Glucocorticoid sensitivity of interleukin-1 agonist and antagonist secretion: the effects of age and gender

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a primary mediator of inflammation that is regulated, in part, by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The purpose of this study was to determine if gender- or age-related differences exist in the sensitivity of IL-1-producing cells to hydrocortisone. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from men and women (21-77 yr old) were incubated with hydrocortisone (0, 50, 100, 500, or 1,000 ng/ml) with or without lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Secretion of IL-1beta and IL-1 receptor antagonist was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner (P = 0.001) without age- or gender-related differences. Hydrocortisone decreased soluble IL-1 receptor type II (sIL-1RII) secretion by unstimulated cells (P = 0. 0001), but it increased secretion by LPS-stimulated cells (P = 0. 0001) in all groups. Unstimulated cell supernatants from men contained greater concentrations of sIL-1RII than the supernatants from women (P = 0.011). Compared with men, PBMCs from women were less responsive to hydrocortisone inhibition of sIL-1RII secretion, regardless of age (P = 0.001), and compared with the follicular phase, sIL-1RII secretion was lower in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle (P < 0.05). These data indicate that basal secretion and glucocorticoid modulation of sIL-1RII secretion by cultured PBMCs are gender dependent. Moreover, glucocorticoid influences on sIL-1RII secretion depend on the presence or absence of gram-negative bacterial toxins.     

Molecular changes in the d-bifunctional protein cDNA sequence in australasian patients belonging to the bifunctional protein complementation group

The cDNA sequence for the human d-bifunctional protein (D-BP: 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase IV) was investigated in patients with peroxisomal disorders belonging to the BP complementation group (CG). In three cases, analysis of polymerase chain reaction products generated from the patients' cDNA indicated the presence of a deletion within the region corresponding to nucleotides 209–537 of the normal cDNA sequence. Subsequent sequencing revealed that, in two of the patients, 47 base pairs were missing, with the deletion corresponding to nucleotides 302/3–349/50 of the normal sequence. In the third patient, a smaller deletion of 22 bp (nucleotides 280/1–302/3) was characterized. Only the mutant sequence was detected in each of these cases, consistent with parental consanguinity. Both deletions cause a frameshift, and would lead to premature termination of the BP. Available family members were also investigated, and the findings conformed with expectations for an autosomal recessive disorder. In addition to the deletions, a number of other base changes have been identified in this series of patients. In particular, one patient, whose parents were also consanguineous, was homozygous for a base change, which results in a nonconservative substitution of serine 177 with a phenylalanine residue. The functional significance of this amino acid substitution, as well as the other identified changes, is still to be determined. Nevertheless, our data provide strong support for the hypothesis that defects in the gene for the D-BP are responsible for the β-oxidation defect in patients belonging to the BP CG.     

Vaccination with inactivated virus but not viral DNA reduces virus load following challenge with a heterologous and virulent isolate of feline immunodeficiency virus

It has been shown that cats can be protected against infection with the prototypic Petaluma strain of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV(PET)) using vaccines based on either inactivated virus particles or replication-defective proviral DNA. However, the utility of such vaccines in the field is uncertain, given the absence of consistent protection against antigenically distinct strains and the concern that the Petaluma strain may be an unrepresentative, attenuated isolate. Since reduction of viral pathogenicity and dissemination may be useful outcomes of vaccination, even in the absence of complete protection, we tested whether either of these vaccine strategies ameliorates the early course of infection following challenge with heterologous and more virulent isolates. We now report that an inactivated virus vaccine, which generates high levels of virus neutralizing antibodies, confers reduced virus loads following challenge with two heterologous isolates, FIV(AM6) and FIV(GL8). This vaccine also prevented the marked early decline in CD4/CD8 ratio seen in FIV(GL8)-infected cats. In contrast, DNA vaccines based on either FIV(PET) or FIV(GL8), which induce cell-mediated responses but no detectable antiviral antibodies, protected a fraction of cats against infection with FIV(PET) but had no measurable effect on virus load when the infecting virus was FIV(GL8). These results indicate that the more virulent FIV(GL8) is intrinsically more resistant to vaccinal immunity than the FIV(PET) strain and that a broad spectrum of responses which includes virus neutralizing antibodies is a desirable goal for lentivirus vaccine development.     

