Monoclonal antibodies to feline sarcoma virus gag and fes gene translational products

A series of hybridomas have been isolated which produce monoclonal antibodies directed against polyprotein gene products of the Gardner, Snyder-Theilen, and McDonough strains of FeSV. Within these are representatives of several immunoglobulin classes including IgG₁, IgG_2a, IgG_2b, IgG_2c, and IgM. Antibody produced by one hybridoma recognizes immunologic determinants localized within an FeLV gag gene structural component (p15) common to polyproteins encoded by all three FeSV isolates whereas antibody produced by a second is specific for p30 determinants unique to P170^gag-fms. Additional hybridomas secrete antibody directed against v-fes-encoded determinants common to the Gardner and Snyder-Theilen FeSV-encoded polyproteins. GA P110^gag-fes and ST P85^gag-fes immunoprecipitated by antibody directed against p15 exhibit tyrosine-specific protein kinase activity but lack such activity when precipitated by antibody specific for their acquired sequence (v-fes) components.     

Specific Human Astrocyte Subtype Revealed by Affinity Purified GFAP+1 Antibody; Unpurified Serum Cross-Reacts with Neurofilament-L in Alzheimer

The human GFAP splice variants GFAPΔ164 and GFAPΔexon6 both result in a GFAP protein isoform with a unique out-of-frame carboxy-terminus that can be detected by the GFAP⁺¹ antibody. We previously reported that GFAP⁺¹ was expressed in astrocytes and in degenerating neurons in Alzheimer''s disease brains. In this study we aimed at further investigating the neuronal GFAP⁺¹ expression and we started by affinity purifying the GFAP⁺¹ antibody. The purified antibody resulted in a loss of neuronal GFAP⁺¹ signal, although other antibodies directed against the amino- and carboxy-terminus of GFAPα still revealed GFAP-immunopositive neurons, as described before. With an in-depth analysis of a western blot, followed by mass spectrometry we discovered that the previously detected neuronal GFAP⁺¹ expression was due to cross-reactivity of the antibody with neurofilament-L (NF-L). This was confirmed by double-label fluorescent immunohistochemistry and western blotting with the unpurified GFAP⁺¹ antibody and an antibody against NF-L. Our data imply that NF-L can accumulate in some tangle-like structures in Alzheimer brains. More importantly, the purified GFAP⁺¹ antibody clearly revealed a specific subtype of astrocytes in the adult human brain. These large astrocytes are present throughout the brain, e.g., along the subventricular zone, in the hippocampus, in the striatum and in the spinal cord of controls, Alzheimer, and Parkinson patients. The presence of a specific GFAP-isoform suggests a specialized function of these astrocytes.     

A (1→3,1→4)-β-glucan-specific monoclonal antibody and its use in the quantitation and immunocytochemical location of (1→3,1→4)-β-glucans

Monoclonal antibodies were raised against a (1→3,1→4)-β-glucan-bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugate. One antibody (BG1) selected for further characterization, was specific for (1→3,1→4)-β-glucan, displaying no binding activity against a (1→3)-β-glucan-BSA conjugate and minimal binding against a cellopentaose-BSA conjugate. A range of oligosaccharides was prepared by enzymatic digestion of (1→3,1→4)-β-glucan, purified by size exclusion chromatography and characterized by ¹H-NMR and anion exchange chromatography. These (1→3,1→4)-β-oligoglucosides, together with (1→3)-β- and (1→4)-β-oligoglucosides were used to characterize the binding site of the monoclonal antibody (BG1) by competitive inhibition. The monoclonal antibody showed maximal binding to a heptasaccharide with the structure Glc(1→3) Glc(1→4) Glc(1→4) Glc(1→3) Glc(1→4) Glc(1→4) Glc and was determined to have an affinity constant of 3.8 × 10⁴ M⁻¹ for this oligoglucoside. The monoclonal antibody (BG1) has been used to develop a sensitive sandwich ELISA for the specific quantitation of (1→3,1→4)-β-glucans. The assay operates in the range 1–10 ng ml⁻¹ and shows no significant cross-reaction with tamarind xyloglucan, wheat endosperm arabinoxylan or carboxymethyl-pachyman ((1→3)-β-glucan). When used with a second-stage, rabbit anti-mouse gold conjugate and viewed under the electron microscope, the monoclonal antibody probe was found to bind strongly to the walls of the aleurone in thin sections of immature wheat (Triticum aestivum) cv. Millewa grains but not to the middle lamella region. A previously described specific anti-(1→3)-β-glucan antibody (Meikle et al., 1991) bound to discrete patches on the aleurone walls, believed to be plasmodesmata.     

