Yellow Fever Vaccine. V. Antibody Response in Monkeys Inoculated with Graded Doses of the 17D Vaccine

A dosage equal to or greater than approximately 3.4 Dex (decimal exponent, log(10)) weanling mouse intracerebral 50% lethal dose (LD(50)) was sufficient to elicit a yellow fever antibody response, as determined by the plaque neutralization (PN) test, in better than 90% of vaccinated rhesus monkeys. Lower dosages were progressively less effective in terms of PN titers and the PN and hemagglutination-inhibition serological conversion rates observed. A dose of between 3.4 and 4.2 Dex weanling mouse intracerebral LD(50), or one-tenth to one times the dosage recommended for man, provided an optimal antibody response in monkeys. In rhesus monkeys, in contrast to the findings for man, pre-existing yellow fever antibody did not interfere with the antibody response to yellow fever vaccine. The PN test was felt to be a more sensitive and specific indicator of yellow fever antibody in rhesus monkeys after vaccination than the hemagglutination inhibition or complement fixation tests.     

Citrate Metabolism in Aerobacter cloacae

Growth of Aerobacter cloacae on citrate either anaerobically or aerobically did not require and was not stimulated by the presence of Na(+) in the medium. Citrate was metabolized anaerobically via the fermentation pathway as evidenced by the (i) presence of oxalacetate decarboxylase, (ii) induction of citrate lyase, and (iii) repression of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase under anaerobic conditions. Thus, although all the other enzymes of the citric acid cycle were present in anaerobic cells, this pathway was not available for the metabolism of citrate. Citrate was metabolized aerobically via the citric acid cycle, since (i) citrate lyase but not oxalacetate decarboxylase was repressed and (ii) alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase was induced under these conditions. The presence of Na(+) in the medium did not lead to a repression of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase as in the case of Aerobacter aerogenes. The oxalacetate decarboxylase was a soluble, constitutive enzyme, not activated by Na(+) nor inhibited by avidin. It was slightly inhibited by ethylenediaminetetraacetate but was not stimulated by Mg(2+) or Mn(2+). Thus, this enzyme differed markedly in its properties from the same enzyme found in citrate-grown A. aerogenes.     

Effect of aeration and sodium on the metabolism of citrate by Klebsiella aerogenes.

Anaerobic growth of Klebsiella aerogenes NCDO 711 (NCTC 418) on citrate was dependent on the presence of Na+ in the medium, and fermentation of citrate was mediated via the fermentation pathway enzymes, citrate lyase and a Na+-dependent oxalacetate decarboxylase. This confirms the previous findings on strain NCTC 418. Growth under aerobic conditions was independent of Na+. The mean generation time for cells grown aerobically on either Na+ or K+ citrate medium was about 60 min, with a molar growth yield of about 40 g (dry weight) of cells per mol of citrate utilized. Citrate was apparently metabolized aerobically in both the Na+ and K+ citrate cells via the citric acid cycle, since cell extracts contained alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase but not the citrate fermentation enzymes. The presence of theother enzymes of the citric acid cycle in K. aerogenes was shown in earlier studies. Under aerated conditions (no detectable oxygen tension in the culture), growth was faster on the Na+ citrate medium (mean generation time, 85 min) than on the K+ citrate medium (mean generation time, 120 min). Both cultures grew slower than under aerobic conditions, presumably because of oxygen limitation. Despite the faster growth rate, the molar growth yield of the aerated Na+ citrate culture was one-half that observed for the aerated K+ citrate culture. Citrate was metabolized via the citric acid cycle in cells grown in the K+ citrate medium under aerated conditions since alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, but not the fermentation enzymes, was detected in extracts prepared from these cells. Metabolism of citrate in the Na+ citrate medium under aerated conditions occurred via both the fermentation pathway (approximately 75 percent) and the citric acid cycle (about 25 percent), as evidenced by (i) the presence of the fermentation enzymes and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase in extracts of cells grown under these conditions, (ii) a molar growth yield which was intermediate between that obtained for anaerobic and aerated K+ citrate cultures, and (iii) the excretion of acetate, which also occurred in anaerobic cultures but not in aerated K+ citrate or aerobic cultures.     

The region of the envelope gene of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 responsible for determination of cell tropism.

