HLA antigens in Brazilian patients with paracoccidioidomycosis

Eighty patients with paracoccidioidomycosis were typed for 43 HLA specificities from loci A, B, C and DR. A highly significant increased frequency of HLA-B40 (relative risk 29.2) and HLA-Cw 1 (relative risk 8.8) were found in patients compared to control subjects. The frequencies HLA-A2, B7 and B21 were also increased in patients and haplotypes-B40-Cw1 and -A2-B40 were positively correlated with the disease. DR antigen frequencies were not significantly altered in the patients and evidence of a protective effect was not found for any of the 43 antigens tested. These findings further support the involvement of the HLA system in the genetic susceptibility to paracoccidioidomycosis and the importance of ethnic variability in this association.     

Myofibroblasts in human palatal mucosa

Myofibroblasts in human osseous palatal mucosa are described. They appear as fusiform or ramified cells, rich in homogeneous 60- to 70-Angstr?m-thick microfilaments, rough endoplasmic reticulum cisternae, and abundant pinocytotic vesicles in relation with the plasma membrane. On the surface of these cells there are small areas covered by basal lamina. Contacts between myofibroblast processes and other tissue elements are described. Small clusters of oxytalan fibers appear in the vicinity of these cells.     

Narrow- and Broad-Host-Range Symbiotic Plasmids of Rhizobium spp. Strains That Nodulate Phaseolus vulgaris

Agrobacterium transconjugants containing symbiotic plasmids from different Rhizobium spp. strains that nodulate Phaseolus vulgaris were obtained. All transconjugants conserved the parental nodulation host range. Symbiotic (Sym) plasmids of Rhizobium strains isolated originally from P. vulgaris nodules, which had a broad nodulation host range, and single-copy nitrogenase genes conferred a Fix⁺ phenotype to the Agrobacterium transconjugants. A Fix⁻ phenotype was obtained with Sym plasmids of strains isolated from P. vulgaris nodules that had a narrow host range and reiterated nif genes, as well as with Sym plasmids of strains isolated from other legumes that presented single nif genes and a broad nodulation host range. This indicates that different types of Sym plasmids can confer the ability to establish an effective symbiosis with P. vulgaris.     

Benzo[a]pyrene metabolism and induction of enzyme-altered foci in regenerating rat liver

The metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene (BP) in regenerating rat liver and the induction of enzyme-altered foci (EAF) in the liver of partially hepatectomized rats, treated with BP and promoted with 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF)/CCl4 was investigated. The aim was to examine factors that might be of importance for the tumorigenicity of BP in the regenerating rat liver, such as cytochrome P-450 activity and glutathione levels. In regenerating rat liver, obtained 18 h after partial hepatectomy (PH), the amount of microsomal cytochrome P-450 was reduced by 20% whereas the level of glutathione was elevated by 15% and the cytosolic glutathione transferase activity towards chlorodinitrobenzene and (+/-)-7 beta,8 alpha-dihydroxy-9 alpha, 10 alpha-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-BP (BPDE) was unaffected. Microsomes from these animals had a reduced capacity to activate (-)-trans-7,8-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydro-BP (BPD) to DNA-binding products but the pattern of BP metabolites was similar to that observed with control rat liver microsomes. Treatment of rats with 3-methylcholanthrene (MC, 50 mg/kg body wt.) increased cytochrome P-450 levels and glutathione transferase activity towards both substrates. Regenerating livers from these animals retained their cytochrome P-450 level and enzymatic activity towards BP and BPD. Regenerating rat liver microsomes from MC-treated animals were about 35 times more efficient in activating BPD than microsomes from uninduced, partially hepatectomized animals. Intraperitoneal administration of BP (50 mg/kg body wt.) 18 h after PH induced EAF in rats subsequently promoted with 2-AAF/CCl4. Pretreatment of rats with MC 66 h before PH and 84 h before BP administration, increased the number of EAF. In accordance with results by Tsuda et al. (Cancer Res., 40 (1980) 1157-1164), these studies demonstrate that BP is tumorigenic in regenerating rat liver, despite a reduced ability of the liver to activate this compound. Furthermore, MC, an inducer of certain cytochrome P-450 species ("aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase"), potentiates the effect of BP.     

Converting Sendai virus into a specific fusogen whose cell target can be selected

Covalent intermolecular hybrids of Fab anti-hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) monoclonal antibody and avidin were prepared and characterized. These conjugates were used to block and redirect the fusion activity of Sendai virus (SV). After incubation of SV with Fab anti-HN: avidin conjugate on ice for 1-2 h, the SV fused only those P815 or BW5147 cells which were labeled with biotin-modified anti-cell surface immunoglobulin. The levels of cell-cell fusion obtained were at least as high as those achieved with unmodified SV and unlabeled P815 or BW5147 cells. These results demonstrate that it is possible to block the normal agglutinating activity of the HN molecules of SV and to introduce a new cell recognition feature without negating the fusogenic potential of the virus. Such an approach may be useful in harnessing the fusion activity of SV to a targeted delivery system for microinjection of macromolecules into selected cell populations.