Fluorescence properties of lipoprotein B and apolipoprotein B

The fluorescence properties of apolipoprotein B (ApoB) in various media, including aqueous solutions of three different pH, 6 m urea, 6 m guanidine-HCl and native lipoprotein B (LP-B) particles have been compared by measuring the accessibility of trytophan side chains to iodide ions. The modified Stern-Volmer plots (FΔF vs. 1/[KI]) for LP-B demonstrate heterogeneity of quenching rates at pH 9.0, with a total accessibility of fluorescence to iodide of 43%. At pH 7.3, the total accessibility of LP-B fluorescence to iodide is only 20%. Quenching at pH 2.7 follows a pure Stern-Volmer mechanism. A straight line at this pH intercepting y-axis at 1.0 indicates 100% accessibility of tryptophan residues in LP-B. These results suggest that there are at least three different groups of tryptophan residues present per intact LP-B particle and that each group is situated in a different environment. One group, showing an enhanced quenching rate, is probably near the charged domain; another group, showing a slower quenching rate, is in a relatively hindered environment, and a third group is probably buried in a more hydrophobic environment, inaccessible to iodide at neutral or high pH. But at pH 2.7, all tryptophan residues appear to become situated closer to the surface of the LP-B particle. For isolated ApoB at pH 7.3 and 9.0 in aqueous buffer, about 30% of the fluorescence is relatively easily accessible; another 40% is less easily accessible and the remaining 30% is inaccessible to iodide. These inaccessible tryptophan residues are most likely located in a more hydrophobic matrix and probably in the β-pleated sheet region of ApoB. Similarly to LP-B at pH 2.7, all of the tryptophan residues of ApoB are exposed to the aqueous surface except that one third of them are quenched at a faster rate than the rest. At pH 7.3, in the presence of urea or guanidine-HCl, all of the fluorescence of ApoB is exposed to the aqueous surface, suggesting the presence of random and nonrigid conformation in these media. These results suggest that the conformation of ApoB in aqueous media is pH sensitive. This is true whether the ApoB is present in intact LP-B or as the isolated apolipoprotein. Furthermore, upon removal of lipids from LP-B and passing the ApoB into a denaturing environment, the apolipoprotein loses its ordered structure. When passing ApoB from denaturing agents back to aqueous buffers of neutral or basic pH. ApoB is able to reorient itself to gain an ordered structure, not necessarily identical to that in LP-B, but parallel to it.     

Synthesis of protected purpurosamine B and 6-epipurpurosamine B

In relation to the synthesis of antipseudomonal drugs, namely, gentamicin C2 and 3-de-O-methylsporaricin A, a protected purpurosamine B (15) and 6-epipurpurosamine B (13) were synthesized. The key intermediate, methyl 2,3,4,7- tetradeoxy-6-O-(methylsulfonyl)-2-phthalimido-beta-L-lyxo-++ +heptopyranoside (8), was obtained in 48% yield by Grignard addition to methyl 2,3,4-trideoxy-2-phthalimido-alpha-D-erythro-hexodialdo-1,5-pyrano side (7) proceeding in accordance with Cram's chelate rule, followed by methylsulfonylation. From 8, compound 15 was readily obtained by introduction of the azide group with inversion of configuration at C-6. Compound 13 was obtained by introduction of the azide group with retention of configuration.     

B lymphocyte development in rabbit: progenitor B cells and waning of B lymphopoiesis

In mammals that use gut-associated lymphoid tissues for expansion and somatic diversification of the B cell repertoire, B lymphopoiesis occurs early in ontogeny and does not appear to continue throughout life. In these species, including sheep, rabbit, and cattle, little is known about the pathway of B cell development and the time at which B lymphopoiesis wanes. We examined rabbit bone marrow by immunofluorescence with anti-CD79a and anti-mu and identified both proB and preB cells. The proB cells represent the vast majority of B-lineage cells in the bone marrow at birth and by incorporation of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine, they appear to be a dynamic population. PreB cells reach maximum levels in the bone marrow at 3 wk of age, and B cells begin to accumulate at 7 wk of age. We cloned two VpreB and one lambda5 gene and demonstrated that they are expressed within B-lineage cells in bone marrow. VpreB and lambda5 coimmunoprecipitated with the mu-chain in lysates of 293T cells transfected with VpreB, lambda5, and mu, indicating that VpreB, lambda5, and mu-chains associate in a preB cell receptor-like complex. By 16 wk of age, essentially no proB or preB cells are found in bone marrow and by PCR amplification, B cell recombination excision circles were reduced 200-fold. By 18 mo of age, B cell recombination excision circles were reduced 500- to 1000-fold. We suggest that B cell development in the rabbit occurs primarily through the classical, or ordered, pathway and show that B lymphopoiesis is reduced over 99% by 16 wk of age.     