Different isolates of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) vary in the cell tropisms they display, i.e., the range of cell types in which they are able to establish a productive infection. Here, we report on the phenotypes of recombinants between two molecularly cloned strains of HIV-1. Our results prove that the envelope glycoprotein gp120 is solely responsible for the difference in cell tropism between the two parental isolates and that no other genes or sequences are involved in determining the cell tropism of these strains. The region of the envelope involved in the determination of cell tropism includes sequences which encode the V3 loop of gp120. Control of cell tropism by this region of the virus env gene is a general phenomenon which applies to many different HIV-1 isolates.     

Primary antibody-forming cells and secondary B cells are generated from separate precursor cell subpopulations

Two precursor cell subpopulations have been isolated from the spleen cells of nonimmune mice. The major B cell subpopulation binds high levels of the J11D monoclonal antibody and, upon T cell-dependent antigenic stimulation, gives rise to primary antibody-forming cell clones but not secondary B cells. A minority of the 10%-14% of Ia+ precursors that bind low levels of J11D (J11Dlo) also generate antibody-forming cell clones after primary stimulation. However, over 70% of J11Dlo precursors yield no primary antibody-forming cell clones but instead give rise to secondarily responsive B cells. The existence of a distinct precursor cell subpopulation that is responsible for the generation of B cell memory is further evidenced by the distribution of variable region clonotypes among J11Dlo primary precursors, which resembles the clonotype patterns of secondary B cells, and by the accumulation of somatic mutations in their clonal progeny.     

Induction of tumor promotor-inducible genes in murine 3T3 cell lines and tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate-nonproliferative 3T3 variants can occur through protein kinase C-dependent and -independent pathways.

We isolated a group of genes that are rapidly and transiently induced in 3T3 cells by tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate (TPA). These genes are called TIS genes (for TPA-inducible sequences). Epidermal growth factor (EGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), and TPA activated TIS gene expression with similar induction kinetics. TPA pretreatment to deplete protein kinase C activity did not abolish the subsequent induction of TIS gene expression by epidermal growth factor or fibroblast growth factor; both peptide mitogens can activate TIS genes through a protein kinase C-independent pathway(s). We also analyzed TIS gene expression in three TPA-nonproliferative variants (3T3-TNR2, 3T3-TNR9, and A31T6E12A). The results indicate that (i) modulation of a TPA-responsive sodium-potassium-chloride transport system is not necessary for TIS gene induction either by TPA or by other mitogens and (ii) TIS gene induction is not sufficient to guarantee a proliferative response to mitogenic stimulation.     

Helix handedness of Leptospira interrogans as determined by scanning electron microscopy.

Representative serovars and strains of the seven genetic groups of Leptospira interrogans, and two previously studied serovars, were all found to form exclusively right-handed helices as determined by scanning electron microscopy. No change in handedness occurred in cells grown in a minimal medium (Tween-80 albumin) compared to cells grown in a rich medium (rabbit serum). The right-handedness of the organisms was related to the evolution, cell wall structure, and the mechanism of motility of L. interrogans.     

Pig heart short chain L-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase revisited: sequence analysis and crystal structure determination.

Short chain L-3-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase (SCHAD) is a soluble dimeric enzyme critical for oxidative metabolism of fatty acids. Its primary sequence has been reported to be conserved across numerous tissues and species with the notable exception of the pig heart homologue. Preliminary efforts to solve the crystal structure of the dimeric pig heart SCHAD suggested the unprecedented occurrence of three enzyme subunits within the asymmetric unit, a phenomenon that was thought to have hampered refinement of the initial chain tracing. The recently solved crystal coordinates of human heart SCHAD facilitated a molecular replacement solution to the pig heart SCHAD data. Refinement of the model, in conjunction with the nucleotide sequence for pig heart SCHAD determined in this paper, has demonstrated that the previously published pig heart SCHAD sequence was incorrect. Presented here are the corrected amino acid sequence and the high resolution crystal structure determined for pig heart SCHAD complexed with its NAD+ cofactor (2.8 A; R(cryst) = 22.4%, R(free) = 28.8%). In addition, the peculiar phenomenon of a dimeric enzyme crystallizing with three subunits contained in the asymmetric unit is described.