Parasite accessory cell interactions in murine leishmaniasis. I. Evasion and stimulus-dependent suppression of the macrophage interleukin 1 response by Leishmania donovani

Interleukin 1 (IL 1) is a principal mediator of the host immune response to microbial challenge. Accessory cells of the monocyte-macrophage series are a major source of this cytokine and are also chronically parasitized by protozoa of the genus Leishmania. This suggests that characterization of the macrophage IL 1 response to Leishmania would increase our understanding of the regulation of host immunity to these organisms. In the present study, the macrophage IL 1 response to Leishmania donovani was examined because infections with this organism have findings consistent with parasite-specific T cell unresponsiveness. Cytokine activity was measured either by direct stimulation or by co-stimulation of thymocytes. Conditioned media from BALB/c resident peritoneal macrophages infected with amastigotes of L. donovani contained no more IL 1 than did supernatant fluids of control cells. In contrast, supernatants from cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide or heat-killed Listeria monocytogenes had significantly increased cytokine content. Resident cells infected with L. donovani for 4 hr before being stimulated with Listeria demonstrated a suppressed IL 1 response (approximately 40% of Listeria alone) to this secondary particulate stimulus. In contrast, the secondary response of leishmania-preinfected cells to lipopolysaccharide was not affected. To examine whether accessory cell nonresponsiveness to L. donovani (with respect to IL 1) was related to the state of macrophage activation, elicited peritoneal macrophages obtained by injection of proteose peptone were also studied. These cells responded to stimulation with lipopolysaccharide and fixed Staphylococcus aureus with increases in intracellular, membrane, and secreted cytokine activities. In contrast, L. donovani failed to induce any of these activities. This was found to be the case irrespective of whether amastigotes were alive or killed or opsonized with specific antibodies. Elicited cells preinfected with Leishmania responded normally to secondary stimulation with lipopolysaccharide, but not S. aureus (64% of Staphylococcus alone). In addition, attachment and penetration of L. donovani promastigotes and their subsequent conversion to amastigotes within macrophages failed to induce IL 1 synthesis. The findings of this study indicate that L. donovani has the ability to both evade and suppress the macrophage IL 1 response. Because this monokine provides an obligatory signal during macrophage-dependent T cell activation, evasion of signal transduction for IL 1 synthesis may be related to defects in cell-mediated immunity which occur during infections with this organism.     

Transmission electron microscopic studies on the mitotic cycle of nucleolar proteins impregnated with silver

Hela cells were impregnated with silver according to Paweletz et al. (1967). In cells in mitosis not only the nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) are strongly impregnated but also part of the nucleolar material, which accumulates in and around the chromosomes. The treatment with adenosine, which in interphase cells spreads the nucleolar material within the nucleus, also distributes the argentophilic material in and around the chromosomes. During the reconstruction phase this material reassembles around the NORs to form parts of the new nucleolus. The silver impregnation technique clearly demonstrates that two main components are responsible for the argentophily of the nucleolus. This is in agreement with the results obtained by Lischwe et al. (1979).     

Behavioral correlates of aggressive motivation in male mice

The behaviour was studied of male mice of CBA/Lac and C57BL/6j lines near transparent perforated partition in reaction to syngeneic partner which was in adjacent department of the common cage. The number of approaches to the partition and total time of staying near it during testing were used as behaviour parameters. Then the partition was removed and the success or defeat of each individual in agonistic collision and parameters of aggressive reaction of the winner male mouse were fixed. It turned out that future winners spent significantly more time near the partition than future losers. By the correlative analysis reliable interconnections were established between individuals activity near the partition (number of approaches or total time of staying) and intensity of aggression (number or total time of attacks) which reflects the level of the aggressive motivation. Variation is observed of individual correlating parameters depending on animals genotype and conditions of their keeping.     

Positive anemotaxis by Varroa mites: responses to bee odour plumes and single clean‐air puffs

Abstract.The stimuli and mechanisms mediating host location and host choice by the bee mite, Varroa jacobsoni (Oudemans), are currently unknown. It is shown that Varroa can use single clean‐air puffs and bee‐odour plumes in a wind tunnel as directional cues. Varroa turned nearly straight upwind in response to single 0.1‐s puffs of clean air directed at 90° to the their anterior‐posterior axis. They turned significantly further to their left side (104°) than to their right (76°), but showed no difference in latency to initiation of the turns (means of 63.3 ms vs. 62.6 ms, respectively). They also followed bee‐odour plumes in a wind tunnel. When released in odour and control plumes mid‐way between the plume's origin and the downwind end of the tunnel, mites responding to bee‐odour walked upwind in, or along the edge of, the odour plume with 38% making contact with the odour delivery tube; mites in clean air did not walk upwind along the air stream, and none made contact with the air delivery tube. Walking speeds were not different between the bee‐odour and control groups (0.28 vs. 0.29 cm s^–1); there were also no differences in the turning rates (96.85 vs. 97.16 deg s^–1 and 388.08 vs. 379.18 deg cm^–1, respectively). Under all conditions, mites walked in a zigzag fashion.