Effects of peptone on hybridoma growth and monoclonal antibody formation

Hybridoma WuT3 secreting a monoclonal antibody against T lymphocytes was grown in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 1% human serum. The effect of the concentration of peptone, as an additive, was investigated on cell growth, monoclonal antibody formation, and cell metabolism over 0–10 g l^–1 range. It was found that 1–5 g l^–1 peptone can significantly promote the growth of cells and increase the formation of monoclonal antibody, especially at 3–5 g l^–1, when both the accumulating level and secretion rate of monoclonal antibody are higher than that at other peptone concentrations. Based on glucose, lactate and ammonia analysis data, the efficiency of glycolysis was assessed and the utilization of amino acids was more efficient at 3–5 g l^–1 peptone. The cell growth and monoclonal antibody formation were inhibited at higher peptone concentrations, e.g. 10 g l^–1.     

In vivo andin vitro antitumor activity of mitomycin C conjugates at 7-N position through a linker containing thiocarbamate bond with CD10 monoclonal antibody

Through a linker containing thiocarbomate bound to the 7-N position of mitomycin C (MMC), conjugates with a monoclonal antibody to CD10 (NL-1) were prepared, and their antitumor activities were examined. All five conjugates, except one, showedin vitro cytotoxity to two CD10⁺ lymphoid cell lines superior to MMC. The conjugate displaying the highest cytotoxicity was selected and further tested against three CD10⁺ and two CD10 lymphoid cell linesin vitro. The conjugate with NL-1 antibody demonstrated higher cytotoxic activity against CD10+ tumor cells than the control conjugate with normal immunoglobulin, while there was no significant difference, when tested against CD10^– tumors. The cytotoxic activity of the NL-1 conjugate to CD10+ tumors was significantly blocked by NL-1 antibody. In vivo antitumor activity of the NL-1 conjugate was then tested against a CD10⁺ tumor transplanted to nude mice, and side effects were recorded. The NL-1 conjugate (4 mg/kg) showed anin vivo antitumor effect similar to MMC (2 mg/kg), which is at nearly maximal tolerable dose; the latter induced decreases in numbers of leukocytes and platelets, while the former did not, suggesting less side effect by the NL-1 conjugate. Since MMC demonstrates a broad spectrum of antitumor activity, the conjugate, as such, may be applicable for the treatment of cancer patients.     

Neutralizing single-chain antibodies against the tick-borne encephalitis virus

A recombinant pSC13D6 plasmid DNA was constructed based on cDNA fragments of genes encoding variable domains of heavy and light chains of the MKA13D6 monoclonal antibody against glycoprotein of the tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus. This plasmid provided expression in Escherichia coli cells of the scl3D6 single-chain antibody against the TBE virus. The produced antibodies could bind to the TBE virus, strain 205, and the TBE virus recombinant E protein. The affinity constant of purified scl3D6 was (3.0 ± 0.2) × 10⁷ M^?1 for the equilibrium state and (2.8 ± 0.3) × 10⁷ M^?1 in the case of antigen-antibody formation on the surface. The obtained single-chain antibody could inhibit the infection potency of the TBE virus on a monolayer of eukaryotic cells. The calculated IC₅₀ value for scl3D6 was 16.7 μg/ml.     

Development of an immunochromatographic strip test for the rapid detection of okadaic acid in shellfish sample

A rapid detection technology for okadaic acid (OA) in shellfish with one-step immunochromatographic assay using colloidal gold-labeled monoclonal antibody (Mab) probe was developed. OA is one of the diarrhetic shellfish toxins. Firstly, OA was conjugated to bovine serum albumin, and the conjugations as immunogen were injected into mice to raise the polyclonal antibody against OA. Hybridoma cells fused between spleen cells from immunized mouse and myeloma cells (Sp2/0) were prepared and injected into mice intraperitoneally at 1?×?10⁶?cells to produce monoclonal antibody in the ascitic fluid. With the monoclonal antibody against OA, the idc-ELISA assay was established to detect OA. The calibration curve for OA was linear over the concentration range of 0.31–50 ng mL^?1, and the detection limit for OA was 0.45 ng mL^?1. On that basis, paper test strips for detecting OA were prepared, and a fast detection method for okadaic acid using gold-labeled immunological assay was established. With the paper test strips, the detection limit was 6.25 ng mL^?1, and whole detection process for OA in shellfish samples needed only about 40 min.     

