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M Waer

Publications and source records attributed to M Waer.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Effect of treatments with cyclosporin A and anti-interferon-gamma antibodies on the mechanisms of immune tolerance in staphylococcal enterotoxin B primed mice.

The authors were interested to investigate the effect of Cyclosporin A (CsA), known to block interleukin-2 (IL-2) production, or of anti-interferon-gamma antibodies (anti-IFN-gamma Abs) in a model of T cell tolerance induced by the injection of the superantigen Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (SEB) in BALB/c mice. After SEB immunization, tolerance was mainly achieved through deletion and anergy of SEB-reactive V beta 8+ T cells. Association of CsA treatment with SEB led to a greater decrease of the percentage of V beta 8+ CD4+ lymphocytes in the spleen and an abolition of clonal energy. In contrast, treatment of SEB primed mice with anti-IFN-gamma Abs resulted in an increased percentage of V beta 8+ CD4+ cells without affecting the induction of clonal anergy. The authors found that 1-2 h after SEB priming, splenic mRNA levels of IFN-gamma and IL-4 were decreased by either CsA and anti-IFN-gamma Abs, whereas FasL, Bcl-2, p. 53, and c-myc levels were not influenced by either treatment. However, SEB-induced IL-2 and IL-10 mRNA expression was suppressed only by CsA, whereas tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was decreased only by anti-IFN-gamma Abs. To investigate whether the effect of CsA on the tolerance mechanisms was related to suppression of IL-2, CsA was administered together with recombinant IL-2. Whereas anergy was not influenced, the decreased percentage of V beta 8+ CD4+ cells seen in CsA-treated animals in the second week after SEB injection was partially corrected by the administration of IL-2. Experiments involving bromodeoxiuridine incorporation revealed that the latter effect of IL-2 was mainly due to a correction of the defective proliferation of V beta 8+ T cells after SEB injection in CsA-treated mice. These results suggest that the effect of CsA and anti-IFN-gamma Abs on tolerance mechanisms are in part explained by their action on cytokines.

Animals↗

Increased mortality and impaired clonal deletion after staphylococcal enterotoxin B injection in old mice: relation to cytokines and nitric oxide production.

In the present study peripheral T cell tolerance and the occurrence of shock were evaluated in young and old mice after injection of Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB). In young mice SEB immunization leads to tolerance based on deletion and anergy of SEB-reactive V beta 8+ T cells. With aging, mice developed resistance to SEB-induced deletion of V beta 8+ T cells as well as a high sensitivity to toxic shock. Compared to young mice, older mice injected with SEB showed increased serum levels of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-4. These results were confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), as splenic mRNA levels taken 2 h after SEB injection showed higher values of IL-2, IL-4, and IFN-gamma in old mice. In contrast, mRNA levels for FasL and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were lower. No difference in IL-10 mRNA was found. Compared to young mice, old mice showed a high, but statistically not significantly different (P = 0.20), production of nitric oxide (NO). Blocking of IFN-gamma with antibodies or reducing IFN-gamma by depletion of natural killer (NK) cells resulted, respectively, in a complete or partial protection against mortality in aged mice. Suppressing the NO production by the NO synthase inhibitor N-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME) increased the mortality in both young and old mice, and abrogated clonal deletion in the surviving young mice. In conclusion, in young mice NO production is a key factor in the protection against mortality and the development of clonal deletion after SEB injection. The higher mortality seen in older mice is mainly related to the elevated production of IFN-gamma and occurs despite a sufficient production of NO. The decreased clonal deletion of old mice may be related to their decreased expression of Fas ligand or TNF-alpha after SEB injection.

Aging↗

Graft-versus-host reactivity and graft-versus-leukemia effect in murine allogeneic bone marrow chimeras conditioned with total body irradiation or total lymphoid irradiation.

To investigate whether graft-versus-host reactivity (GVHR) and the graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect can be differentiated, C3H-->AKR mixed bone marrow (BM) chimeras were prepared using two different conditioning regimens. Total body irradiation (TBI) chimeras were induced by infusing 5 x 1O(6) T cell depleted syngeneic AKR BM cells together with 15 x 1O(6) non T cell depleted allogeneic C3H BM cells 1 day after a single fraction of 10.5 Gy TBI. Total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) chimeras were prepared by injecting only 15 x 10(6) non T cell depleted C3H BM cells after 10 daily fractions of 2 Gy TLI Both groups of chimeras were healthy, without clinical or histological signs of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). In both groups, clonal deletion of antihost-reactive donor type T lymphocytes was found. Whereas TBI chimeras did resist rejection by host type splenocytes injected 2 months after transplantation, TLI chimeras did not. As the latter phenomenon is believed to reflect remaining GVHR, TLI chimeras did have a lower remaining GVHD capacity than TBI chimeras. Nevertheless, TLI chimeras survived significantly longer after host type leukemia challenge (injection of 6 x 10(6) AKR lymphoma cells). The better survival of the TLI chimeras was not due to the radiation regimen, because TLI or TBI conditioned syngeneic AKR-->AKR BM recipients did succumb equally rapidly after AKR lymphoma injection. Donor type (CM) lymphokine-activated killer cell activity, however, was higher in TLI chimeras and may explain the better GVL activity in TLI mice. This model thus illustrates that GVHD and GVL effects can be dissociated and are differentially influenced by the conditioning regimen used for BM transplantation.

