Removal of non-specific serum inhibitors of haemagglutination of rubella virus by treatment with dodecylamine-gel.
(1/5906)
The suitability of using dodecylamine-gel for removing the serum non-antibody-like inhibitors of haemagglutination by rubella was studied. Compared with kaolin and MnCl2/heparin treatment this new procedure appears to have a higher specificity since it removes the non-antibody-like inhibitors from serum without affecting the immunoglobulin level significantly. The potential application of this procedure in routine serological analysis for rubella virus infection is discussed. (+info)
Staphylococcal protein A; its preparation and an application to rubella serology.
(2/5906)
Good yields of staphylococcal protein A are obtained by growing the staphylococcus Cowan type 1 on cellophane agar. The activity of these preparations in removing immunoglobulin G (IgG) from human serum can be readily measured by the Mancini radial-diffusion technique and the correct in-use dilution determined. Treatment with protein A of sera from women with a history of rubella may help in the identification of those having specific antibody in the IgM and IgA fractions. This relatively simple procedure may have worthwhile application in the diagnosis of rubella. (+info)
Cloning and functional studies of a novel gene aberrantly expressed in RB-deficient embryos.
(3/5906)
The tumor suppressor RB regulates diverse cellular processes such as G1/S transition, cell differentiation, and cell survival. Indeed, Rb-knockout mice exhibit phenotypes including ectopic mitosis, defective differentiation, and extensive apoptosis in the neurons. Using differential display, a novel gene, Rig-1, was isolated based on its elevated expression in the hindbrain and spinal cord of Rb-knockout embryos. The longest open reading frame of Rig-1 encoded a polypeptide that consists of a putative extracellular segment with five immunoglobulin-like domains and three fibronectin III-like domains, a putative transmembrane domain, and a distinct intracellular segment. The Rig-1 sequence was 40% identical to the recently identified roundabout protein. Consistent with the predicted transmembrane nature of the protein, Rig-1 protein was present in the membranous fraction. Antisera raised against the putative extracellular and intracellular segments of Rig-1 reacted with an approximately 210-kDa protein in mouse embryonic CNS. Rig-1 mRNA was transiently expressed in the embryonic hindbrain and spinal cord. Elevated levels of Rig-1 mRNA and protein were found in Rb-/- embryos. Ectopic expression of a transmembrane form of Rig-1, but not the secreted form, promoted neuronal cell entrance to S phase and repressed the expression of a marker of differentiated neuron, Talpha1 tubulin. Thus Rig-1, a possible distant relative of roundabout, may mediate some of the pleiotropic roles of RB in the developing neurons. (+info)
NKp44, a triggering receptor involved in tumor cell lysis by activated human natural killer cells, is a novel member of the immunoglobulin superfamily.
(4/5906)
Surface receptors involved in natural killer (NK) cell triggering during the process of tumor cell lysis have recently been identified. Of these receptors, NKp44 is selectively expressed by IL-2- activated NK cells and may contribute to the increased efficiency of activated NK cells to mediate tumor cell lysis. Here we describe the molecular cloning of NKp44. Analysis of the cloned cDNA indicated that NKp44 is a novel transmembrane glycoprotein belonging to the Immunoglobulin superfamily characterized by a single extracellular V-type domain. The charged amino acid lysine in the transmembrane region may be involved in the association of NKp44 with the signal transducing molecule killer activating receptor-associated polypeptide (KARAP)/DAP12. These molecules were found to be crucial for the surface expression of NKp44. In agreement with data of NKp44 surface expression, the NKp44 transcripts were strictly confined to activated NK cells and to a minor subset of TCR-gamma/delta+ T lymphocytes. Unlike genes coding for other receptors involved in NK cell triggering or inhibition, the NKp44 gene is on human chromosome 6. (+info)
Detection of antibody to bovine syncytial virus and respiratory syncytial virus in bovine fetal serum.
(5/5906)
Batches of commercial fetal bovine serum, described by the suppliers as antibody-free, all contained antibody to bovine syncytial virus (BSV) when tested by indirect immunofluorescence. Antibody to bovine respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was not detected in these sera. Twenty-four percent of individual fetal bovine sera contained antibody to BSV, and 14% contained antibody to RSV when tested by indirect immunofluorescence. BSV antibody titers in fetal sera from dams with high BSV antibody levels were variable but always higher than RSV antibody titers. Radial immunodiffusion studies with BSV-positive sera revealed the presence of immunoglobulin M (IgM), IgG, and IgA, but the quantity of these immunoglobulins was not directly related to the BSV antibody titers. The evidence suggests that the antibody present in fetal sera arose as the result of infection rather than from maternal transfer across the placenta. (+info)
Detection of small numbers of immature cells in the blood of healthy subjects.