Cross-reactivity of monoclonal antibodies against phytochrome from Zea and Avena

The cross-reactivity of diverse monoclonal antibodies against phytochrome from Zea and Avena was tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbentassay (ELISA) and by immunoblotting. About 40 antibodies were selected by means of nondenatured phytochrome; all of them reacted with sodium dodecyl sulfate denatured homologous antigen on immunoblots. The epitopes for 14 antibodies (4 raised against Avena and 10 against Zea phytochrome) were localized in 6 regions of the phytochrome molecule by means of Western blot analysis of proteolytic fragments of known localization. Results of studies on the inhibition of antibody binding by other antibodies were largely compatible with these latter findings. Except in a few cases, inhibition occurred when antibodies were located on the same or a closely adjacent region. As demonstrated by 16 species, cross-reactivity with phytochromes from other Poaceae was high. Greater losses in cross-reactivity were observed only with antibodies recognizing an epitope in the vicinity of the carboxyl terminus of 118-kg · mol^-1 phytochrome. Cross-reactivity with phytochrome from dicotyledons was restricted to a few antibodies. However, phytochrome(s) from plants illuminated for 24 h or more could be detected. One of the antibodies that recognized phytochrome from dicotyledons was also found to recognize phytochrome or a protein of 120–125 kg·mol^-1 from several ferns, a liverwort and mosses. This antibody (Z-3B1), which was localized within a 23.5-kg·mol^-1 section of Avena phytochrome (Grimm et al., 1986, Z. Naturforsch. 41c, 993), seems to be the first antibody raised against phytochrome from a monocotyledon with such a wide range of reactivity. Even though epitopes were recognized on different phytochromes, the strength of antibody binding indicated that these epitopes are not necessarily wholly identical.Abbreviations ELISA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay - McAb monoclonal antibody - PBS phosphate-buffered saline - Pfr (Pr) far-red-absorbing (red-absorbing) form of phytochrome - SDS-PAGE sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis     

Electron microscopic localization of two proteins on the surface of the 50 S ribosomal subunit of Escherichia coli using specific antibody markers

A method to localize individual proteins on the surface of the ribosomal subunit was developed. The method uses specific immunoglobulins G against proteins under examination. The antibodies are combined with the ribosomes to give rise to ribosome dimers linked by the bivalent antibody. The Fab arm of the Y shaped antibody points to the position of the protein the antibody was prepared against.Using this method, two ribosomal proteins (L1, L19)³were located on two defined shapes of the 50 S ribosomal subunit.     

Bands,interbands and puffs in native Drosophila polytene chromosomes are recognized by a monoclonal antibody to an epitope in the carboxy-terminal tail of histone H1

A monoclonal antibody was raised against Drosophila melanogaster histone H1. Immunoscreening of proteolytic cleavage fragments of H1 and of a set of all possible overlapping synthetic octapeptides corresponding to the amino acid sequence of H1, revealed that the antibody recognizes an epitope within the sequence ²⁰⁷VTAAKPKA²¹⁴ near the centre of the carboxy-terminal tail. This antibody gives positive immunofluorescence over the entire length of native D. melanogaster polytene chromosomes isolated from salivary glands by microdissection at physiological pH and ionic strength. Bands, interbands and puffs are all seen to contain H1. The immunofluorescence over puffs, albeit lower than that over bands and interbands, indicates that chromatin decondensation can occur without complete loss of H1 in these structures. The reaction of the antibody with bands suggests that the segment of the C-terminal tail containing the epitope may be exposed in the condensed 30 nm chromatin filament.     

