Plasma concentrations of choline in man following choline chloride

Plasma choline levels were measured in patients being treated with choline chloride for movement disorders. Following single doses of 5 g given orally in aqueous solution, plasma concentrations rose to a peak within four hours and then rapidly declined. The degree of increase was variable both between and within patients. During chronic treatment, plasma choline concentrations tended to rise as the dose increased, although the relationship was not strong. The highest concentrations attained by patients were always at a dose of 16 or 20 g daily. Following chronic treatment, the disappearance of choline from plasma was rapid, with most patients reaching baseline by four days. Choline chloride is generally given in four divided doses, which seems reasonable in the early stages of treatment. Most therapeutic effect is seen when patients are treated with daily doses in the 12 to 20 g range, doses likely to produce substantial increases in plasma choline concentration. However, the relationship of plasma choline concentration to clinical efficacy may be tenuous. Following discontinuation of treatment, clinical improvement tends to persist long after plasma choline has returned to baseline concentrations.     

Establishment of a variant cell clone growing at 41 degrees C from embryonic rat and tupaia (tree shrew) fibroblast cells

Rat and tupaia 41 degrees C temperature variant cell clones were derived from parental embryonic cells, cloned and established in tissue cultures. Both variant cell clones grew permanently at 41 degrees C. The morphology of these cell clones was altered in comparison to the original fibroblast cell clones. The cell biological characterization of the rat and tupaia 41 degrees C temperature variant cell clones showed that both cell clones were stable. After abolishing the selection pressure (incubation at 41 degrees C) for more than 10 further cell passages by incubation at 37 degrees C and then raising the temperature again to 41 degrees C, neither of the cell clones lost their newly acquired property of growing at 41 degrees C. This fact demonstrates that the newly acquired property is certain to be genetically manifest in both cell clones. The modal number of chromosomes of the rat 41 degrees C temperature variant cell clone was increased, and in the case of the tupaia variant cell clone, bimodality was observed. The plating efficiency of both cell clones did not rise significantly in comparison to the parental cells. Neither of the 41 degrees C temperature variant cell clones grew in semi-solid medium.     

Co-purification of soluble human galactosyltransferase and immunoglobulins

Preparations of human malignant effusion galactosyltransferase activity purified according to previously published techniques using enzyme-specific affinity chromatography consistently produced antibodies directed toward immunoglobulins with no detectable antigalactosyltransferase. Double immunodiffusion analysis of the antigen showed the presence of both IgG and IgA. Affinity chromatography with anti-human IgG-Sepharose and anti-human serum-Sepharose resulted in a 48,000-fold purification of galactosyltransferase activity with no detectable IgG by radioimmunoassay. Immunization of rabbits with this preparation produced antibodies directed against galactosyltransferase activity and minimal anti-Ig. The persistence of immunoglobulins during the purification of soluble galactosyltransferase activity through two enzyme-specific affinity chromatographic steps suggests an association of immunoglobulins with galactosyltransferase activity.     

Structures of mucin-type sugar chains of the galactosyltransferase purified from human milk. Occurrence of the ABO and Lewis blood group determinants

The mucin-type sugar chains of human milk galactosyltransferase samples purified from two donors with different blood types were released by alkaline borohydride treatment and quantitatively labeled by N-[3H]acetylation. The radioactive oligosaccharides thus obtained were fractionated by high performance liquid chromatography and immobilized lectin chromatography, and their structures were studied by sequential digestion with endo- or exoglycosidases, methylation analysis, and periodate oxidation. It was revealed that the structures of the mucin-type sugar chains of galactosyltransferase are extremely various, and many blood group determinants are expressed on more than 13 different backbone sugar chains. The characteristic features of the sugar chains could be summarized as follows. 1) The sugar chains of both samples are composed of core 1, Gal beta 1----3GalNAc, and core 2, GlcNAc beta 1----6(Gal beta 1----3)GalNAc. 2) One or two N-acetyllactosamine repeating units extend from the core through GlcNAc beta 1----6Gal and GlcNAc beta 1----3 Gal linkages. 3) Blood group determinants are expressed in accord with the blood types of the donors: sample 1 from a donor of blood type O, Lea+b- contains oligosaccharides with Lea and X determinants, and sample 2 from a donor of B, Lea-b- contains those with H, X, Y, and B determinants.     

IL-6 augments Fc IgE receptor (Fc epsilon RII/CD23) expression on human monoblastic/monocytic cell lines U937, THP-1, and Mono-Mac-6 but not on blood monocytes. Regulatory effects of IL-4 and IFN-gamma.

Human monoblastic/monocytic leukemia cell lines U937, THP-1, Mono-Mac-6, and blood monocytes were incubated with various concentrations of human rIL-6 and other cytokines and analyzed for their capacity to bind several anti-Fc epsilon RII/CD23 mAb. A marked and dose-dependent increase in the percentage of CD23+ cells, as well as in the mean channel fluorescence intensity, as demonstrated by FACS analysis, was noted after 8- to 72-h incubation of U937 cells with 1 to 1000 U/ml of human rIL-6. Furthermore, rIL-4 synergized with rIL-6 and rIFN-tau in augmenting the Fc epsilon RII expression on U937 cells, whereas rIFN-tau and rIL-6 showed rather additive effects. The enhancement of CD23 expression on IL-6-treated U937 cells was blocked by anti-IL-6 antibodies. Northern blot analysis, employing cDNA probes for Fc epsilon RII, showed that U937 cells contain Fc epsilon RII-specific mRNA. The level of Fc epsilon RII-encoding mRNA was evidently increased by treatment of U937 cells with human rIL-6, rIL-4, or with rIL-6 + rIL-4. The expression of CD23 on THP-1 and Mono-Mac-6 cells was increased slightly by rIL-6 and markedly by rIL-4, rIFN-tau, or a mixture of them. Approximately 14% of blood monocytes, isolated from apparently healthy donors, constitutively possess Fc epsilon RII. In contrast to the cell lines, the Fc epsilon RII density and the percentage of blood monocytes bearing Fc epsilon RII was not augmented by IL-6. Furthermore, rIL-6, and more evidently rIFN-tau, down-regulate rIL-4-driven Fc epsilon RII expression on monocytes but not on monocytic cell lines. Our findings point to differences in the capability of mononuclear phagocytes to respond to cytokine treatment, which may be differentiation dependent, and suggest separate regulatory pathways.     

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 envelope glycoprotein molecules containing membrane fusion-impairing mutations in the V3 region efficiently undergo soluble CD4-stimulated gp120 release.

The ability of soluble forms of CD4 to induce gp120 release from the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 envelope glycoprotein complex may reflect molecular events associated with membrane fusion. The third hypervariable (V3) region of gp120 appears to play a role in fusion independent of CD4 binding. We demonstrate herein that envelope glycoprotein molecules rendered fusion defective by mutations in conserved residues within the V3 region nevertheless undergo efficient soluble CD4-induced gp120 release.