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Biomedical subjects

J R Stephenson

Publications and source records attributed to J R Stephenson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

Naturally occurring lymphocyte-mediated immunity to endogenous type-C virus in the mouse. Blocking of the lymphocyte reactivity with antisera to the virus.

The natural immune response in mice to their endogenous type-C viruses involves a complex interaction between cellular and humoral immune mechanisms. The virus-specific immune reactivities are a function of age and appear only subsequent to endogenous virus expression. Cellular immune activity was found to reside in a population of lymphocytes that were characterized as natural killer cells based on their absence of theta surface antigens or immunoglobulin or complement receptors. Cellular and humoral virus-specific immune responses co-occur in the same animal and pretreatment of virus-positive target cells with sera from virus-positive aging mice is capable of partially blocking the cytotoxic activity of reactive lymphocytes. The blocking activity of sera from individual mice increases as a function of age and endogenous virus expression and is highly correlated with the virus-specific complement-dependent cytotoxic activity of these sera. Mouse sera, whether naturally immune or immune as a result of hyperimmunization with type-C virus, exhibit blocking activity that can be removed by absorption with purified type-C virus or purified viral glycoprotein (gp 70) but not by absorption with noninfected syngeneic cells. High-titered and highly specific antisera directed against certain individual R-MuLV structural proteins reveal blocking activity. Monospecific antisera to gp 70 and p 12 exhibited high-titered blocking reactivities which are absorbable by the respective purified proteins. Blocking activity of antisera directed against other viral structural proteins could not be excluded with certainty. These findings raise the possibility that immunity in the mouse to endogenous type-C virus or virus-infected cells involves competition between serum-blocking activity and natural-killer cell activity and further provides a unique model system for studying the mechanism of action of blocking antisera known to have monospecific reactivity against defined and purifiable transplantation antigens.

Aging↗
PubMed1979

Antigenic relationships between measles and canine distemper viruses: comparison of immune response in animals and humans to individual virus-specific polypeptides.

Precipitation with hyperimmune rabbit sera, sera from patients convalescing from measles, and sera from patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, followed by electrophoresis, enabled antigenic relationships between the individual polypeptides of measles and canine distemper viruses to be examined. Virus isolates from patients with acute measles or subacute sclerosing panencephalitis showed no antigenic differences. With rabbit hyperimmune sera, antigenic crossreactivity was present between all polypeptides of measles and canine distemper viruses except H. The N polypeptides showed the highest degree of crossreactivity and were interpreted as group-specific antigens. Both convalescent measles sera and sera from subacute sclerosing panencephalitis showed high antibody titers to all measles polypeptides except L and M. However, these sera contained only low activities to the N and F1 polypeptides from canine distemper virus.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Amino-terminal sequence of bovine leukemia virus major internal protein: homology with mammalian type C virus p30 structural proteins.

The amino acid composition, the COOH-terminal amino acid, and the NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of the first 55 residues of the major internal structural protein, p24, of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) were determined. The compositional data and the results of end-group analysis revealed that, although BLV p24 is chemically distinct, it more closely resembles the p30 structural proteins than the other gag gene products of mammalian retroviruses. It was found that BLV p24 shares the common NH2-terminal proline and COOH-terminal leucine but lacks the common prolylleucylarginine tripeptide and the larger conserved region found near the NH2 terminus of all mammalian type C viral p30s. Alignment of the amino acid sequence of BLV p24 with the previously determined sequence of feline leukemia virus p27 revealed a statistically significant sequence homology. A more distant relationship was found between BLV p24 and other mammalian p30s. The finding of a definite sequence homology between BLV p24 and mammalian type C virus p30s clearly establishes the origin of these contemporary viral proteins from common progenitor genes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1979

Isolation of a nucleocapsid polypeptide of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 possessing immunologically type-specific and cross-reactive determinants.

A polypeptide (p40) of approximately 40,000 molecular weight was isolated from herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2 nucleocapsids by gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography. This protein appears to be the same as protein 22a described previously (Gibson and Roizman, J. Virol. 10:1044--1052, 1972). Competition immunoassays were developed by using purified p40 and antisera prepared in guinea pigs. The assays indicated that the p40's from herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 possess both type-specific and cross-reactive antigenic determinants. Antibodies to the p40 cross-reactive determinant reacted with antigens in simian herpes virus SA8-infected cells, but not with antigens induced by pseudorabies virus. Preliminary results indicated that a radioimmunoprecipitation test can be used to detect type-specific herpes simplex virus p40 antibodies in human sera.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1979

Feline sarcoma virus-coded polyprotein: enzymatic cleavage by a type C virus-coded structural protein.

A purified 15,000-molecular-weight (Mr) Prague strain Rous sarcoma virus gag gene-coded structural protein, p15, was shown to enzymatically cleave the previously described 130,000 Mr feline sarcoma virus-coded polyprotein, Pr130. Cleavage products included proteins ranging in molecular weight from 12,000 to 110,000. The specificity of this cleavage reactivity was indicated by the fact that, under similar conditions, neither purified type C viral structural proteins nor nonviral proteins such as bovine serum albumin were cleaved to significant extents. Moreover, feline leukemia virus Pr65gag was efficiently cleaved, resulting in the generations of proteins of 30,000 (p30), 15,000 (p15), 12,000 (p12), and 10,000 (p10) Mr. Using enzymatically (p15) treated feline sarcoma virus Pr130 as starting material, we were able to purify a major 72,000 Mr cleavage product and to show it to contain the previously described feline sarcoma virus-coded nonstructural component.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Primate retroviruses: intracistronic mapping of type D viral gag gene by use of nonconditional replication mutants.

Nonconditional replication mutants of squirrel monkey retrovirus (SMRV), an endogenous type D virus of primates, are shown to be defective in post-translational processing of nonglycosylated virus-coded structural proteins. Utilizing such mutants, in combination with sensitive radioimmunological assays, we demonstrate the existence of a 72,000-molecular-weight precursor polyprotein (Pr72gag) encoded by a region of the SMRV genome designated gag. Post-translational cleavage of this precursor polyprotein gives rise to virion structural proteins of 35,000 (p35), 16,000 (p16), 12,000 (p12), and 9,000 (p9) molecular weight. Three of these viral proteins, p35, p16, and p9, are shown to be phosphorylated. Analysis of viral antigen expression in cell lines nonproductively infected with either of two replication-defective SMRV mutants or mink cells productively infected with wild-type SMRV resulted in the detection of several SMRV Pr72gag intermediate cleavage products. Adjacent proteins within such intermediates are identified by use of specific competition immunoassays, and the intracistropic order of individual structural proteins with SMRV Pr72gag was tentatively deduced as NH2-p16-p12-p35-p9-COOH.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

The nonstructural component of the Abelson murine leukemia virus polyprotein P120 is encoded by newly acquired genetic sequences.

The Abelson leukemia virus (AbLV) polyprotein P120 is compared to translational products representing the entire Moloney murine leukemia virus (MuLV) genome on the basis of [35S]methionine tryptic peptide composition. Three methionine-containing tryptic peptides present in Moloney Pr65gag are each shown to be present in both Pr75gag and in Pr180gag-pol. Of these, one peptide, corresponding to Moloney MuLV p12, but neither of two p30-specific peptides are present in AbLV P120. Among the 12 remaining methionine-containing peptides present in AbLV P120, many, if not all, are unique to AbLV P120 and not shared by either Moloney MuLV Pr180gag-pol or Pr82gag.

Abelson murine leukemia virus↗