Immunoprotective human monoclonal antibodies against five major serotypes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Human monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) against the O antigens of Pseudomonas aeruginosa lipopolysaccharides (LPS) were produced by cell fusion between human tonsillar lymphocytes and P3-X63-Ag8-U1 (P3U1) mouse myeloma cells. To obtain human Mabs efficiently, 6 d culture supernatants of pokeweed-mitogen-stimulated lymphocytes (21 cultures from peripheral blood and 76 from tonsils) were assayed by ELISA. Five tonsillar lymphocytes which produced IgG antibody specific for P. aeruginosa LPS were preselected for fusion. The human Mabs, named P1-1 (IgG2, kappa), P5-1 (IgG2, lambda), P7-1 (IgG2, lambda), P8-1 (IgG2, lambda) and P10-1 (IgG2, kappa), bound with high specificity to Homma standard serotype strains A, E, B, G and I, respectively, and recognized O antigens. Each Mab showed opsonophagocytic killing activity of the corresponding serotype strain. Four of the Mabs caused agglutination at a very low concentration; a rather higher concentration of P7-1 was required for this effect. Although all the Mabs conferred type-specific protection against peritoneal infection, the strongly agglutinating Mabs provided better protection than the moderately agglutinating P7-1. The protective activity of P8-1 was estimated in compromised mice. A low dose (PD50 0.5-0.6 microgram per mouse) of P8-1 prevented subcutaneous infection in burned mice and peritoneal infection in leucopenic mice. All the hybridomas described here could be cultured in serum-free medium, and they have continued to secrete human Mabs for more than 14 months at rates of 10-20 micrograms per 10(6) cells in 24 h. These results suggested that these five human Mabs specific for O antigens might be useful in the prophylaxis and treatment of P. aeruginosa infections.     

Investigation of phospholipase-lipid interactions by optical detection of triplet state magnetic resonance spectroscopy

We have investigated the binding of porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2 (PA2) to n-hexadecylphosphocholine (C16PN) micelles using optical detection of triplet state magnetic resonance (ODMR) spectroscopy. The zero field splittings (zfs) of the single Trp3 residue undergo significant changes upon binding of PA2 to C16PN micelles. Zfs titrations of PA2 vs C16PN indicate that the binding stoichiometry is C16PN:PA2 approximately 25. A reduction of the (E) parameter from 1.227 to 1.135 GHz is postulated to result from Stark effects caused by the binding of a polar group (possibly phosphocholine) near Trp3 in the PA2-C16PN micelle complex.     

Noncooperative temperature melting of a globular protein without specific tertiary structure: acid form of bovine carbonic anhydrase B

Heat denaturation of native globular proteins is a cooperative process usually connected with the melting of the main part of their regular secondary structure. In this paper, a noncooperative temperature-induced melting of the regular secondary structure in the carbonic anhydrase B at pH 2.6 in heavy water is observed by ir spectroscopy. The molecules of carbonic anhydrase B in an acid medium, unlike the native ones, do not have a specific tertiary structure. Nevertheless, the β-structure content is about the same in both of these states. A temperature-induced noncooperative melting process takes place from 10 to 67°C with a decrease of the antiparallel β-form content by about one third. The remaining part of the β-form melts with a more intensive heat absorption, with a maximum at 87°C. The whole melting process is practically reversible. We assume that the observed noncooperative process displays a general property of a new type of structural state of the globular protein—the “molten globule state.”     

P2-purinergic receptors are coupled to two signal transduction systems leading to inhibition of cAMP generation and to production of inositol trisphosphate in rat hepatocytes

Stimulation of P2-purinergic receptors by ATP resulted in activation of phosphorylase, which was associated with marked production of inositol trisphosphate (Ins-P3), in rat hepatocytes. ATP also inhibited forskolin-induced accumulation of cAMP in the presence of a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. On the contrary, adenosine or AMP never inhibited the cAMP accumulation, but increased hepatocyte cAMP; the stimulation was antagonized by a methylxanthine. Thus, P1-purinergic receptors are linked to adenylate cyclase in a stimulatory fashion in hepatocytes. Various kinds of purine nucleotides stimulating P2-receptors can be divided into two groups on the basis of their relative abilities to stimulate Ins-P3 production and to inhibit cAMP accumulation; the first group including adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (ATP gamma S), ADP, 5-adenylyl imidodiphosphate, GTP, and guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) has an efficacy similar to that of ATP, and the second group of nucleotides including alpha, beta-methyleneadenosine 5'-triphosphate, beta, gamma-methyleneadenosine 5'-triphosphate (App(CH)2)p), and GDP exerts considerable inhibitory effects on cAMP accumulation, but only slight effects on inositol lipid metabolism. Treatment of hepatocytes with islet-activating protein, pertussis toxin, blocked the nucleotide-induced inhibition of cAMP accumulation, but exerted only a small effect on Ins-P3 production. In membranes prepared from hepatocytes, forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase was inhibited by GTP. This GTP-induced inhibition of the enzyme was susceptible to islet-activating protein and dependent on the concentration of ATP (or its derivatives, ATP gamma S or App(CH2)p). It is concluded that there are two types of P2-purinergic receptors: one is linked to adenylate cyclase via an inhibitory guanine nucleotide regulatory protein (Gi) and the other is linked to phospholipase C.     

