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Biomedical subjects

S Thierfelder

Publications and source records attributed to S Thierfelder.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Antilymphocytic antibodies and marrow transplantation. XII. Suppression of graft-versus-host disease by T-cell-modulating and depleting antimouse CD3 antibody is most effective when preinjected in the marrow recipient.

A hamster antimouse CD3 monoclonal antibody (MoAb) opened the way to experimental studies on the suppression of allograft rejection and cytokine-related morbidity after treatment with antibodies modulating the CD3/T-cell receptor complex (CD3/TCR). Because earlier attempts to suppress graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in patients by in vitro treatment of donor marrow with anti-CD3 MoAb had remained inconclusive, we used a rat IgG2b antimouse CD3 MoAb (17A2) with fewer side effects to analyze suppression of GVHD in the mouse model. Detailed phenotyping of blood, spleen, and lymphnode T cells after the injection of 400 micrograms 17A2 in C57BL/6 mice showed 60% CD3 downmodulation and 50% T-cell depletion for spleen cells. Injection of these spleen cells, together with bone marrow cells, in fully mismatched preirradiated CBA mice delayed GVHD by only 6 days. Ex vivo treatment of donor cells with 17A2 was not effective. In contrast, conditioning of marrow recipients with a single injection of 17A2 delayed 50% GVHD mortality by 100 days and prevented GVHD altogether after prolonged treatment, with survivors showing complete chimerism and specific transplantation tolerance. This difference in antibody effect contrasts with earlier experiences with nonmodulating but more strongly T-cell-depleting MoAbs of the same isotype, which prevent GVHD no matter whether applied in vitro or injected into donor or recipient mice. Our data indicate that CD3/TCR reexpression in marrow recipients with no circulating 17A2 is the reason why ex vivo donor cell treatment with anti-CD3 MoAb is comparatively ineffective. Our data, which allow separate evaluation of cell-depleting and cell-modulating antibody activity, help to explain previous clinical failure to suppress GVHD and provide evidence in favor of conditioning the marrow recipient with anti-CD3 MoAb as a therapeutic alternative.

Animals

Determination of monoclonal antibody specificity by immunoadsorption and western blotting.

A rapid and simple method has been developed for identifying the specificity of monoclonal antibodies at an early stage in the production of hybridomas. The technique is a micro-method utilizing biotinylated crude antigen and the surface of microtiter plates as an immunoaffinity matrix. The monoclonal antibodies to be tested are adsorbed to the microtiter wells and incubated with the labeled antigen preparation. Non-specific binding can be reduced by blocking and repeated washing steps. The specific antigen is then eluted by SDS-containing buffers, subjected to SDS-PAGE, blotted onto nitrocellulose and detected by enzyme-labeled avidin in a Western blot assay. The amount of bound and removed antigen can be quantitated by developing eluted and non-eluted control wells by ELISA techniques. Since this ELISA can be performed rapidly, only samples which contain sufficient specific material can be selected for electrophoresis and blotting. The major advantages of the technique are (i) the use of a non-radioactive label resulting in an easy and time-saving procedure, (ii) the possibility of quantitating the amount of captured and detached antigen by ELISA, (iii) the need for only a minimal amount of antigen, (iv) the use of unpurified antibodies of all isotypes, (v) a high signal-to-noise ratio, and (vi) as with all immunoprecipitation techniques, the possibility of detecting SDS-sensitive epitopes and of using crude antigen preparations. Using this method we were able to characterize monoclonal antibodies against both soluble proteins (mouse and human C1q) and membrane determinants (human pan T cell CD5 and CD7).

Animals

Peritoneal sanctuary for human lymphopoiesis in SCID mice injected with human peripheral blood lymphocytes from Epstein-Barr virus-negative donors.

The successful engraftment in SCID mice of intraperitoneally (i.p.) injected human lymphocytes (hu-PBL-SCID) and the failure of intravenously injected peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) directed the present study to investigate the early events of donor cell proliferation in the peritoneal cavity. We found focal lymphocyte engraftment together with histio-monocytic interleukin (IL)-6+ cell phenotypes which must have been transferred with the human cell inoculum, which could explain certain immune functions observed in hu-PBL-SCID chimeras. Following i.p. injection of 10(8) PBL, human cells suspended in peritoneal fluid as well as those adherent to the serosal peritoneum and abdominal organs were investigated by immunocytology and immunohistology. Human cells were found to form foci consisting predominantly of proliferating human lymphoblastoid CD3+ cells, which were mostly activated HLA-DR+ CD8+ lymphocytes. Among the lymphoid cells larger epithelioid-like cells were found to belong to the monocytic series and to stain strongly with anti-HLA-DR and anti-CD11c antibodies. Some of these cells were also positive with anti-ICAM and anti-IL-6. Congenic as well as allogeneic mouse PBL, injected i.p. into SCID mice, temporarily produced analogous foci, which shifted later on to foci similar in appearance to milky spots. However, the human cell foci appeared less compact, more closely resembling in vitro-culture soft agar colonies. It is possible that cytokines in the human histio-monocytic cells of the foci may have a feeder effect on the human lymphocytes and be a prerequisite for proliferation of human PBL in SCID mice. The observed early HLA-DR activation of human lymphocytes in the peritoneal foci could reflect triggering of immune reactions like xenogeneic graft-versus-host reactions in the peritoneal site, where the human CD11c+ HLA-DR+ histio-monocytic cells may act as antigen-presenting cells.

Animals

Experimental evaluation of in vitro stability of purified polydimethylsiloxanes (silicone oil) in viscosity ranges from 1000 to 5000 centistokes.

One of the main problems in the clinical use of silicone oil in vitreoretinal surgery is the instability of the material in terms of emulsification. Fine silicone oil droplets can cause a secondary glaucoma by blocking aqueous outflow. Intravitreally applicable silicone oils comprise an inhomogeneous group of materials, and the rate of emulsification depends on the physicochemical properties of the silicone oils. Clinically most frequently used silicone oils are highly purified polydimethylsiloxanes with a viscosity of 1000 centistokes (cs) to 5000 cs. Low-viscosity silicone oils are preferred by some surgeons because of easier surgical handling and easier removal out of the vitreous. The authors investigated highly purified polydimethylsiloxanes in viscosity ranges of 1000 cs, 2000 cs, 3000 cs, 4000 cs, and 5000 cs with regard to their in vitro stability to evaluate the optimal range of viscosity with acceptable material stability. The comparative stability tests were performed with 0.1% salt solutions of albumin, acidic alpha-1-glycoprotein, fibrin, fibrinogen, gamma globulins, and very-low-density lipoprotein as emulsifiers. Silicone oil at 5000 cs was in all cases distinctly more stable than the silicone oils with a viscosity up to 4000 cs. A positive correlation between the degree of viscosity and an increase of material stability was not found with all emulsifiers. When very-low-density lipoprotein, albumin, and fibrin served as detergents, a remarkable stability gain was achieved only at 5000 cs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Blood Proteins

Immunohistochemical localisation of monoclonal antibody R 24-recognized ganglioside Glac2 in early chick embryos.

The spatio-temporal cellular expression and biosynthesis of ganglioside Glac2 was investigated in early chick embryogenesis. For demonstration of embryonic Glac2-biosynthesis, chick embryos of stage 0 and of stages 4-5 were incubated in vitro in the presence of radioactive sugar precursors. It was found that chick embryos synthesize Glac2 as early as at the blastula stage as well as at the gastrula stage, both within the area pellucida and the area opaca. In contrast to the biosynthetical findings immunohistochemical staining of the chick embryos at various stages by aid of the mouse monoclonal antibody (mAb) R 24, specific for the immunoepitope NeuAc alpha, 8NeuAc alpha, 3Gal beta less than, as present on the ganglioside Glac2, revealed a spatio-temporal cellular pattern of expression of this ganglioside in early chick embryos. Immunohistochemical staining of the chick embryo at stage 0 shows that all cells of the embryo, the extraembryonic epiblast and the yolk endoderm included, are mAb R 24-positive. At the intermediate streak stage (stage 3), the cranial part of the deep layer, the so-called endophyll, is strongly mAb R 24-positive, whereas at the end of gastrulation (stage 5), mAb R 24-recognized epitopes appear to be restricted to a narrow band of deep-layer cells in the endophyllic crescent and to the yolk endoderm of the area opaca. At this stage, no labelling by the antibody is observed in cell layers of the future embryo. The beginning of neurulation (stage 7) is characterized by the expression of the mAb R 24-recognized epitope in the notochord, whilst the deep layer in the cranial part of the neural fold still expresses this epitope. No ecto- or mesodermal structures are stained by the antibody at this developmental stage. During further development (stage 12 and 13), mAb R 24-reactivity is restricted to the cranial part of the embryo with a preferential staining of cells of endodermal origin. At these stages, the notochord expresses mAb R 24 binding sites only in its cranial region. The spatial and temporal correlation between the presence of mAb R 24-recognized epitopes and the morphogenetic positioning of tissues may be indicative for a possible role of the ganglioside Glac2 in corresponding cellular interactions.