(6/5906)
AIMS: To determine the frequency of immature haemopoietic cells in the peripheral blood of healthy persons. METHODS: Cytocentrifuge preparations were made using mononuclear leucocytes separated by a Ficoll-Hypaque density gradient. The slides were stained by May-Grunwald-Giemsa. The combination with immunoperoxidase technique allowed immunotyping of uncommon blood cells. RESULTS: Blast cells expressing the progenitor cell marker CD34 represented 0.11 (0.06) per cent (mean (SD)) of the total mononuclear leucocyte count; these were the haemopoietic progenitor cells in the peripheral blood. Dark blue cells expressing CD38, CD45, HLA-DR, CD4, CD11a, CD29, CD49d, CD50, and CD54 represented 0.30 (0.21) per cent of the mononuclear leucocytes; most of these cells did not express T, B, NK, myelomonocytic, progenitor cell, proliferation, activation, blood dendritic cell, or follicular dendritic cell markers. These were dendritic cell precursors in the peripheral blood. Very small numbers of cells expressing CD83 were found. Blast-like cells expressing CD45, HLA-DR, CD11a, and CD50 represented 0.15 (0.10) per cent of the mononuclear leucocytes; morphology and immunotyping supported the conclusion that these cells were poorly differentiated monocytes. CONCLUSIONS: Morphological investigation of mononuclear leucocytes in peripheral blood of healthy persons can be used to detect small numbers of blasts, dark blue cells, and blast-like cells. The immunoperoxidase technique can then be used for immunotyping of these cells. This simple method may be helpful in diagnosing haematological disorders. (+info)
Characterization of a novel rat brain glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein (Kilon), a member of the IgLON cell adhesion molecule family.
(7/5906)
In the central nervous system, many cell adhesion molecules are known to participate in the establishment and remodeling of the neural circuit. Some of the cell adhesion molecules are known to be anchored to the membrane by the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) inserted to their C termini, and many GPI-anchored proteins are known to be localized in a Triton-insoluble membrane fraction of low density or so-called "raft." In this study, we surveyed the GPI-anchored proteins in the Triton-insoluble low density fraction from 2-week-old rat brain by solubilization with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C. By Western blotting and partial peptide sequencing after the deglycosylation with peptide N-glycosidase F, the presence of Thy-1, F3/contactin, and T-cadherin was shown. In addition, one of the major proteins, having an apparent molecular mass of 36 kDa after the peptide N-glycosidase F digestion, was found to be a novel protein. The result of cDNA cloning showed that the protein is an immunoglobulin superfamily member with three C2 domains and has six putative glycosylation sites. Since this protein shows high sequence similarity to IgLON family members including LAMP, OBCAM, neurotrimin, CEPU-1, AvGP50, and GP55, we termed this protein Kilon (a kindred of IgLON). Kilon-specific monoclonal antibodies were produced, and Western blotting analysis showed that expression of Kilon is restricted to brain, and Kilon has an apparent molecular mass of 46 kDa in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in its expressed form. In brain, the expression of Kilon is already detected in E16 stage, and its level gradually increases during development. Kilon immunostaining was observed in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, in which the strongly stained puncta were observed on dendrites and soma of pyramidal neurons. (+info)
Characterization of an immunoglobin cDNA clone containing the variable and constant regions for the MOPC 21 kappa light chain.
(8/5906)
Nucleotide sequence analysis and restriction endonuclease mapping have been used to characterize a cDNA copy of immunoglobulin MOPC 21 Kappa mRNA clones in the bacterial plasmid pMB9. Three regions of the inserted cDNA of plasmid pL21-1 have been sequenced and match the known protein sequence at amino acid residues 1-24, 128-138 and 171-179. With these sequences to provide absolute correlations between the restriction map and the structural gene sequence it has been possible to exactly deduce the positions of all 11 of the insert restriction sites mapped within the structural gene. The pL21-1 insert contains the complete variable and constant regions as well as parts of the 3' untranslated and polypeptide leader coding sequences. (+info)