Plasmodium berghei: Effect of carrageenan on the course of infection in the A/J mouse

Seakem-9 calcium carrageenan, a reported anti-macrophage agent, was found to confer partial immunity in mice subsequently challenged with 5 × 10⁵Plasmodium berghei NK65A parasitized erythrocytes. Transient parasitemias and significantly extended survival times were evident in carrageenantreated animals. It was suggested that carrageenan may have enhanced nonspecific cellular immunological mechanisms or affected specific immune reactions through the cytotoxicity to suppressor macrophages.     

Die Membrana limitans gliae superficialis der Sehrinde der Katze

Zusammenfassung Die Membrana gliae limitans superficialis im Cortex des Gehirns der Katze ist an den Kuppen dünner (herab bis 3 m) als an den Windungstälern (bis zu 15 m). Sie enthält drei verschiedene Fortsätze der Astrocyten, deren Perikarya an der Grenze zum eigentlichen Neuropil der Molekularschicht liegen. Es handelt sich um: 1. Runde oder ovale Fortsätze mit dicht gepackten Gliafilamenten, die horizontal, schräg oder radiär verlaufen. 2. Flache, oberflächliche Fortsätze mit Filamenten (Endfüße). 3. Astrocytenlamellen, d.h. sehr platte, horizontal liegende Fortsätze ohne Filamente, die stapelförmig aufeinanderliegen. Eine specific junction wird beschrieben.

---

The membrana limitans gliae superficialis of cat's visual cortex

Summary In the region of the sulci of the cats brain the membrana limitans gliae superficialis is thicker (up to 15 m) than in the gyri (down to 3 m). It contains 3 different kinds of processes of astrocytes. Its pericarya are situated at the border of the neuropil. The different kinds of processes are: 1. round or oval processes with closely packed filaments of the glia having a horizontal, oblique or radiate direction, 2. flat, superficial processes with filaments (end-feet of the glia), 3. astrocytic lamellae = very flat processes without filaments lying horizontally, piled up between the processes with filaments. A specific junction is described.

Herrn Prof. Dr. Alkmar v. Kügelgen zum 60. Geburtstag gewidmet. — Mit dankenswerter Unterstützung durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. — Für technische Hilfe danke ich Frau H. Prien.     

Epstein-Barr病毒特异性T细胞对重组痘苗病毒表达LMP和EBNA2的靶细胞的识别

本文用EB病毒转化自体淋巴细胞所建立的类淋巴母细胞系(LCL),以及用EB病毒潜伏感染膜蛋白(LMP)基因和核蛋白-2(EBNA2)基因与痘苗病毒重组的重组病毒(Vac-LMP和Vac-EBNA2)感染的自身纤维母细胞,同时作为刺激细胞和靶细胞,以~(51)Cr释放法检测5例血清中EB病毒VCA—IgA抗体阳性者及1例阴性健康者外周血单个核细胞(PBMC)的特异性T细胞杀伤效应。结果表明,用自身LCL激活的EB病毒特异性T细胞杀伤效应高峰出现在第14～28天;参与杀伤性细胞免疫反应的T细胞亚群主要是T3、T8阳性的细胞毒性T细胞,其对靶细胞的识别及杀伤受HLA-I的限制。用重组牛痘病毒感染的纤维母细胞作靶细胞或刺激细胞,有1例供者可接受LMP,另1例可接受EBNA2的刺激,并对相应的靶细胞产生特异性T细胞杀伤反应,表明EB病毒-LMP和EBNA2可能既是EB病毒特异性T细胞的刺激抗原,又是其识别的靶抗原。     

Na+-independent,electrogenic Cl- uptake across the posterior gills of the Chinese crab (Eriocheir sinensis): Voltage-clamp and microelectrode studies

