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Biomedical subjects

J B Hunter

Publications and source records attributed to J B Hunter.

50 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

HLA-DR4 in insulin-dependent diabetic parents and their diabetic offspring: a clue to dominant inheritance.

Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) susceptibility determinants are known to be associated with both HLA-DR3 and -DR4. We monitored the inheritance of HLA-DR alleles in 37 families in which IDDM affected one parent and at least one offspring in order to try to learn more about the modes of inheritance of IDDM determinants. Ninety-seven insulin-dependent diabetics whose parents did not have diabetes and 158 nondiabetics were used as control groups for estimates of DR allele frequencies in the overall diabetic and general populations. The proportion of diabetic parents who transmitted DR4 to diabetic offspring (78%) was significantly higher (P less than 0.001) than the gene frequency of DR4 in the overall diabetic population (43%). The proportion of nondiabetic parents who transmitted DR4 to diabetic offspring (22%) was not significantly different from the gene frequency of DR4 in the nondiabetic population (16%), but it was significantly lower (P less than 0.05) than the gene frequency in the overall IDDM population. These proportions suggest that inheritance of the DR4-associated IDDM susceptibility determinant is not recessive, because in recessive inheritance expression of a trait depends on each parent contributing a susceptibility determinant. The proportions of diabetic and nondiabetic parents who transmitted the DR allele associated with the susceptibility determinant would then equal one another. The transmission of predominantly DR4 from affected parents to affected offspring suggests that susceptibility to IDDM is inherited primarily via a single dose of a potent determinant associated with DR4, as in dominant inheritance. When DR3 was transmitted at all it was usually by the nondiabetic parent. Only 8% of diabetic parents transmitted DR3 but 35% of nondiabetic parents transmitted DR3. The proportion of nondiabetic parents who transmitted DR3 was similar to the gene frequency of DR3 in the overall diabetic population (29%), but it was significantly higher than the gene frequency of DR3 in the nondiabetic population (15%; P less than 0.005). The percentage of diabetic offspring with the genotype DR3DR4 (35%) was identical to the percentage of individuals in the overall IDDM population with this genotype (35%). Numerous population data indicate that the DR3DR4 genotype carries a higher relative risk for IDDM than any other genotype, which suggests synergism between the DR3- and DR4-associated determinants. The family data reported here support this synergism but suggest that the DR4-associated determinant can give substantial susceptibility independent of the DR3-associated determinant and that the DR3-associated determinant is often expressed as enhancing susceptibility in the presence of the dominant DR4- associated determinant.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema. RS3PE syndrome.

Eight elderly men and two elderly women presented with symmetrical polysynovitis of acute onset involving most of their appendicular joints and flexor digitorum tendons associated with pitting edema of the dorsum of both hands and both feet. Onset of seven of the ten cases could be pinpointed almost to the hour. Rheumatoid factors were absent from serum samples in all, and no radiologically evident erosions developed. Clinical and laboratory signs of inflammation and the edema disappeared gradually in each case. Treatment consisted of aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Hydroxychloroquine, 200 to 400 mg/day, was given in six and gold therapy in two cases. Painless limitation of motion of the wrists and/or fingers persisted in all, although the patients were both unaware of and unhampered by this abnormality. Six of eight cases where typing was possible were positive for HLA-B7, CW7, and DQW2 (relative risk for B7, 9.5). Three cases of this syndrome were found in a consecutive series of 52 men diagnosed as having definite "rheumatoid arthritis," and thus represent a distinctive condition with an excellent prognosis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1982

Effect of HLA Bw4/Bw6 compatibility on platelet transfusion responses of refractory thrombocytopenic patients.

Platelet transfusions from donors matched for cross-reactive antigens have been shown to be effective in providing hemostasis in alloimmunized thrombocytopenic patients. A significant number of these transfusions, however, fail to provide posttransfusion platelet recoveries. We investigated incompatibility in the Bw4/bw6 system as a possible explanation for these failures. The Bw4/Bw6 system is a biallelic antigen system closely associated with HLA-B. HLA-B locus antigens that are cross-reactive frequently differ in their Bw4/Bw6 specificity. Posttransfusion platelet recoveries from 21 alloimmunized thrombocytopenic patients homozygous for Bw4 or Bw6 and transfused with both Bw4/Bw6 compatible and incompatible platelets were analyzed. The mean 1-hr posttransfusion recovery was 84% following Bw4/Bw6-compatible platelets versus 52% with Bw4/Bw6-incompatible platelets (p less than 0.02). Twenty-four hours following transfusion, mean recoveries were 44% and 24%, respectively, (p less than 0.01). A subgroup of 8 patients (38%) was identified who had markedly lower responses following Bw4/Bw6-incompatible transfusions as compared to Bw4/Bw6-compatible transfusions (mean recoveries: 1 hr--compatible 100%, incompatible 27%, p less than 0.001; 24 hr--compatible 45%, incompatible 7%, p less than 0.01). These data suggest that the Bw4/Bw6 antigen system has clinical significance for some patients requiring platelet transfusion therapy and, when appropriate, should be considered in the selection of donors.