Animals

Antilymphocytic antibodies and marrow transplantation. XIV. Antibody-induced suppression of graft-versus-host disease in C3-decomplemented mice differentiates two T-cell-depletion pathways.

Remarkable differences in the suppression of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) have been found for anti-Thy-1 antibodies to relate to (1) antigen density and antibody coating on the target cells, (2) antibody isotype, and (3) uptake of complement subcomponent C1q. Regarding (2) and (3) we now demonstrate that depletion of the third complement component C3 by cobra venom factor (CVF) differentiates two T-cell elimination pathways in mice: four rat IgG2c anti-Thy-1 monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) with low uptake of mouse C1q lost most of their T-cell-depleting and consequently GVHD-preventing effect in C3-depleted H2 IA incompatible semiallogeneic (C57BL/6xCBA)F1 mice. In contrast, eight rat IgG2b, mouse IgG2a, and 2b anti-Thy-1 MoAbs with high affinity for C1q still remained strongly T-cell-depleting and prevented GVHD even in fully mismatched CBA mice depleted of C3. In conjunction with our observation that anti-Thy-1 MoAbs also suppress GVHD in C5-deficient AKR mice, we conclude that complete complement activation until T-cell lysis is not required for our antibodies to be effective in vivo. Activation, but only until deposition of C3b on target-cells for opsonisation via C3b receptors, is necessary with the less immunosuppressive anti-Thy-1 IgG2c isotype with low affinity for C1q. Mouse C1q uptake and C3/C4 deposition on target cells were measured with labeled antibodies and localized in T-cell areas. Interestingly, not even activation until C3b is necessary with the most immunosuppressive C1q-high-affine isotypes. As far as the latter is concerned, we discuss whether elimination of antibody-coated cells via Fc receptors is enhanced by binding to C1q-receptors and/or by intercalating C1q expressed on macrophages.

Animals

Emulsification of silicone oils with specific physicochemical characteristics.

To determine the exact role of various factors in silicone-oil emulsification, we investigated eight different silicone oils with specific physicochemical characteristics in terms of their rate of emulsification. The silicone oils were defined by viscosity, volatility, amount of low-molecular components, electrical resistivity, degree of purification and chemical composition. The viscosities differed between the ranges of 1000 and 10,000 cs. The silicone oils included purified polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), hydroxyl-enriched PDMS and trimethylsiloxy-terminated polydiphenylsiloxane (PDPS). As emulsifiers we used 0.1% solutions of fibrinogen, fibrin, gamma globulins, acidic alpha-1-glycoprotein, very-low-density lipoprotein and serum dissolved in sterile, distilled water as well as in balanced salt solution. The group of low-viscosity silicone oils (1000 cs) was least stable. The greatest difference in stability was found among purified PDMS, having viscosities between 1000 and 5000 cs. The most stable oil was purified PDMS, whose emulsification rate was almost identical at 5000 and 10,000 cs. High contents of hydroxyl end groups enhanced silicone-oil emulsification to a greater extent than did phenyl side groups. The strongest emulsifiers were fibrinogen, fibrin and serum, followed by gamma globulins, very-low-density lipoprotein and acidic alpha-1-glycoprotein. Balanced salt solution accelerated silicone oil emulsification in all cases. For reduction of emulsification in vivo, purified PDMS of high viscosity should be used. Biologically active emulsifiers found in hemorrhages or inflammatory situations might be lowered in vivo by hemostasis and sufficient postoperative anti-inflammatory therapy.

Electrolytes

Direct in vivo biotinylation of erythrocytes as an assay for red cell survival studies.