Summary Single gill lamellae from posterior gills of Chinese crabs (Eriocheir sinensis) were isolated, separated into halves and mounted in a modified Ussing chamber. Area-related short-circuit current (I_sc) and conductance (G_tot) of this preparation were measured. Epithelial cells were impaled with microelectrodes through the basolateral membrane and cellular potentials (V_i under open- and V_sc under short-circuit conditions) as well as the voltage divider ratios (F_i, F_o) were determined.With NaCl salines on both sides an outside positive PD_te (22±2 mV) and an I_sc (-64±13 A·cm^-2) with a polarity corresponding to an uptake of negative charges (inward negative) were obtained. Trough-like potential profiles were recorded across the preparation under open- as well as short-circuit conditions (V_o=-101±5 mV, external bath as reference; V_i=-78±2 mV, internal bath as reference; V_sc=-80±2 mV, extracellular space as reference). The voltage divider ratios of the external (apical membrane plus cuticle) and internal (basolateral membrane) barrier were F_o=0.92±0.01 and F_i=0.08±0.01, respectively. To investigate a Cl^--related contribution to the above parameters, Na⁺-free solutions in the external bath (basolateral NaCl-saline) were used. Inward negative I_sc under these conditions almost completely depended on external Cl^-. Elimination of Cl^- in the external bath reversed I_sc, and G_tot decreased substantially. Concomitantly, V_sc depolarised and F_o increased. Cl^--dependent current and conductance showed saturation kinetics with increasing external [Cl^-]. Addition of 20 mmol·1^-1 thiocyanate to the external bath had similar, although less pronounced, effects as Cl^- substitution. Equally, external SITS (1 mmol·1^-1) inhibited the current and, concomitantly, G_tot decreased substantially. Addition of 1 mmol·1^-1 acetazolamide to, and omission of NaHCO₃ from, the basolateral bath resulted in a decrease of I_sc while G_tot remained unchanged. The Cl^--channel blocker DPC inhibited I_sc almost completely when added to the basolateral saline, whereas G_tot decreased moderately; however, V_sc depolarised without significant change of F_i. Ouabain had no influence on I_sc and G_tot. Increasing the basolateral [K⁺] resulted in a decrease in I_sc, while G_tot was not affected. At the same time V_sc largely depolarised and F_i decreased. Addition of the K⁺-channel blocker Ba⁺⁺ (5 mmol·1^-1) to the basolateral solution resulted in a two-step alteration of the transepithelial (I_sc, Gtot) and cellular (V_sc, F_i) parameters. The results are discussed with regard to (i) the mechanisms responsible for active transbranchial Cl^- uptake, and (ii) the technical improvement of being able to perform transport studies with crab gill preparations in an Ussing chamber.Abbreviations DMSO dimethylsulfoxide - DPC diphenylamine-2-carboxylate - F _{o, i} voltage divider ratio for external (o) and internal (i) barrier, respectively - G _Cl conductance related to the external [Cl^-] - G _tot total tissue conductance - I _Cl short-circuit current related to the external [Cl^-] - I _sc short-circuit current - PD _te transepithelial potential difference - R _ME resistance of the microelectrode - SITS 4-acetamido-4-isothiocyanato-stilbene-2,2-disulfonic acid - V _{o, i} open-circuit voltage across the external (o) and internal (i) barrier, respectively - V _sc intracellular potential under short-circuit conditions     

Growth inhibition of murine mammary carcinoma by monoclonal IgE antibodies specific for the mammary tumor virus

Summary Two IgE-producing hybridomas were established from spleen cells of Balb/c mice, which had been immunized with mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV). These IgE monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) reacted specifically with the major envelope glycoprotein (gp36) of MMTV, as established by the immunoblot assay and by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis. The effect of the IgE mAbs (produced by clone A8) on the growth of the MMTV-secreting mammary adenocarcinoma H2712 was investigated in syngeneic C3H/HeJ mice. The mice were inoculated s.c. with either 10⁵ (100 × LD₅₀) or 10⁶ (1000 × LD₅₀) tumor cells and received repeated i.p. injections of 25 µg anti-gp36 IgE mAbs at 4-day intervals for 8 weeks. This treatment prevented the development of subcutaneous tumors in 50% of the animals. Similar protection was observed when the tumor cells (10⁵/animal) were injected i.p. 4 days prior to the beginning of the i.p. treatment consisting of injections of 25 µg mAbs at 4-day intervals for 6 weeks. However, these mAbs did not protect C3H/HeJ mice against the MMTV-negative MA16/c carcinoma cells. Hence, these results support the view that IgE-mediated cytotoxic mechanisms may play an immunologically specific antitumor surveillance role and that laboratory-induced antitumor IgE mAbs have the potential of specific therapeutic agents for in vivo destruction of tumor cells.     

Local immunity and the uterine cervix: Implications for cancer-associated viruses

Summary Studies of cervical secretions as well as cells composing the endocervix have provided evidence for a functional and potentially important immunological system in the mucosa of that organ. The availability of the tools of cell biology as well as three agents that may be used as probes to infect cervical mucosa experimentally has made possible a detailed approach to define the structural and functional characteristics of local cervical immunity. A long-term goal of these studies is to determine how the cervical immune response may be regulated to reduce local viral replication and virus-associated diseases. With Langerhans cells for antigen presentation, cervical immune responses generally remain detectable for more than 30 days, are predominantly of the IgA isotype, can be influenced by estrogen or progesterone, and are best elicited by local rather than systemic exposure to antigen. Cervical immune responses to the human papillomaviruses (HPV) are of particular importance in this regard because this virus is associated with cervical neoplasia. While responses in serum to HPV-16 proteins L1, E4, and E7 has been found in up to 78% of persons with HPV-associated cervical neoplasms, data showing that a local response of comparable frequency consistently occurs have yet to be confirmed. The current status of local HPV-16-specific immunoglobulin as a potentially useful indicator of HPV-16-related infection or pre-cancer is controversial, and is confounded by several potentially important factors, including patient age, estrogen/progesterone level, smoking status, and sample admixture with serum immunoglobulin.     