An altered camelid-like single domain anti-idiotypic antibody fragment of HM-1 killer toxin: acts as an effective antifungal agent

Phage-display and competitive panning elution leads to the identification of minimum-sized antigen binders together with conventional antibodies from a mouse cDNA library constructed from HM-1 killer toxin neutralizing monoclonal antibody (nmAb-KT). Antigen-specific altered camelid-like single-domain heavy chain antibody (scFv K2) and a conventional antibody (scFv K1) have been isolated against the idiotypic antigen nmAb-KT. The objectives of the study were to examine (1) their properties as compared to conventional antibodies and also (2) their antifungal activity against different pathogenic and non-pathogenic fungal species. The alternative small antigen-binder, i.e., the single-domain heavy chain antibody, was originated from a conventional mouse scFv phage library through somatic hyper-mutation while selection against antigen. This single-domain antibody fragment was well expressed in bacteria and specifically bound with the idiotypic antigen nmAb-KT and had a high stability and solubility. Experimental data showed that the binding affinity for this single-domain antibody was 272-fold higher (K _d = 1.07 × 10⁻¹⁰ M) and antifungal activity was three- to fivefold more efficient (IC₅₀ = 0.46 × 10⁻⁶ to 1.17 × 10⁻⁶ M) than that for the conventional antibody (K _d = 2.91 × 10⁻⁸ M and IC₅₀ = 2.14 × 10⁻⁶ to 3.78 × 10⁻⁶ M). The derived single-domain antibody might be an ideal scaffold for anti-idiotypic antibody therapy and the development of smaller peptides or peptide mimetic drugs due to their less complex antigen-binding site. We expect that such single-domain synthetic antibodies will find their way into a number of biotechnological or medical applications.     

Effects of neutralizing antibodies on escape from CD8+ T-cell responses in HIV-1 infection

Despite substantial advances in our knowledge of immune responses against HIV-1 and of its evolution within the host, it remains unclear why control of the virus eventually breaks down. Here, we present a new theoretical framework for the infection dynamics of HIV-1 that combines antibody and CD8⁺ T-cell responses, notably taking into account their different lifespans. Several apparent paradoxes in HIV pathogenesis and genetics of host susceptibility can be reconciled within this framework by assigning a crucial role to antibody responses in the control of viraemia. We argue that, although escape from or progressive loss of quality of CD8⁺ T-cell responses can accelerate disease progression, the underlying cause of the breakdown of virus control is the loss of antibody induction due to depletion of CD4⁺ T cells. Furthermore, strong antibody responses can prevent CD8⁺ T-cell escape from occurring for an extended period, even in the presence of highly efficacious CD8⁺ T-cell responses.     

Monoclonal antibodies to a nitroxide lipid hapten

The isolation and characterization of a hybridoma cell line producing a monoclonal IgG₁ antibody against a spin-label nitroxide group is described. The antibody recognizes a synthetic hapten containing linked dinitrophenyl and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl 1-oxy groups, having an affinity of 3.6±1.0·10⁶ M^?1 for the soluble hapten at 25°C. The antibody binds to phospholipid vesicles containing 2 mol% of spin label-derivitized lipid (lipid hapten) with an affinity of 1.5±0.2·10⁸ M^?1. This monoclonal IgG₁ mediates the binding of hapten-bearing lipid vesicles to mouse macrophage RAW264 cells bearing Fc receptors. The cellular responses to this binding are similar to those observed previously using polyclonal rabbit anti-hapten IgG. As with the heterogeneous antibodies, the monoclonal IgG₁ is more efficient in mediating cellular uptake when the vesicles are in the ‘fluid’ physical state (dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine at 37°C) compared to ‘solid’ (dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine at 37°C). Despite the enhanced binding of ‘fluid’ phospholipid vesicles to cells, only the ‘solid’ vesicles triggered a significant respiratory burst in RAW264 macrophages.     

The effect of anti-ATPase antibodies upon the Ca++ transport of sarcoplasmic reticulum

Sheep or guinea pig antisera against the purified Ca⁺⁺ transport ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum inhibit Ca⁺⁺ transport due to a complement-dependent damage of the membrane, which causes massive leakage of Ca⁺⁺. The Ca⁺⁺-activated ATPase activity is only slightly affected even at ten times higher antibody concentration than that required for inhibition of Ca⁺⁺ transport. Antibodies prepared against the Ca⁺⁺ binding protein (C₁ protein) have no influence upon either ATPase activity or Ca⁺⁺ transport and ferritin-labeled anti-C₁ antibodies do not bind to microsomes.     