Direct in vivo labeling of erythrocytes with biotin is shown as a method for estimation of red cell survival as well as of enrichment of young or aged erythrocytes. Two succinimide esters (biotin-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester [BNHS], caproylamidobiotin-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester [C-BNHS] were used for biotin labeling of erythrocytes. With improved syntheses, pure BNHS (mp, 212 degrees-214 degrees C) and the spacered intermediate for C-BNHS, 6-(biotinylamide) hexanoate (mp, 225 degrees-226 degrees C) were obtained in an overall yield of 86%; the yield of C-BNHS (mp, 167 degrees-169 degrees C) was 68%. When three doses of 1 mg C-BNHS are injected intravenously into mice at 24-h intervals, all the red cells are biotin labeled. The rate of red cell production as well as the life span of red cells can be measured without any effect on erythropoiesis or damage by red cells in vitro. The survival curve seems to be linear, with 2.5%-3.3% disappearance of biotin-labeled red cells daily. In mice, in vivo biotin labeling avoids damaging red cells by in vitro procedures and does not influence the steady state of erythropoiesis by hypertransfusion. Therefore, in vivo biotin labeling is a very useful method for determining red cell survival time in small animals.

Animals

Antigen density on target cells determines the immunosuppressive potential of rat IgG2b monoclonal antibodies.

The current studies were designed to determine the relevance of T cell antigen density, besides antibody isotype, with regard to the success of antibody serotherapy. We compared the immunosuppressive effects of two rat IgG2b monoclonal anti-Thy-1 antibodies, RmT1 and 30-H12, with distinct binding sites in a graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD) model of fully H-2 and I-A region-mismatched bone marrow transplantation, making use of the difference in Thy-1.2 antigen density between homozygous (BALB/c) and heterozygous (BALB/c X AKR/J)F1 GVHD-promoting donor cells. Antibodies RmT1 (directed against a monomorphic determinant on mouse Thy-1) and 30-H12 (reactive with the Thy-1.2 allele-specific determinant) did not differ in their anti-GVHD activity with regard to Thy-1.2 homozygous grafts. However, in the region of a critical number of binding sites a small difference in the amounts of the two antibodies bound (about 8 X 10(3) IgG molecules/cell) obviously accounts for a great difference in anti-GVHD activity. This is shown in a two haplotype host-graft disparity between C57BL/6 recipients treated with either RmT1 or 30-H12 before challenging them with (BALB/c X AKR/J)F1 grafts, where the Thy-1.2 antigen concentration is approximately 50% compared to the density on BALB/c lymphocytes. Here, mAb 30-H12 loses its remarkable in vivo immunosuppressive quality, whereas RmT1 treatment protects mice against lethal GVHD. Binding sites were quantitated using a computerized approach for the analysis of data from ligand binding experiments of the respective mAb, RmT1 and 30-H12, coated to LN cells of BALB/c and F1 hybrid origin. Furthermore, the in vivo immunosuppressive activity of rat IgG2b antibodies directed against Thy-1 was found to correlate with their ability to generate stable antibody-C1q complexes on the cell surface of immunocompetent T cells.

Animals

Dose rate and fractionation of total body irradiation in dogs: short and long term effects.

Variations of regimens of total body irradiation (TBI) were investigated in the dog as a preclinical model for bone marrow transplantation. Inactivation of hemopoietic precursor cells (CFU-GM) was studied following irradiation of marrow in vitro, following TBI at sublethal doses in vivo and following autologous transplantation of marrow obtained after sublethal TBI. Inactivation and recovery of CFU-GM as well as restoration of hemopoiesis following autologous transplantation was independent of the dose rate, but nadirs of blood counts were lower following sublethal TBI with the higher dose rate. Acute non-hemopoietic toxicity of TBI depended on the dose, the dose rate and the total treatment time and not on the fractionation regimen. At a total dose of 25 Gy acute mortality was prevented by prophylactic administration of oral, non-absorbable antibiotics. Late mortality was due to degenerative and autoimmune-like disorders with or without infections and to malignant tumors. Evaluation of long-term survival is still preliminary, since surviving dogs of two groups (10 Gy as single dose, 25 Gy as hyperfractionated TBI) have not yet reached the median survival time of their group. So far, long-term survival depended on the total dose (p = 0.05) and, possibly, the fractionation regimen (p = 0.12). The latency period until development of malignant tumors was influenced by the total doses given in the same treatment time (p = 0.05) and by the total treatment time for equal doses (p = 0.04). It was concluded that TBI at a low dose rate may give the best therapeutic ratio of inactivation of hemopoietic precursor cells to acute toxicity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

Monoclonal antibodies to complement components without the need of their prior purification. II. Antibodies to mouse C3 and C4.