Murine T cell clones specific for Hymenolepis nana: generation and functional analysis in vivo and in vitro.

To examine the role of the T cell in protective immunity to Hymenolepis nana, H. nana-specific clonal lymphocytes were generated from mesenteric lymph nodes of BALB/c mice infected with H. nana, and some of their functions were analyzed in vitro and in vivo. Following limiting dilution techniques, five clones were generated from mesenteric lymph node cell populations. All of these clones expressed the L3T4⁺, Lyt-2.2⁻ phenotype and proliferated in vitro in response to soluble egg antigen of H. nana. Of five clones, three secreted interleukin 2 (IL-2) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) after stimulation with egg antigen. Furthermore, these three clones conferred local delayed-type hypersensitivity to egg antigen. The remaining two clones produced interleukin 4 (IL-4) in response to egg antigen, and could not mediate local delayed-type hypersensitivity. Adoptive transfer experiments using clonal lymphocytes were also undertaken in an attempt to define cell types involved in protective immunity. Clonal lymphocytes secreting both IL-2 and IFN-γ transferred protective immunity, equivalent to that obtained by non-cultured-sensitized mesenteric lymph node cells. They were effective in very small numbers. However, clonal lymphocytes that secreted IL-4 did not transfer protective immunity. These results suggest that helper T lymphocytes, especially the Th1 subtype, are involved in protective immunity against H. nana.     

The effect of specific immunization or infection with Trichostrongylus colubriformis on production of eosinophil differentiation factors in guinea pigs.

The cultivation of bone marrow was used to quantitate the levels of eosinophil differentiation factors (EDF) produced in conditioned medium (CM) by incubation of mesenteric lymph node cells (MLNC) with mitogens or specific antigens from the intestinal nematode parasite, Trichostrongylus colubriformis. In liquid cultures with 20 units ml⁻¹ recombinant murine interleukin-5 (IL-5), bone marrow cells (BMC) from either normal or infected donors contained <5% eosinophils and differentiated to> 50% eosinophils over 2–3 weeks. Conditioned medium from 3–4 week infected donors produced between 20 and 50% eosinophils when donor MLNC were stimulated with the specific antigen preparation SP3, but macrophages predominated when using CM from MLNC incubated with Concanavalin A (ConA). CM from MLNC of challenged donors incubated with SP3 produced 30–70% eosinophils in BMC assays, with highest levels induced by CM from high responder (HR) donors. Marrow from parasitized or normal donors gave rise to comparable proportions of eosinophils. CM was also produced from LNC of donors given protein or parasite antigens in adjuvant where between 28 and 35% eosinophils were produced in culture. There were no differences between activities attributable to the antigen, but Freund's complete adjuvant induced earlier differentiation of BMC than alum-induced CM. The results confirm that high levels of EDF activity are specifically induced by parasitic infection, and can also be produced by intraperitoneal and subcutaneous inoculation of adjuvanted antigens. Consistent with the greater eosinophilia exhibited by HR guinea pigs to infection with T.colubriformis L3, their MLNC also produced the highest levels of EDF activity.     

Novel epoxysuccinyl peptides Selective inhibitors of cathepsin B, in vitro

A series of new epoxysuccinyl peptides were designed and synthesized to develop a specific inhibitor of cathepsin B. Of these compounds, N-(L-3-trans-ethoxycarbonyloxirane-2-carbonyl)-L-isoleucyl-L-proline (compound CA-030) and N-(L-3-trans-propylcarbamoyloxirane-2-carbonyl)-L-isoleucyl-L-proline (compound CA-074) were the most potent and specific inhibitors of cathepsin B in vitro. The carboxyl group of proline and the ethyl ester group or n-propylamide group in the oxirane ring were necessary, the ethyl ester group or the n-propylamide group being particularly effective for distinguishing cathepsin B from other cysteine proteinases such as cathepsins L and H, and calpains.     

鸡新城疫副眼和副鼻器官微环境局部免疫机理的研究——Ⅱ.免疫组织学和电镜研究

本文研究了以点眼和滴鼻途径接种了新城疫 B_1系疫苗后的不同时期 SPF 雏鸡的哈德泪腺、气管、肺脏、脾脏、胸腺和法氏囊的免疫组织学及其在电子显微镜下的变化规律。证明在哈德泪腺的腺导管、腺泡间质、气管粘膜的固有层和粘膜下层、肺各级支气管粘膜固有层和粘膜下层及附近肺泡壁中、肺间质中都以聚集或弥散形式存在着比对照组多的淋巴细胞,这些淋巴细胞有时形成淋巴小结样结构,还可看到较多的浆细胞。这些淋巴细胞在电子显微镜下主要表现为线粒体、粗面内质网和核糖体等细胞器增多,细胞呈旺盛的活动状态,同时哈德泪腺、气管粘膜杯状细胞和单泡腺分泌增多,气管粘膜上的纤毛也增多,这有利于将产生的抗体及时排出和防止病毒粘附。