Animals↗

A short-term combination therapy with cyclosporine and rapamycin or leflunomide induces long-term heart allograft survival in a strongly immunogenic strain combination in rats.

Synergism between cyclosporine (CsA) and rapamycin (RAPA) or leflunomide (LF) was studied in a strongly immunogenic cardiac allograft model in rats. In the absence of immunosuppression, PVG recipients rejected WKAH heart grafts after a mean survival time (MST) of 5.2 +/- 1.1 days. A dose of 7.5 mg/kg per day CsA did not prolong graft survival (MST 5.6 +/- 1.2 days). CsA given at 10 mg/kg per day for 30 days extended MST of the grafts to 48 +/- 7 days. A short course of combination therapy consisting of adding a non-therapeutic dose of RAPA or a subtherapeutic dose of LF to a 1-month course of CsA resulted in permanent graft survival. These data suggest that RAPA and LF synergize with CsA enabling not only the lowering of the dose of CsA, but also inducing transplantation tolerance.

Animals↗

Isolated zygomycosis in a bought living unrelated kidney transplant.

We report the first case of zygomycosis by Absidia corymbifera, only localized in an unrelated living donor kidney was bought and transplanted in India. Zygomycosis was diagnosed 2.5 months post-transplantation, in the clinical setting of rapid transplant failure, following an episode of cytomegalovirus (CMV) colitis, CMV nephritis, and acute rejection. Treatment consisted of transplantectomy. One year later, the patient is doing well, without clinical or serological evidence of persistent mycotic or virological infections. We speculate that this isolated mycotic infection originated with the donor or was due to the poor hygienic conditions in the operating theater or surgical ward. Another possibility is that this isolated renal involvement resulted from a subclinical pulmonary infection with hematogenous dissemination to the kidney in a manner comparable to renal tuberculosis. The patient received no amphotericin and was cured with transplantectomy alone.

Humans↗

A single center evaluation of the Collaborative Transplant Study (CTS) DNA project.

Historical HLA class II serological typing results of transplantations performed in "The Leuven Collaborative Group for Transplantation" were subjected to retrospective Restriction Fragment Length Polymorfism (RFLP) DNA control typing by the Collaborative Transplant Study (CTS) DNA project using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-based DNA methods. We re-evaluated the serology/ RFLP-discrepant CTS DNA data for our local patients transplanted during a historical period (January 1988 until May 1992) before any class II DNA typing was performed in our tissue typing laboratory. These retyping results confirm both the CTS data for patient typing and the Eurotransplant data for donor typing. A confirmed high discrepancy rate of 19.0% (after exclusion of 2.2% transcription errors) was found in the patient population. A low discrepancy rate of 6.8% (after exclusion of 2.2% transcription errors) for the donor population is concordant with the Eurotransplant donor data. Only 4 of the 588 individuals were found to be incorrectly typed by the RFLP method; all involving the specificities DRB1*1102. This indicates that RFLP typing, as performed by the CTS DNA project, can be considered a valid, retrospective DNA typing system for the accurate interpretation of class II matching in organ transplantation. A second conclusion to be drawn from this study is the need for prospective DNA typing for kidney transplant recipients, as the discrepancy rate in this cohort is high. Our results suggest that with good quality serological HLA-DR typing, prospective donor DNA typing is not urgently needed.

Belgium↗

Normal and malignant trophoblasts do not recruit granulated metrial gland cells.

A possible relationship between the development of granulated metrial gland (GMG) cells and trophoblast was studied. Trophoblast implanted in ectopic sites (e.g. kidney capsule) did not induce decidua and did not recruit GMG cells. Only when injected in utero did trophoblast lead to the development of decidua and to the recruitment of GMG cells. With malignant trophoblast (choriocarcinoma cells) similar results were obtained as with normal trophoblast both after ectopic or after in utero injection. The presence of decidua, but not the development of a conceptus or the outgrowth of trophoblast, seems to be required for the differentiation of GMG cells.

Animals↗