Rat monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to mouse complement components C3 and C4 were produced by immunizing rats with cell-bound C3 and C4. This principle involves: a) using mouse thymocytes coated with syngeneic rat antibody isotypes that show high affinity to C1q, b) the intercalation of C1q from serum and c) the subsequent activation of the classical complement pathway leading to deposition of cell-bound complement components. Screening for anti-complement antibodies was performed on antibody coating microtiter plates with mouse serum as source of complement. The reactivity of the MAbs was determined by variations of the ELISA screening system using EDTA-serum to inhibit complement activation by C1 dissociation, serum rendered deficient of functionally active C3 by treatment with cobra venom factor (CVF) or serum of genetically C5-deficient mice. The specificity of the MAbs was confirmed by affinity chromatography followed by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting. We were able to establish a panel of anti-C3 and anti-C4 MAbs of various isotypes.

Animals

Antilymphocytic antibodies and bone marrow transplantation. XI. Evidence that reduced Thy-1 expression in Thy-1.1 mice prevents suppression of graft-versus-host disease with anti-Thy-1 monoclonal antibodies.

Considerable variations in the suppression of graft-versus-host disease with monoclonal anti-Thy-1 antibodies were found to relate to substantial differences noted in the expression of mouse Thy-1 marker on lymph node and spleen cells of Thy-1.1 (AKR/J, C57BL/6.Thy-1.1) and Thy 1.2 (AKR/Cu, C57BL/6) mice. Thy-1.1 mice showed a population of 22% (AKR/J) or 13% (C57BL/6-Thy-1.1) of Thy-1 negative cells among peripheral T cells carrying Ly-1 marker. This was in sharp contrast with Thy-1.2 mice, where as expected practically all peripheral T cells expressed both Thy-1 and Ly-1. Double-marker analysis on FACScan revealed that the Thy-1-/Ly-1+ cell population identified in Thy-1.1 but not in Thy-1.2 mice doubtless represents T cells because they express CD3 and either the L3T4 (CD4) or Lyt2 (CD8) phenotype. Using quantitative fluorescence-measurement techniques, it was found in addition that the Thy-1 antigen-binding sites on Thy-1+ cells from Thy-1.1 mice are considerably fewer than those present in Thy-1.2 mice. In fact, the Thy-1 antigen-binding sites approximate the level of Ly-1 density. Consequences of the reduced expression of Thy-1 became apparent in vivo: (1) lymphnode and splenic T cell areas in Thy-1.1 mice were clearly less depleted when Thy-1.1 and Thy-1.2 mice had been injected with rat IgG2b anti-Thy-1 mAb; and (2) GvHD was prevented completely in fully mismatched mice by anti-Thy-1 mAb if the donor mice expressed Thy-1.2 but was barely delayed if the donors expressed Thy-1.1. Thus the present study provides a transplantation model for comparing differences in T antigen density and their consequences for antibody-induced immunosuppression.

Animals

[Experimental studies of the so-called emulsification behavior of silicone oil: effect of viscosity].

The stability of intraocularly applied silicone oils plays an important role in their biocompatibility. The clinically used silicone oils are not a unique group of materials. There are important differences regarding viscosity and the amount of low molecular and ionic components. A sign of bioinstability of silicone oils is silicone oil emulsification. According to clinical experience and experimental studies, less viscous silicone oils seem to emulsify earlier then more viscous oils. Therefore, we investigated three highly purified polydimethylsiloxanes with defined physicochemical characteristics and viscosities of 1,000 cs, 5,000 cs and 10,000 cs for their in vitro stability. As detergents, we used fibrin, fibrinogen, gammaglobulins, acidic alpha-1-glycoprotein, very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and serum. The oil with a viscosity of 1000 cs was the most unstable silicone oil whereas the oils of 5,000 cs and 10,000 cs reacted similarly. The most effective detergents were fibrin, fibrinogen and serum-causing emulsification for all silicone oils investigated whereas gamma-globulins, acidic alpha-1-glycoprotein and VLDL only emulsified the less viscous oil of 1,000 cs. Our results show the importance of viscosity for the stability of silicone oils and the effect of biologically potential detergents.