Antigenic, immunologic and genetic characterization of rough strains B. abortus RB51, B. melitensis B115 and B. melitensis B18

The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is considered the major virulent factor in Brucella spp. Several genes have been identified involved in the synthesis of the three LPS components: lipid A, core and O-PS. Usually, Brucella strains devoid of O-PS (rough mutants) are less virulent than the wild type and do not induce undesirable interfering antibodies. Such of them proved to be protective against brucellosis in mice. Because of these favorable features, rough strains have been considered potential brucellosis vaccines. In this study, we evaluated the antigenic, immunologic and genetic characteristics of rough strains B. abortus RB51, B. melitensis B115 and B. melitensis B18. RB51 derived from B. abortus 2308 virulent strain and B115 is a natural rough strain in which the O-PS is present in the cytoplasm. B18 is a rough rifampin-resistan mutant isolated in our laboratory. The surface antigenicity of RB51, B115 and B18 was evaluated by testing their ability to bind antibodies induced by rough or smooth Brucella strains. The antibody response induced by each strain was evaluated in rabbits. Twenty-one genes, involved in the LPS-synthesis, were sequenced and compared with the B. melitensis 16M strain. The results indicated that RB51, B115 and B18 have differences in antigenicity, immunologic and genetic properties. Particularly, in B115 a nonsense mutation was detected in wzm gene, which could explain the intracellular localization of O-PS in this strain. Complementation studies to evaluate the precise role of each mutation in affecting Brucella morphology and its virulence, could provide useful information for the assessment of new, attenuated vaccines for brucellosis.     

Isolation and functional analysis of human B cell populations. I. Characterization of the B1+B2+ and B1+B2- subsets

Distinct populations of human B lymphocytes can be identified by their expression and/or co-expression of the B cell-restricted antigens B1 and B2. Dual fluorochrome staining and flow cytometric cell sorting permitted the isolation of the B1+B2+ and B1+B2- cells to homogeneity. In contrast, very few B1-B2+ cells were obtainable from normal lymphoid organs. Virtually all B1+B2+ cells expressed IgM and IgD, but lacked IgG and the plasma cell antigens PCA-1 and PC-1, whereas the B1+B2- cells more frequently expressed IgG, PCA-1 and PC-1. Both populations were noncycling and were composed of similar percentages of small and large cells. The B1+B2+ cells proliferate to anti-mu or to anti-mu + PHA-LCM, but not to PHA-LCM alone. They require both T cells and PWM to produce Ig. In contrast, B1+B2-cells do not significantly proliferate to anti-mu, PHA-LCM, or anti-mu and PHA-LCM. They produce Ig in response to T cells alone without PWM. These phenotypic and functional observations provide preliminary evidence that these populations are distinct and that the B1+B2+ cell may be a "resting" B cell, whereas the B1+B2- cell appears to be more "differentiated." The present studies further suggest that they will also be helpful in characterizing B cells in some human disease states. We believe that the identification and isolation of these and similar subsets of B cells defined by differing cell surface phenotype should aid our understanding both of normal B cell differentiation and of B cell disease states.     

B12 and B1 auxotrophy of lower marine phycomycetes

Summary A study of the lower marine Phycomycetes Thraustochytrium roseum, T. aureum, and Schizochytrium aggregatum revealed their requirement for exogenous B₁₂ and B₁. T. roseum grew well when provided with only the pyrimidine moiety of the latter whereas the other fungi were dependent on the presence of the intact molecule. The response of these organisms to minute concentrations of B₁ suggests their value for assaying sea water for the vitamin.     

Synthesis and cytotoxic activity evaluation of dihydrocucurbitacin B and cucurbitacin B derivatives

Two cucurbitacins, dihydrocucurbitacin B (1) and cucurbitacin B (2), which can be obtained in large amounts from the roots of Wilbrandia ebracteata and from the fruits of Luffa operculata, respectively, were used as starting materials for the preparation of a library of 29 semi-synthetic derivatives. The structural changes that were performed include the removal, modification or permutation of functional groups in rings A and B as well as in the side chain. All new semisynthetic compounds, as well as 1 and 2, were tested in vitro for their cytotoxic effects on non-small-cell lung cancer cells (A549 cells). Some of these compound displayed potent to moderate activity against A549 tumor cells, especially those cucurbitacin B derivatives which were modified at ring A.     

