Identification of Tumor Antigens in the HLA Peptidome of Patient-derived Xenograft Tumors in Mouse

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Highlights

• •Sufficient tumor tissues are often unavailable large HLA peptidome discovery.
• •Using patient derived xenograft (PDX) tumors can overcome this limitation.
• •The large PDX HLA peptidomes expand significantly those of the original biopsies.
• •The HLA peptidomes of the PDX tumors included many tumor antigens.

     

Genetically controlled differences in the effects of chlormequat on tetraploid wheat (Triticum turgidum)

Two crosses between Triticum turgidum wheat lines differing in their response to chlormequat (CCC) were tested. In the F₂ population of one cross, which was segregating for the Rht1 dwarfing allele, each plant was cloned by separation of two tillers, one of which was treated with CCC. The tall (rht1/rht1) and the intermediate (Rht1/rht1) genotypes showed a greater response to CCC than the semi-dwarf (Rht1/Rht1) genotype, as expressed by culm length and date of ear emergence. The F₃ families of another cross and their two semi-dwarf parents were grown in a three-replicated field test in paris of rows, one of which was treated with CCC. In one of the parents and in 1/4 of the F₃ families CCC induced a wide-angled tiller growth, suggesting a monogenic control of this growth habit in response to CCC.Based on an M.Sc. thesis presented by the senior author to the Faculty of Agriculture of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.     

Effects of membrane physical parameters on hematoporphyrin-derivative binding to liposomes: A spectroscopic study

Summary Physical parameters of membrane bilayers were studied for their effect on the binding of hematoporphyrin derivative (Hpd), which is used as a sensitizer in photodynamic therapy of cancerous tissues. The purpose of this study was to clarify which parameters were relevant, under physiological conditions, to the selectivity of Hpd binding to cancer cells. Fluorescence spectroscopy was used to measure the relative partitioning of the dye between the lipid and aqueous media. Increasing the microviscosity of the liposomes' membranes by various bilayer additives results in a strong reduction of Hpd binding, to an extent independent of the specific additive. The effect of temperature near the physiological value as well as the effect of cross membrane potential are small. Surface potential does not affect the binding constant, indicating that the binding species does not carry a net electric charge.     

The relationship of calcium and parathyroid hormone in their effect on heart cells

Parathyroid hormone (PTH), the plasma concentration of which is raised in uremia, has been suggested as one of the agents responsible for the myocardial changes commonly seen in uremia. The effect of intact [1–84] PTH on rat heart cells grown in tissue culture has been studied. Addition of the hormone to the media significantly stimulated beating rate. The stimulation was directly proportional to the amount of PTH in the medium. Excessively high concentration of PTH caused immediate cessation of the beating, which was reversed by the addition of calcium to the medium. The extent of stimulation by PTH was inversely proportional to the calcium concentrations in the medium. Isoproterenol and phenylephrine at excessively high concentrations in the medium did not mimic the PTH effect either alone or together with PTH. When beating ceased due to verapamil the effect was not reversed by the addition of calcium to the medium.Calcium added to the myocytes seen after beating ceased reversed the effect and the cells started to beat again. Cells kept for a longer period in the arrested state were not revived by the addition of calcium.     

Detection of bladder carcinoma in females by flow cytometry and cytology

The sensitivity of bladder wash flow cytometry (BWFCM), voided urinary cytology (VUC), and cytology of catheterized urine obtained at the time of cystoscopy (CUC) were reviewed on all women evaluated for bladder cancer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center between June 1985 and December 1986. This comprised sixty-four episodes of pathologically proven bladder cancer in 48 women. Considering positive and suspicious results jointly the sensitivities of BWFCM, CUC and 3 VUC were 75%, 64% and 56%, respectively. If only positive results were considered (i.e., suspicious results considered as negative), the sensitivities of BWFCM, CUC and 3 VUC were 64%, 31% and 32%, respectively. The sensitivities of these tests are less than for a predominantly male population, presumably related to the presence of squamous epithelium and greater frequency of pyuria. However, bladder wash flow cytometry and conventional cytology are still a very valuable addition to cystoscopic examination, and the combination of BWFCM with conventional cytology is more sensitive than either procedure alone.     

Early axonal contacts during development of an identified dendrite in the brain of the zebrafish

We have identified the initial synaptic contacts made onto the Mauthner (M) cell, an identified neuron that arises during early development of the zebrafish hindbrain. The contacts are made by a small bundle of pioneering trigeminal sensory axons onto the M cell soma before it forms dendrites. The sensory bundle is then partially enveloped by the M cell. The lateral dendrite appears at about the site of the contact, and eventually the trigeminal inputs are shifted to its trunk. As the dendrite elongates, other sensory contacts are made on its distal regions, sequentially from the acoustico-vestibular nerve and the lateral line nerves. To learn whether the earliest inputs induce the initial outgrowth of the M cell dendrite, we ablated the trigeminal neurons by laser irradiation before they contacted the M cell. Morphogenesis of the M cell, including its dendrite, appeared normal.     

Organization of hindbrain segments in the zebrafish embryo

To learn how neural segments are structured in a simple vertebrate, we have characterized the embryonic zebrafish hindbrain with a library of monoclonal antibodies. Two regions repeat in an alternating pattern along a series of seven segments. One, the neuromere centers, contains the first basal plate neurons to develop and the first neuropil. The other region, surrounding the segment boundaries, contains the first neurons to develop in the alar plate. The projection patterns of these neurons differ: those in the segment centers have descending axons, while those in the border regions form ventral commissures. A row of glial fiber bundles forms a curtain-like structure between each center and border region. Specific features of the individual hindbrain segments in the series arise within this general framework. We suggest that a cryptic simplicity underlies the eventual complex structure that develops from this region of the CNS.