Drug Stability

Immunocytochemical identification of meningeal leukemia and lymphoma: poly-L-lysine-coated slides permit multimarker analysis even with minute cerebrospinal fluid cell specimens.

Use of immunocytology for accurate identification of malignant cells in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has so far been hampered by high cell requirements of the immunologic methods hitherto used. In an attempt to minimize cell loss in cytopreparation, electrostatic binding of cells to poly-L-lysine (PLL)-coated multispot slides, followed by immunocytochemistry, was investigated. Using optimized conditions of cell attachment and fixation and performing all washing procedures on the slide made multimarker analysis possible even in paucicellular specimens, while preserving excellent cell morphology and yielding high sensitivity in the detection of antigens. In a study of 26 CSF specimens with inconclusive cytomorphology, comprising 335 single marker determinations, we were able to discriminate reliably between resting or activated benign cells and a wide range of types of malignant lymphoid cell. A definitive diagnosis was reached in all cases by one tap only. Malignant meningitis was ruled out in ten specimens and proved in 16, including five in which the type of malignancy could only be determined by immunophenotyping. We conclude that immunocytochemistry on PLL-coated slides constitutes the method of choice for immunologic cell differentiation in CSF, which allows equivocal morphologic findings to be clarified.

Adult

Distribution of injected anti-Thy-1 monoclonal antibodies in mouse lymphatic organs: evidence for penetration of the cortical blood-thymus barrier, and for intravascular antibody-binding onto lymphocytes.

The localization of monoclonal anti-Thy-1 binding in mouse thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes was studied at early intervals after intravenous (i.v.), intraperitoneal (i.p.) and subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of a single dose of the monoclonal antibody (MAb). Five minutes after i.v. injection, anti-Thy-1 was bound to cortical thymocytes surrounding capillaries in the thymic cortex, to thymic cells beneath the thymic capsule and to medullary thymocytes around venules of the thymus medulla. When anti-Thy-1 was injected i.p. or s.c. the MAb was first deposited in capillary walls in the thymus cortex and did not appear on thymocytes outside of capillaries until 60 min after injection. These findings suggest that thymic cortical capillaries are permeable for anti-Thy-1 MAb contrary to the generally accepted principle of a blood thymus barrier to antigens in thymic cortex. Some cortex capillaries also became permeable for peroxidase when injected 15 min after anti-Thy-1 MAb. Anti-Thy-1 MAb penetration into spleen white pulp and lymph node paracortex occurs along the circulatory pathway of the vascular system in the spleen and of lymphatics in lymph nodes. But those lymphocytes with a strong anti-Thy-1 MAb loading always appeared along the pathways of lymphocyte circulation indicating that the most intense contact between anti-Thy-1 MAb and T-lymphocytes occurs not in the lymphatic organs but during the intravascular period of recirculation of lymphocytes.

Animals

Monoclonal antibodies to complement components without the need of their prior purification. I. Antibodies to mouse C1q.

Rat monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) reactive with mouse complement subcomponent C1q were raised applying a principle that requires minute amounts of serum and circumvents purification of serum-derived C1q. The principle involves a) using the high affinity of certain cell-bound antibody isotypes for intercalating C1q from serum of various species, b) selecting such antibodies as are syngeneic to the immunized animal species, thus avoiding the production of antibodies against the intercalating antibodies and c) screening for the anti-C1q MAb in microtiter plates coated with C1q-intercalating MAb isotypes that are heterogeneic to the immunized animal species. We could establish 3 MAbs of IgM subclass, whose reactivity to mouse C1q was shown by ELISA techniques. One of them (RmC13C9) crossreacted with human C1q and was shown by SDS-PAGE and subsequent immunoblotting to recognize the C-chain of mouse and human C1q. The other two MAbs are directed against SDS-sensitive epitopes on mouse C1q and were, therefore, further characterized by native agarose gel electrophoresis and immunohistochemical studies.

Animals