Plasma renin activity, aldosterone and catecholamine levels when swimming and running

The purpose of this study was to determine the response of plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) and catecholamines to two graded exercises differing by posture. Seven male subjects (19-25 years) performed successively a running rest on a treadmill and a swimming test in a 50-m swimming pool. Each exercise was increased in severity in 5-min steps with intervals of 1 min. Oxygen consumption, heart rate and blood lactate, measured every 5 min, showed a similar progression in energy expenditure until exhaustion, but there was a shorter time to exhaustion in the last step of the running test. PRA, PAC and catecholamines were increased after both types of exercise. The PRA increase was higher after the running test (20.9 ng AngI X ml-1 X h-1) than after swimming (8.66 ng AngI X ml-1 X h-1). The PAC increase was slightly greater after running (123 pg X ml-1) than swimming (102 pg X ml-1), buth the difference was not significant. Plasma catecholamine was higher after the swimming test. These results suggest that the volume shift induced by the supine position and water pressure during swimming decreased the PRA response. The association after swimming compared to running of a decreased PRA and an enhanced catecholamine response rule out a strict dependence of renin release under the effect of plasma catecholamines and is evidence of the major role of neural pathways for renin secretion during physical exercise.     

Purification and mechanism of activation of a nerve growth factor-sensitive S6 kinase from PC12 cells

A nerve growth factor (NGF)-sensitive S6 kinase was purified by alkaline lysis of PC12 cells. The activity in lysates from NGF-treated cells was 10-20-fold higher than that from controls. Half-maximal stimulation of the S6 kinase by NGF treatment occurred in approximately 5 min, and the activity returned almost to basal levels by 2 h. A rapid purification method was devised in which crude extract was applied directly to a PBE 94 column after buffer exchange on a PD-10 column (Sephadex G-25 M). The activated S6 kinase was purified at least 673-fold with a recovery of approximately 70%. The S6 kinase has an apparent molecular weight of 45,000 and is highly specific for S6. It is not inhibited by the specific inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinases, or by chlorpromazine or sodium vanadate, nor is it activated by Ca2+/calmodulin. It was inhibited by EGTA, beta-glycerophosphate, or NaF. Phosphorylation occurred solely on serine residues. The S6 kinase activity from control cells and from NGF-treated cells eluted at pH 5.69 and 5.58, respectively, during PBE 94 column chromatography. Pretreatment of crude extract from NGF-stimulated cells with alkaline phosphatase resulted in an elution of the enzyme at the position of S6 kinase from control cells and a concomitant decrease in activity. These results indicate that phosphorylation is involved in the mechanism of S6 kinase activation.     

Energy-induced modulation of the kinetics of oxidative phosphorylation and reverse electron transfer

The kinetics of ATP synthesis by bovine heart submitochondrial particles (SMP) are modulated by the rate of energy production by the respiratory chain between two fixed limits characterized by apparent KmADP = 2-4 microM and Vmax approximately 200 nmol of ATP min-1 (mg of SMP protein)-1 at low energy levels and apparent KmADP = 120-160 microM and Vmax = 11,000 nmol of ATP min-1 (mg of SMP protein)-1 at high energy levels. These data indicate that KmADP and Vmax increase approximately 50-fold each; therefore, there is essentially no change in the catalytic efficiency of the ATP synthase complex in going from one extreme to the other. At intermediate rates of energy production, the kinetic data required introduction of a third, intermediate KmADP. A KmADP of 10-15 microM fitted all the data reported here and previously [Matsuno-Yagi, A., & Hatefi, Y. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 14031-14038]. However, this is not meant to suggest that there is a fixed intermediate KmADP, as the transition from one fixed limit to the other may be fluid or involve more than one intermediate state. In addition, it has been shown that kinetic plots of SMP-catalyzed and ATP-driven reverse electron transfer from succinate to NAD are curvilinear and resolvable into a minimum of two apparent KmNAD values of about 20-30 and 200-300 microM. These results have been discussed in relation to the three potentially active catalytic sites of F1-ATPase and the structure of the NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase complex, the curvilinear kinetics of ATP hydrolysis, and changes in KmADP and KmPi in photophosphorylation as affected by the duration and intensity of light.     

Über den Kieferapparat der Lytoceratacea (Ammonoidea)

The jaw apparati of Paleozoic and Triassic ammonoids are simìlar in shape to parrots’ beaks; they possess sharp cutting-edges and consist of chitinous material. Together with the similar jaw apparati of recent Coleoids, they constitute the Normal-Type of cephalopod jaws. The jaw apparati of the Jurassic-Cretaceous ammonites possess wide, shovel-like lower jaws without cutting-edges. They consist either of an undivided chitinous plate (Anaptychus) or of this and two additional calcitic plates (Aptychi) on its outer flanks. Jaw apparati of this type are here called Aptychus-Type jaws. New finds in the Upper Cretaceous of Japan suggest the existence of a third type of jaw apparatus which is here called the Rhynchaptychus-Type. Jaws of this type are mainly characterized by possession of calcitic rostra on the tips of the jaws. They seem to be restricted to members of the order Lytoceratacea (excluding the Heteromorphs).