Interleukin-10 increases Th1 cytokine production and cytotoxic potential in human papillomavirus-specific CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is widely known as an immunosuppressive cytokine by virtue of its ability to inhibit macrophage-dependent antigen presentation, T-cell proliferation, and Th1 cytokine secretion. However, several studies have challenged the perception of IL-10 solely as an immunosuppressive cytokine. As part of an investigation on potentiation of the cytotoxic activity of human papillomavirus E7-specific CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) for adoptive transfusions to cervical cancer patients, we found that IL-10 in combination with IL-2, unlike several other combinations, including IL-2 with IL-12, gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), tumor necrosis factor alpha, and transforming growth factor beta, was able to consistently increase cytotoxicity. This augmentation in cytotoxic activity correlated with a significant increase in the cytoplasmic accumulation of perforin as detected by fluorescence-activated cell sorter. Surface expression of both the alpha and beta chains of the CD8 heterodimeric coreceptor and CD56 molecules was increased by exposure of CTL to IL-10. More importantly, we found that administration of IL-10 in combination with IL-2 after antigen stimulation consistently increased the intracellular expression of Th1 cytokines (i.e., IFN-gamma and IL-2) compared to results for control CD8(+) T cells cultured in IL-2 alone. In kinetic studies, proliferation, intracellular perforin levels, cytotoxic activity, and IFN-gamma expression were consistently elevated in CTL cultures containing IL-10 compared to control cultures, both at early and late time points following stimulation. In contrast, intracellular IL-2 expression was consistently increased only at early time points following stimulation with autologous tumor cells or solid-phase anti-CD3 antibody. Taken together, these data support the use of IL-10 in combination with IL-2 for the in vitro expansion and potentiation of tumor-specific CTL for clinical use in the therapy of cancer.     

Mechanism of substrate hydrolysis by a thermophilic endoglucanase from Thermotoga maritima†

A cellulase from the thermophile, Thermotoga maritima, hydrolyzed oligosaccharide substrates by an exoglucanase mode of action but acted as an endoglucanase to rapidly reduce the viscosity of the soluble polysaccharides carboxymethylcellulose and barley -glucan. The V _max for hydrolysis of the substrate, p-nitrophenyl -d-cellobioside, was 42 mol min^–1 (mg protein)^–1, while that for barley -glucan was 637. The enzyme had little activity on crystalline cellulose.     

Native American Postcolonial Psychology

Native American Postcolonial Psychology. Eduardo Duran and Bonnie Duran. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995. 227 pp.     

Distinguishing Small Molecular Mass Differences of Proteins by Mass Spectrometry

Electrospray ionization–Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (ESI–FTICR) mass spectrometryallows for high-resolution, accurate mass analysisof multiply charged ions of proteins. In the workdescribed here, the ability of ESI–FTICR to distinguish small differences in molecular mass is evaluated. Ubiquitin was used as an internal mass calibration standard to measure the molecular mass of cytochromec, myoglobin, and several carbonic anhydrase isoforms. Mass calibration was based onthe tallest isotopic peak of each ubiquitin chargestate. Ubiquitin performed well as an internal standard because its charge states covered the appropriate mass range, interference was minimal, and thetallest peak was easily identified. The peak massesof cytochrome c (12.5 kDa) and myoglobin (17 kDa) were measured to an accuracy of about 0.02 Da (<2ppm). However, errors of 1.0 Da were observedfor some individual determinations because of the difficulty in identifying the tallest peak. When the technique was applied to bovine carbonic anhydrase II, even combining data from several charge statesdid not yield an unequivocal assignment of thetallest peak, resulting in a mass assignment of 29,023.7 or 29,024.7. Similarly, measurements of two isoforms with a mass difference of 1 Da, human carbonic anhydrase I, pI6.0 and 6.6, yielded overlapping values for the mass of the tallest peak. However, these two isoforms were clearly distinguished by (a) identification of the tallest peak using a measurement of average mass as a guide and (b) comparison of the isotopic peak intensity patterns.     

Heat Killing of Bacillus subtilis Spores in Water Is Not Due to Oxidative Damage

The heat resistance of wild-type spores of Bacillus subtilis or spores (termed α⁻β⁻) lacking DNA protective α/β-type small, acid-soluble spore proteins was not altered by anaerobiosis or high concentrations of the free radical scavenging agents ethanethiol and ethanedithiol. Heat-killed wild-type and α⁻β⁻ spores exhibited no increase in either protein carbonyl content or oxidized bases in DNA. These data strongly suggest that oxidative damage to spore macromolecules does not contribute significantly to spore killing by heat.     

fbfB, a Gene Encoding a Putative Galactose Oxidase, Is Involved in Stigmatella aurantiaca Fruiting Body Formation

Stigmatella aurantiaca is a gram-negative bacterium which forms, under conditions of starvation in a multicellular process, characteristic three-dimensional structures: the fruiting bodies. For studying this complex process, mutants impaired in fruiting body formation have been induced by transposon insertion with a Tn5-derived transposon. The gene affected (fbfB) in one of the mutants (AP182) was studied further. Inactivation of fbfB results in mutants which form only clumps during starvation instead of wild-type fruiting bodies. This mutant phenotype can be partially rescued, if cells of mutants impaired in fbfB function are mixed with those of some independent mutants defective in fruiting before starvation. The fbfB gene is expressed about 14 h after induction of fruiting body formation as determined by measuring β-galactosidase activity in a merodiploid strain harboring the wild-type gene and an fbfB-Δtrp-lacZ fusion gene or by Northern (RNA) analysis with the Rhodobacter capsulatus pufBA fragment fused to fbfB as an indicator. The predicted polypeptide FbfB has a molecular mass of 57.8 kDa and shows a significant homology to the galactose oxidase (GaoA) of the fungus Dactylium dendroides. Galactose oxidase catalyzes the oxidation of galactose and primary alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes.