Interaction of ovomucoid from duck egg proteins with aldehydes-dextrans]

The interaction of ovomucoid proteinase inhibitor prepared from duck egg white with a dextran of a molecular weight of 70,000 preliminary treated with potassium periodate. Irrespective of the number of the sites of the ovomucoid binding to aldehyde-dextran the anti-chymotryptic activity is equal to that of the native inhibitor, while the antitryptic activity decreases proportionally to the number of ovomucoid amino groups involved in the reaction with dextran. When a few ovomucoid molecules are immobilized on the polysaccharide macromolecule the perturbing effect of the protein-protein interactions is minimal, as the rigid polymeric chain prevents from the formation of associates of proteins immobilized on this backbone.     

Somatic embryogenesis in leaves and leaf-derived protoplasts of Actinidia deliciosa var. deliciosa cv. Hayward (kiwifruit)

Summary The obtention of embryogenic competence in Actinidia deliciosa var. deliciosa cv. Hayward is reported. Axillary buds from shoots submitted to cold (4°C) and starvation for 1.5 months, developed leaves with embryogenic competence. These leaves, cultured in darkness for 1.5 months on a medium containing zeatin as a sole growth regulator, originated compact structures from which embryos developed. The plating orientation and sectioning of leaves strongly affected the expression of the embryogenic potential. A selected fraction of the protoplasts isolated from these leaves was able to develop in an embryogenic way. The germination of the embryos is still only occasional.Abbreviations 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - 2-iP 6-dimethylallyl aminopurine - IAA indole-3-acetic acid - NOA naphthoxyacetic acid - SEM Scanning Electron Microscopy     

Extraction and partial characterization of non-histone nuclear proteins of Schistosoma mansoni.

A pool of nuclear proteins from adult worms of Schistosoma mansoni was analyzed for amino acid composition and found to be compatible with high mobility group (HMG) proteins. One of the schistosome HMG proteins was identified as HMG 2 by one-dimensional and two-dimensional PAGE. Stage-specific differences in the HMG-like protein composition were encountered when adult worms were compared to schistosomula, the larval form. Immobilization of the adult male and female nuclear proteins onto nitrocellulose, followed by hybridization against 32P-F-10, a schistosome sex specific gene encoding a major egg shell protein, revealed distinct banding patterns. On the other hand, a synthetic oligonucleotide, derived from the 3' untranslated end of the F-10 gene and possibly containing one regulatory element of the gene, bound mainly to male low MW proteins.     

Induction of an immune response through the idiotypic network with monoclonal anti-idiotype antibodies in the carcinoembryonic antigen system.

Anti-idiotype antibodies can mimic the conformational epitopes of the original antigen and act as antigen substitutes for vaccination and/or serological purposes. To investigate this possibility concerning the tumor marker carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), BALB/c mice were immunized with the previously described anti-CEA monoclonal antibody (MAb) 5.D11 (AB1). After cell fusion, 15 stable cloned cell lines secreting anti-Ids (AB2) were obtained. Selected MAbs gave various degrees of inhibition (up to 100%) of the binding of 125I-labeled CEA to MAb 5.D11. Absence of reactivity of anti-Id MAbs with normal mouse IgG was first demonstrated by the fact that anti-Id MAbs were not absorbed by passage through a mouse IgG column, and second because they bound specifically to non-reduced MAb 5.D11 on Western blots. Anti-5.D11 MAbs did not inhibit binding to CEA of MAb 10.B9, another anti-CEA antibody obtained in the same fusion as 5.D11, or that of several anti-CEA MAbs reported in an international workshop, with the exception of two other anti-CEA MAbs, both directed against the GOLD IV epitope. When applied to an Id-anti-Id competitive radioimmunoassay, a sensitivity of 2 ng/ml of CEA was obtained, which is sufficient for monitoring circulating CEA in carcinoma patients. To verify that the anti-Id MAbs have the potential to be used as CEA vaccines, syngeneic BALB/c mice were immunized with these MAbs (AB2). Sera from immunized mice were demonstrated to contain AB3 antibodies recognizing the original antigen, CEA, both in enzyme immunoassay and by immunoperoxidase staining of human colon carcinoma. These results open the perspective of vaccination against colorectal carcinoma through the use of anti-idiotype antibodies as antigen substitutes.     

Ionic strength dependence of the binding of methylene blue to chromatin and calf thymus DNA.

The binding of the intercalating dye methylene blue (MB) to chromatin and to free DNA has been studied as a function of ionic strength at very low binding ratios (1 MB/400 DNA bases) using absorption spectroscopy. With increasing salt concentration MB is displaced from chromatin to a higher extent than from DNA. The free energy change for MB binding to chromatin is found to be approximately 5 kJ/mole lower than for binding to DNA. This difference can be explained by the reduced number of high affinity binding sites in chromatin due to the presence of histone proteins. The difference in binding energy is virtually independent of the degree of chromatin condensation and also of the valence of counter ions, suggesting that neither the affinity for, nor the number of intercalation sites in the linker DNA is markedly changed upon the salt-induced condensation. The unaffected thermodynamics of the linker binding suggests that factors such as DNA superhelicity and the electrostatic influence from the chromatosomes remain unchanged during chromatin condensation.     