Blood Transfusion↗
PubMed1980

Studies on human pregnancy-associated plasma protein A. Purification by affinity chromatography and structural comparisons with alpha 2-macroglobulin.

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) has been purified by a combination of methods including antibody-affinity chromatography. The resultant protein, obtained in 16% yield from maternal serum, appeared as a single major component on non-denaturing polyacrylamide and SDS/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The protein showed a single component when analysed by isoelectric focusing under denaturing conditions in the presence and absence of reduction and had a pI of 4.34 and 4.42 respectively. These pI values were indistinguishable from those of alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M). The molecular weight of the PAPP-A polypeptide as shown by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis was 187000, with a minor component of mol.wt. 82500 that was attributed to proteolysis. Since native PAPP-A had a molecular weight on gel chromatography very similar to that of alpha 2M (620000--820000), it was concluded that PAPP-A was a homotetramer. In the absence of reduction, a high-molecular-weight (420000) protomer of PAPP-A was found. It was deduced that PAPP-A, like alpha 2M, is a dinner, whose protomers are composed of disulphide-linked polypeptide chains. It was found that the molecular weight of the PAPP-A polypeptide exceeded that of alpha 2M by 3.3%, but that the total carbohydrate content of PAPP-A exceeded that of alpha 2M by 10% and that its neutral carbohydrate content exceeded that of alpha 2M by between 7.4 and 9.0%. The significance of the estimated molecular weights of alpha 2M (181000) and its major tryptic fragments is discussed in the light of published values. A tryptic fragment alpha 2M (82500 mol.wt.) was apparently the same size as the major tryptic fragment of PAPP-A.

Carbohydrates↗
PubMed1978

RNA-RNA interactions in the binding site of protein L24 on 23S ribosomal RNA of Escherichia coli: 1. Evidence for their occurrence between widely separated sequence regions.

Protein L24, from the Escherichia coli ribosome, protects a large region of 23S RNA against ribonuclease digestion. This protected RNA consists of a series of non-contiguous subfragments encompassing about 480 nucleotides at the 5' -end of 23S RNA (1). The present work demonstrates that this RNA moiety remains intact, after removal of protein L24, indicating that the subfragments are maintained together by RNA-RNA interactions. Using a urea washing procedure, the weakly bound RNA subfragments were selectively removed leaving more strongly interacting subfragments that were identified, by gel electrophoresis and oligonucleotide fingerprinting, and shown to derive from widely separated sequence regions.

Base Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Process options in hepatitis B surface antigen extraction from transgenic potato.

The process conditions for recombinant hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) extraction from transgenic potato were examined. The effects of temperature, the reducing agent beta-mercaptoethanol (BME), and proteinase inhibitors on the level of antigenic activity of recovered HBsAg were determined. Sedimentation profiles were performed to characterize HBsAg assembly into virus-like particles. Increasing the temperature of the sample for about 1 min increased the measured HBsAg antigenic activity. The optimum temperature was around 50 degrees C. A 3-fold enhancement of the antigenic activity was obtained in extract from transgenic potato expressing HBsAg, when monoclonal antibodies were used to assay for HBsAg. When antigenic activity was determined by polyclonal antibodies, no enhancement in the antigenic activity was obtained. Temperature may affect the conformation of the a epitope to which the monoclonal antibodies bind or alter the fluidity of surface lipid regions. BME increased the antigenic activity of HBsAg up to 4-fold when monoclonal antibodies directed against the a determinant were used, but there was no increase with polyclonal antibodies. This observation suggests that BME affects the structure or presentation of the a epitope. In the presence of BME and leupeptin, a proteinase inhibitor, higher antigenic activity was obtained. Leupeptin might protect the antigen, which might become more susceptible to proteolytic degradation after reduction, as a result of stimulation of sulfhydryl proteases. Although both temperature and BME increased the antigenic activity of HBsAg individually, when combined their interaction was antagonistic, resulting in reduced antigenic activity. Different proteinase inhibitors, including leupeptin, aprotinin, E-64, pefabloc, and pepstatin, had no significant effect on HBsAg from potato extract in a 2 h period in the absence of BME. The sedimentation profile of potato-produced HBsAg was determined in 5-30% sucrose gradients. Yeast-derived recombinant HBsAg was used as a positive control. The HBsAg from transgenic potato showed sedimentation and density properties that are very similar to the yeast-produced antigen, indicating assembly into virus-like particles. BME treatment did not change the sedimentation profile.

Hepatitis B Surface Antigens↗