Antigen-specific T helper clones in a nonresponder strain require augmentation for expression of helper activity. Evidence for a possible antigen presentation defect in B cells

Hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL)-specific Thy-1+, Lyt-1+2- T cell lines and clones were derived from the nonresponder C57BL/6 strain. Although the antigen-specific proliferative response of these T cells in the presence of syngeneic irradiated spleen cells as a source of antigen-presenting cells (APC) was normal, the same cells were incapable of stimulating B cells to secrete antibody in vitro. This deficiency could, however, be corrected by the addition of an excess of normal T cells or a supernatant from concanavalin A-stimulated rat spleen cells. Alternatively, the use of highly cross-reactive ring-necked pheasant lysozyme in the cultures allowed expression of efficient help, ruling out any inherent deficiency in the T cells. The antibody response was specific and required MHC compatibility between the T lines and responding B cells. By using (H-2b X H-2d)F1 B cells and another H-2d-restricted HEL-specific T line, it was shown that only the H-2b-restricted T-B collaboration required exogenous factors, and the H-2d-restricted collaboration did not. Because both proliferative and helper responses are dependent upon MHC-restricted antigen presentation by macrophage-APC and B cells, respectively, these results suggest that the defect in the nonresponder H-2b-restricted T-B collaborative pathway may relate to the inability of B cells to adequately process and present HEL to clonal T cells.     

Cystic fibrosis gene mutations and linked RFLPs in the Slovenian population.

The authors used polymerase chain reaction to analyse 56 Slovenian cystic fibrosis (CF) chromosomes for the presence of delta F508 and eight other most frequent mutations located in exons 7,11 and 20 (R347P, R334W, G551D, R553X, S549RA, S549RT, S549I and S1255X) of the CF gene. We also determined the frequency of haplotypes associated with CF for six linked RFLP markers (MetD/TaqI, MetH/TaqI, XV-2c/TaqI, KM-19/PstI, MP6d9/MspI and J3.11/MspI) in 27 Slovenian CF families. delta F508 mutation was present in 55.4 percent of the CF chromosomes. No case of the other mutations were detected in the sample of tested CF chromosomes. A very high degree of association (0.88) has been found between DNA marker MetH and CF (as measured by the Yule's association coefficient) in our population. Using the RFLP markers XV-2c and KM-19, we found that 85% of delta F508 mutated chromosomes have a single 1 2 (B) haplotype, and that this haplotype is present on only 15.4 percent of CF chromosomes without this deletion.     

Dynamic changes of serum gamma-glutamyl transferase in chronic alcoholism.

Elevated serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels were found in 29% of 155 chronic alcoholics undergoing detoxification treatment. Alkaline phosphatase (AP) was increased in 16%, alanine aminotransferase--SGPT (ALT) in 12% of the patients, while 23% had elevations of either AP or ALT or both. Of the foregoing parameters, GGT was the best single indicator of liver involvement. In course of the follow-ups GGT/ALT correlation improved, but GGT/AP correlation deteriorated. In 9 patients, abstinence during follow-up was associated with progressive decrease in previously elevated serum GGT. Because of its unique sensitivity, GGT may be useful as a screening and/or monitoring aid in alcoholism.