Expression, isolation and purification of antibody fragments fused to maltose-binding protein in Escherichia coli]

We have fused the variable domains of a mouse antibody to the C-terminal end of the maltose-binding protein (malE), at the genetic level. The hybrid proteins were expressed in E. coli under control of the malEp promoter, and exported to the periplasm, at low temperature. They were purified by affinity chromatography on cross-linked amylose. When the two variable domains were fused together through a peptide link, the hybrid displayed similar affinity and specificity to the antigen as the native antibody.     

Increased preproenkephalin A gene expression in the rat heart after induction of a myocardial infarction.

The expression of preproenkephalin A (ppENK) gene was investigated in the rat heart, following the onset of myocardial infarction induced by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. The relative abundance of ppENK mRNA and the level of enkephalins were measured by Northern blot analysis and radioimmunoassay, respectively, in the ventricles from control-unoperated, sham-operated, and operated rats. Three hours after the surgery, a comparison between rats with infarction and sham-operated rats revealed that the relative abundance of ppENK mRNA and the level of enkephalins were increased three- to four- and two- to three-fold, respectively, in the ventricles of rats with infarction. No difference was observed between rats with infarction and sham-operated rats 24 h after the surgery, or between rats with infarction compared at time intervals of 3 and 24 h following the surgery. The abundance of the ppENK mRNA in the polysomal fraction of the ventricular septum was also measured 3 h after the surgery and found to be threefold higher in rats with infarction as compared with sham-operated rats. These results indicate that the level of enkephalins rapidly increases in the ventricles of rats following myocardial infarction, and that this higher level may be ascribed to a stimulation of the local synthesis of enkephalins.     

Interfacial adsorption of simple lipid mixtures combined with hydrophobic surfactant protein from pig lung.

Hydrophobic pulmonary surfactant protein enriched in SP-C has been mixed in amounts up to 10% by weight with various phospholipids. The lipids used were dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC), or DPPC plus unsaturated phosphatidylglycerol (PG), or phosphatidylinositol (PI) in molar ratios of 9:1 and 7:3. The protein enhanced the rate and extent of adsorption of each lipid preparation into the air-water interface, and its respreading after compression on a surface balance. Maximum surface pressures attained on compression of monolayers of mixtures of lipids were slightly higher in the presence of protein. The effects on rate and extent of adsorption were proportional to the amount of protein present. Mixtures containing 30 mol% PG or PI adsorbed more readily into the interface than those containing 10% acidic lipid or DPPC alone. Mixtures containing 30% PI were slightly more rapidly adsorbed than those containing 30% PG. The results suggest that mixtures of DPPC with either acidic lipid in the presence of surfactant protein could be effective in artificial surfactants.     

Application of morphometric methods to the cytologic study of intradermal nevi.

Twenty-one intradermal nevi were studied by morphometric methods in an attempt to morphologically characterize the two types of nevus cell--epithelioids, type A, and fusiforms, type C--and to quantify the differences between them. Morphometric parameters of the intradermal nevi were compared with similar parameters of melanocytes and melanoma cells so that the maturation rates of the nevi cells could be established and to see if the parameters might indicate the degree of malignancy. Superficial nevus cells were differentiated from deep cells by their larger size and larger nuclear area. Nuclear area appeared to have potential for differentiating benign from malignant tumors. Decrease in cellular area appeared to indicate maturation rather than atrophy. Melanoma cells were differentiated by their larger size. Cell nuclear perimeter appeared to have confirmatory value, while cell perimeter was inconclusive.     

Prognostic value of morphometry in acute lymphoblastic leukemia of childhood.

The prognostic value of morphometric features was studied in a group of 33 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and compared with clinical and hematologic parameters. Air dried, May-Grünwald-Giemsa-stained specimens were prepared from iliac crest biopsies, and for each patient, 150 blasts and their nuclei were selected according to a stratified selection method and measured on a graphic tablet system. Univariate overall survival analysis showed the French-American-British (FAB) classification to be the strongest clinical parameter (P less than .0001). However, the significance was mainly due to the fact that both L3 cases died; the results for L1 and L2 were less satisfactory, with a survival rate (at 10 years) of 69% for the 26 L1 cases and 80% for the five L2 cases. The nuclear/cytoplasmic (N/C) ratio was the best morphometric feature (P less than .0001) and provided more satisfactory classification results than did FAB: only 2 of the 21 (10%) cases with N/C ratios greater than 0.90 died (7 and 9.5 years after the diagnosis, respectively), and 9 of the 12 (75%) cases with N/C ratios greater than or equal to 0.90 died. For recurrence-free survival analysis, essentially the same results were obtained. The N/C ratio retained its significant prognostic value after recurrence: 11 of the 15 patients with eventual recurrences died; 9 of them had an (original) N/C ratio less than or equal to 0.90. Three of the four recurring cases that survived after recurrence had an N/C ratio greater than 0.90 (P less than .03).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)