T Cell Epitope Mapping of JC Polyoma Virus-Encoded Proteome Reveals Reduced T Cell Responses in HLA-DRB1*04:01+ Donors

JC polyomavirus (JCV) infection is highly prevalent and usually kept in a persistent state without clinical signs and symptoms. It is only during immunocompromise and especially impaired CD4⁺ T cell function in the brain, as seen in AIDS patients or natalizumab-treated multiple sclerosis patients, that JCV may cause progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), an often life-threatening brain disease. Since CD4⁺ T cells likely play an important role in controlling JCV infection, we here describe the T cell response to JCV in a group of predominantly HLA-DR-heterozygotic healthy donors (HD) by using a series of overlapping 15-mer peptides spanning all JCV-encoded open reading frames. We identified immunodominant epitopes and compared T cell responses with anti-JCV VP1 antibody production and with the presence of urinary viral shedding. We observed positive JCV-specific T cell responses in 28.6% to 77.6%, humoral immune response in 42.6% to 89.4%, and urinary viral shedding in 36.4% to 45.5% of HD depending on the threshold. Four immunodominant peptides were mapped, and at least one immunogenic peptide per HLA-DRB1 allele was detected in DRB1*01⁺, DRB1*07⁺, DRB1*11⁺, DRB1*13⁺, DRB1*15⁺, and DRB1*03⁺ individuals. We show for the first time that JCV-specific T cell responses may be directed not only against JCV VP1 and large T antigen but also against all other JCV-encoded proteins. Heterozygotic DRB1*04:01⁺ individuals showed very low T cell responses to JCV together with normal anti-VP1 antibody levels and no urinary viral shedding, indicating a dominant-negative effect of this allele on global JCV-directed T cell responses. Our data are potentially relevant for the development of vaccines against JCV.     

The in vitro antitumor effect and in vivo tumor-specificity distribution of human-mouse chimeric antibody against transferrin receptor

Transferrin receptor (TfR/CD71) deserves attention as a selective target for cancer therapy due to its higher expression in tumors versus normal tissues. Also, it has been shown the mouse-derived monoclonal antibody against TfR can significantly inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells. Through constructing the chimeric antibody against TfR, the antigenicity of antibody can be weakened, and most importantly, the antitumor effect of antibody can be strengthened by the introduction of the human Fc fragment. In previous studies, we successfully constructed the human-mouse chimeric antibody against TfR (D2C) and demonstrated that its Fab fragment could specially recognize the TfR on the surface of target cells. In this study, through labeling the chimeric antibody D2C with ¹²⁵I, we calculated the affinity constant (Ka) of 9.34–9.62×10⁹ l/mol for this antibody according to the Scatchard drawing method. Moreover, in vivo studies in nude mice-bearing human liver cancer (SMMC-7721) xenografts have shown that the radioactivity distribution ratio of ¹³¹I-D2C on T/NT was 2–14:1 or 3–21:1 on the seventh day after intraperitoneal or intratumoral injection of ¹³¹I-labeled D2C (¹³¹I-D2C). These evidences indicated that the in vivo distribution of D2C display the characteristics of certain tumor-specificity localization. In vitro studies, D2C can induce the apoptosis of K562 through the mitochondria death pathway and arrest the cell at G₁ phase, as determined by cell cycle analysis. Using the human tumor cells (K562, CEM, and SMMC-7721) expressing TfR as target cells, and normal human PBMC as effector cells, Fc fragment of D2C can perform both the antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity and the complement-dependent cytotoxicity. Together, it was demonstrated that the D2C display a tumor-specificity distribution, and has a strong antitumor effect. Thus, it has the potential therapeutic significance.Ye Qing and Wang Shuo contributed equally to this work.     

Development and Implementation of a Single-Chain Fv Antibody for Specific Detection of Bacillus anthracis Spores

A single-chain Fv (scFv) antibody was developed and applied for efficient and specific detection of Bacillus anthracis spores. The antibody was isolated from a phage display library prepared from spleens of mice immunized with a water-soluble extract of the outer membrane of the B. anthracis spore (exosporium). The library (7 × 10⁶ PFU) was biopanned against live, native B. anthracis ATCC Δ14185 spores suspended in solution, resulting in the isolation of a unique soluble scFv antibody. The antibody was affinity purified and its affinity constant (3 × 10⁸ ± 1 × 10⁸ M⁻¹) determined via flow cytometry (FCM). Preliminary characterization of scFv specificity indicated that the scFv antibody does not cross-react with representatives of some phylogenetically related Bacillus spores. The potential use of scFv antibodies in detection platforms was demonstrated by the successful application of the soluble purified scFv antibody in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, immunofluorescence assays, and FCM.     

