoptosis in activated, interleukin (IL)-2 receptor-positive lymphocytes, using a triple IL-2-IgG-FasL fusion protein. The IL-2-IgG-FasL fusion protein combines IL-2 for the selection of activated T cells, with the extracellular domain of the FasL molecule for inducing T-cell apoptosis. These components were separated by the Fc part of IgG1 serving as a spacer as well as for half-life prolongation. METHODS: The gene for the chimeric protein was created by fusing DNA sequences encoding for the three functional components: human IL-2, the Fc part of human IgG1, and the extracellular domain of murine FasL. When the fusion gene was expressed in murine J558L cells, we obtained soluble dimeric immunoglobulin-like proteins in the supernatant. After analyzing the function of the IL-2 and FasL portions individually in vitro, a delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction to sheep red blood cells as model for cell-mediated immune responses was investigated to evaluate the IL-2-IgG-FasL-mediated immunosuppression in vivo. RESULTS: In vitro, the IL-2-IgG-FasL fusion protein supported IL-2-dependent proliferation of Fas-resistant CTLL-2 cells, whereas concanavalin A-T blasts were induced to undergo apoptosis by the FasL portion. In vivo, this fusion protein potently inhibited a murine DTH. This was associated with an increased rate of apoptosis in activated lymphocytes in the spleen, even at very low doses of the fusion protein. Furthermore, a second antigen challenge 10 days after IL-2-IgG-FasL treatment still failed to elicit a DTH response. CONCLUSION: The abrogation of a standard T cell-dependent immune response in vivo demonstrates that IL-2-IgG-FasL can be successfully exploited to trigger the death of deleterious T cells, presenting a potentially useful strategy in the management of autoimmune diseases and allotransplant rejections.

Animals↗

Vaccination with tumor cells engineered to secrete interleukin 2-immunoglobulin G fusion protein induces tumor rejection.

Here we provide proof that the injection of tumor cells engineered to secrete interleukin 2 (IL-2)-IgG chimeric proteins locally induces potent antitumor responses, which are more effective than tumor transfection with IL-2 alone. Murine plasmacytoma cells (J558L) were stably transfected with DNA coding for a human IL-2-IgG1 or a murine IL-2-IgG2b fusion protein and were injected s.c. into syngeneic BALB/c mice. Evaluation of tumor growth and rejection patterns showed that IL-2-IgG secretion by transfected J558L tumor cells induced their rejection in all animals tested, similar to the rejection of J558L cells engineered to secrete IL-2 alone, whereas treatment with parental cells was lethal. However, mice treated with IL-2-IgG-secreting J558L cells (human IL-2-IgG1 and murine IL-2-IgG2b) exhibited a significantly stronger tumor immunity against a later challenge with parental J558L cells than mice treated with IL-2-secreting tumor cells.

Animals↗

Perinatal hypoxia and bioelectric brain maturation of the newborn infant.

Bioelectric brain maturation of twenty infants who had suffered acute perinatal hypoxia (patients) was compared with that of twenty healthy newborns (controls). None of the patients had suffered any other pre- or perinatal complications that could have influenced the bioelectric brain maturation. All infants (postmenstrual age: 40--42 weeks) were subjected to a polygraphic recording. The patients were examined after the acute phase of their disease; all were in good clinical condition at the time of recording. Statistic evaluation revealed significantly retarded bioelectric brain maturation in the patient group. Furthermore, a more immature EEG pattern was found to correspond to greater extent of oxygen deprivation. The study shows: determination of bioelectric brain maturation can be used to obtain information about suffered hypoxia and extent of oxygen deprivation.

Electroencephalography↗

[Aicardi-syndrome (author's transl)].

The main features of Aicardi's syndrome are infantile spasms, defects of the corpus callosum, chorioretinopathy, mental subnormality, characteristic EEG changes, vertebral anomalies, microphthalmos and colobomata. The disease affects only the female sex. 2 cases are described from our own experience.

Agenesis of Corpus Callosum↗