Characterization of dual agonists for kinin B1 and B2 receptors and their biased activation of B2 receptors

Kinin B1 and B2 receptors (kB1R and kB2R) play important roles in many physiological and pathological processes. In some cases, kB1R or kB2R activation can have overlapping or complementary beneficial effects, thus an activator of both receptors might be advantageous. We found that replacement of the C-terminal Arg in the natural kB2R activators bradykinin (BK) or kallidin (KD) with Lys (K(9)-BK or K(10)-KD) resulted in agonists that effectively stimulate the downstream signaling of both the kB1R and kB2R as measured by increased inositol turnover, intracellular calcium, ERK1/2 phosphorylation, arachidonic acid release and NO production. However, K(9)-BK and K(10)-KD displayed some characteristics of biased agonism for kB2Rs as indicated by the rapid kinetics of ERK1/2 phosphorylation induced by K(9)-BK or K(10)-KD compared with the prolonged response mediated by BK or KD. In contrast, kinetics of ERK phosphorylation stimulated by K(10)-KD activation of the kB1R was the same as that induced by known kB1R agonist des-Arg(10)-KD. Furthermore, the endocytosis of kB2Rs mediated by K(9)-BK and K(10)-KD was remarkably less than that induced by BK and KD respectively. K(10)-KD stimulated kB1R and kB2R-dependent calcium responses and ERK1/2 phosphorylation in bovine endothelial cells. In cytokine-treated human endothelial cells, K(10)-KD stimulated ERK1/2 phosphorylation and a transient peak of NO production that was primarily kB2R-dependent. K(10)-KD also stimulated prolonged NO production that was both kB1R and kB2R-dependent. These data provide the first examples of dual agonists of kB1R and kB2R, and a biased agonist of kB2R and may provide useful clues for developing dual modulators of kB1Rs and kB2Rs for potential therapeutic use.     

Importance of the character and configuration of residues B24, B25, and B26 in insulin-receptor interactions

By use of isolated canine hepatocytes and insulin analogs prepared by trypsin-catalyzed semisynthesis, we have investigated the importance of the aromatic triplet PheB24-PheB25-TyrB26 of the COOH-terminal B-chain domain of insulin in directing the affinity of insulin-receptor interactions. Analysis of the receptor binding potencies of analogs bearing transpositions or replacements (by Tyr, D-Tyr or their corresponding 3,5-diiodo derivatives) in this region demonstrates a wide divergence in the acceptance both of configurational change (with [D-TyrB24,PheB26]insulin and [D-TyrB25,PheB26]insulin exhibiting 160 and 0.1% of the receptor binding potency of insulin, respectively) and of detailed side chain structure (with [TyrB24,PheB26]insulin and [TyrB25,PheB26]insulin exhibiting 2 and 80% of the receptor binding potency of insulin, respectively). Additional experiments addressed the solvent accessibilities of the 4 tyrosine residues of insulin and the insulin analogs at selected peptide concentrations by use of analytical radioiodination. Whereas two analogs ([TyrB25,PheB26]insulin and [D-TyrB24,PheB26]insulin) were found to undergo self aggregation, no strict correlation was found between the ability of an analog to aggregate and its potency for interaction with the insulin receptor. Related findings are discussed in terms of the interplay between side chain and main chain structure in the COOH-terminal domain of the insulin B-chain and the structural attributes of insulin that determine the affinity of insulin-receptor interactions.     

Immuno-ultrastructural localization of B-cell-specific monoclonal antibodies B1 and B2

Monoclonal antibodies B1 and B2 are thought to recognize B-lineage restricted antigens, and have been used to define stages of B-cell maturation and characterize B-cell lymphomas. Immunostaining on cryostat sections has revealed a puzzling dendritic or extracellular pattern of staining for B2 within germinal centers and neoplastic follicles. In this study B1 and B2 are localized precisely on hyperplastic and neoplastic lymphoid tissues using immuno-ultrastructural techniques on cryostat sections, cell suspensions, and cell monolayers. B1 and B2 were localized to cell surfaces, including microvillous surface projections, on small and large transformed normal and neoplastic B lymphocytes. B2, in addition to staining in lymphoid cells, was localized to anastomosing cytoplasmic processes of dendritic histiocytes. These findings explain the apparently extracellular localization of B2 in cryostat sections and indicate that patterns of staining for B2 may represent a combination of staining on lymphoid cells and dendritic histiocytes.     

Hepatitis B viral factors and clinical outcomes of chronic hepatitis B

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is an important health problem and the major cause of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis as well as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. The natural history of chronic HBV infection can be divided into 4 dynamic phases in HBV carriers who acquire the virus early in life. In general, the frequency and severity of hepatitis flares in the immune clearance or reactivation phase predict disease progression in HBV carriers, and early HBeAg seroconversion typically confers a favorable outcome. In contrast, late or absent HBeAg seroconversion after multiple hepatitis flares accelerates the progression of chronic hepatitis to cirrhosis. Recently, several hepatitis B viral factors predictive of clinical outcomes have been identified. For example, serum HBV DNA level at enrollment is the best predictor of adverse outcomes (cirrhosis, HCC and death from liver disease) in adults with chronic HBV infection. In addition, HBV genotype C, basal core promoter (BCP) mutant and pre-S deletion mutant are associated with increased risk of HCC development. In conclusion, hepatitis B viral factors such as serum HBV DNA level, genotype and mutants have already been clarified to influence disease progression of chronic hepatitis B. Further studies are needed to investigate the pathogenic mechanism of each viral factor.