Isolation and characterization of monoclonal antibodies to (Na + K)-ATPase

Four stable hybridoma cell lines secreting antibodies specific to the membrane (Na⁺ + K⁺)-dependent ATPase isolated from lamb kidney medulla have been produced by fusing mouse myeloma cells with spleen cells from immunized mice. These cell lines produce IgG γ₁ heavy chain and κ light chain antibodies which are directed against the catalytic or α-subunit of the (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase enzyme. Binding studies, using antibodies that were produced by growing hybridomas in vivo and purified by affinity column chromatography, suggest a somewhat higher affinity of these antibodies for the isolated α-subunit than for the ‘native’ holoenzyme. In addition, these monoclonal antibodies show no reactivity with either the glycoprotein (β) subunit of the lamb enzyme nor the (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase from rat kidney, an ouabain-insensitive organ. Cotitration binding experiments have shown that the antibodies from two cell lines originally isolated independently from the same culture plate well population of fused cells bind to the same determinant site and are probably the same antibody. Cotitration and competition binding studies with two other antibodies have revealed two additional distinct antibody binding sites which appear to have little overlap with the first site. One of the three different antibodies isolated caused a partial inhibition of the (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase activity. This antibody appears to be directed against a specific functionally important site of the α-subunit and is a competitive inhibitor of ATP binding. Under optimum conditions of ATPase activity, this inhibitory effect is not altered by the presence of the other two antibodies.     

Specific Unresponsiveness of Recirculating Lymphocytes after Exposure to Histocompatibility Antigen in F<Subscript>1</Subscript> Hybrid Rats

SEVERAL investigators have demonstrated the principle of selective removal of a subpopulation of antigen sensitive cells required for a particular antibody response. For example, cells necessary for the antibody response to protein antigens can be specifically removed by passage through an antigen coated column¹; cells necessary for the haemolytic plaque forming cell response to sheep erythrocytes can be removed by exposing them to concentrations of ³H-thymidine lethal for DNA synthesizing cells²; and cells necessary for the agglutinin response to flagellin can be removed by treating the population with radioactive flagellin so that the cells which bind the antigen are inactivated³. The cells which remain after these procedures have been shown to have a normal level of activity against non-cross-reacting antigens. These findings are regarded as evidence for heterogeneity in the whole population of antigen sensitive cells such that each cell can only respond to one antigen or to a restricted range of different antigens.     

Spontaneous Aggregation and Cytotoxicity of the β-Amyloid Aβ1–40: A Kinetic Model

The time dependency of the spontaneous aggregation of the fibrillogenic β-Amyloid peptide, Aβ^1–40, was measured by turbidity, circular dichroism, HPLC, and fluorescence polarization. The results by all methods were comparable and they were most consistent with a kinetic model where the peptide first slowly forms an activated monomeric derivative (AM), which is the only species able to initiate, by tetramerization, the formation of linear aggregates. The anti-Aβ antibody 6E10, raised against residues 1–17, at concentrations of 200–300 nM delayed significantly the aggregation of 50 μM amyloid peptide. The anti–Aβ antibody 4G8, raised against residues 17–24, was much less active in that respect, while the antibody A162, raised against the C-terminal residues 39–43 of the full-length Aβ was totally inactive at those concentrations. Concomitant with the aggregation experiments, we also measured the time dependency of the Aβ^1–40–induced toxicity toward SH-EP1 cells and hippocampal neurons, evaluated by SYTOX Green fluorescence, lactate dehydrogenase release, and activation of caspases. The extent of cell damage measured by all methods reached a maximum at the same time and this maximum coincided with that of the concentration of AM. According to the kinetic scheme, the latter is the only transient peptide species whose concentration passes through a maximum. Thus, it appears that the toxic species of Aβ^1–40 is most likely the same transient activated monomer that is responsible for the nucleation of fibril formation. These conclusions should provide a structural basis for understanding the toxicity of Aβ^1–40 in vitro and possibly in vivo.