Circulating immune complexes may play a regulatory and pathogenic role in experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis.

We compared the time course of changes in serum levels of circulating immune complexes (CICs) and of IgG antibody after sensitization of albino Lewis and pigmented Lister strain rats with uveitogenic (retinal S-antigen) and non-uveitogenic (ovalbumin) protein antigens of comparable molecular weight. Normal levels of CICs were far lower in Lewis rats in which experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) takes the form of a severe panuveitis, than in Lister rats, in which the disease is mild, focal, confined to the posterior segment, and of lower incidence. After sensitization with either S-antigen or ovalbumin, polyethylene-glycol-precipitable CIC (PEG-CIC) peaked and fell as IgG antibody levels rose in both rat strains. However, peak levels of PEG-CIC were lower and subsequent IgG antibody levels were higher in the Lewis strain than in the less susceptible Lister strain. In both strains of rat these linked PEG-CIC/IgG antibody responses occurred earlier after sensitization with uveitogenic (S-) antigen than with ovalbumin, whether or not individual S-antigen-sensitized Lister rats developed EAU. In contrast, complement-binding CIC rose substantially only in those rats of both strains displaying EAU in response to S-antigen and not in response to ovalbumin. We suggest that immune complex (idiotypic) regulation of IgG antibody responses may be more readily perturbed by a pathogenic autoantigen (S-antigen) than by a bland antigen (ovalbumin). We also suggest that differences between the balance of regulatory and pathogenic CIC responses to uveitogenic retinal antigen may underlie or reflect strain differences in susceptibility to and severity of EAU.     

Kinetics and properties of the cortisol-resistant lymphocyte population from lymph nodes of guinea pigs with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis

Lymphocytes from the cervical lymph nodes of guinea pigs were incubated in medium No. 199 for 24 h in the presence of cortisol in a concentration of 20 or 100 g%. The survival rate of the lymphocytes and their cortisol metabolism were determined and the nucleic acid content estimated cytophotometrically. A considerable decrease was found in cortisol metabolism by the lymphocytes from the 6th day after addition of an encephalitogenic mixture and there was a marked increase in the cortisol-resistant population of lymphocytes in guinea pigs with encephalomyelitis on the 17th–30th days after injection of the complete adjuvant. Cortisol in a concentration of 100 g% lowered the nucleic acid content of the lymphocytes of the intact animals but had no effect on lymphocytes of guinea pigs of the two experimental groups during the period of a considerable increase in the cortisol-resistant population. Progesterone depressed the lympholytic action of cortisol and the metabolism of this hormone by lymphocytes of intact guinea pigs. The ability of progesterone to reduce the lympholytic action of cortisol was weakened in guinea pigs with encephalomyelitis and guinea pigs receiving the adjuvant.Department of General Pathology, N. I. Pirogov Second Moscow Medical Institute. Allergologic Research Laboratory, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR A. D. Ado.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 83, No. 2, pp. 200–202, February, 1977.     

Sequential Measurements of Chemokines in Urosepsis and Experimental Endotoxemia

Chemokines are a superfamily of small chemotactic proteins. While increased levels of interleukin-8 have been measured in serum and urine during urinary tract infection, little is known about other chemokines in this condition. Monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)–1, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)–1, MIP-1 and interferon- inducible protein (IP)–10 were measured in 30 patients with culture-proven urosepsis during a 3-day follow-up and in 11 healthy humans after intravenous injection of endotoxin (4 ng/kg). Urine and serum levels of MCP-1, MIP-1, and IP-10, but not of MIP-1, were elevated in patients on admission, and decreased after initiation of antibiotic treatment. Endotoxin administration to healthy subjects induced increases in plasma and urine concentrations of all four chemokines. These data indicate that clinical and experimental gram-negative infection in humans is associated with enhanced production of chemokines that act mainly on mononuclear cells and that these chemokines are at least in part locally produced.     

Real-time imaging of individual fluorescent-protein color-coded metastatic colonies in vivo

We have established stable, bright green fluorescent protein (GFP)- or red fluorescent protein (RFP)-expressing HT-1080 human fibrosarcoma clones. These cell lines showed similar cell proliferation rates and high-frequency experimental lung metastasis. The HT-1080-GFP and -RFP clones enable simultaneous real-time dual-color imaging in the live animal. HT-1080 cells were transduced with retroviral vectors containing GFP or RFP and the neomycin resistance gene. Stable transformants were selected stepwise with G418 up to 800 μl/ml. Subsequently, high GFP- or RFP-expressing clones, HT-1080-GFP or HT-1080-RFP, respectively, were selected. 3×10⁶ cells from each clone were mixed and injected into the tail vein of SCID mice. The cells seeded the lung at high frequency with subsequent formation of pure green and pure red colonies as well as mixed yellow colonies with different patterns visualized directly on excised lungs. The lung metastases were also visualized by external fluorescence imaging in live animals through skin-flap windows over the chest wall. Lung metastases were observed on the lung surface of all mice. SCID mice well tolerated multiple surgical procedures for direct-view imaging via skin-flap windows. Real-time metastatic growth of the two different colored clones in the same lung was externally imaged with resolution and quantification of green, red, or yellow colonies in live animals. The color coding enabled determination of whether the colonies grew clonally or were seeded as a mixture with one cell type eventually dominating, or whether the colonies grew as a mixture. The simultaneous real-time dual-color imaging of metastatic colonies described in this report gives rise to the possibility of color-coded imaging of clones of cancer cells carrying various forms of gene of interest. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

T cell epitope spreading to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein in HLA-DR4 transgenic mice during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Epitope spreading has been implicated in the pathogenesis of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and human multiple sclerosis (MS). T cell epitope spreading has been demonstrated in rodents for myelin basic protein (MBP) and proteolipid protein (PLP) determinants, but not for myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), another important myelin antigen. Moreover, the role of human autoimmunity-associated MHC molecules in epitope spreading, including HLA-DR2 and DR4, has not been formally examined. To address these questions, we investigated epitope spreading to MOG determinants in HLA-DR4 (DRB1*0401) transgenic mice during EAE. The data show that upon induction of EAE in HLA-DR4 transgenic mice with the immunodominant HLA-DR4-restricted MOG peptide 97-108 (MOG(97-108); TCFFRDHSYQEE), the T cell response diversifies over time to MOG(181-200) (core: MOG(183-191); FVIVPVLGP) and MBP. The spreading epitope MOG(181-200) binds with high affinity to HLA-DRB1*0401 and is presented by human HLA-DRB1*0401+antigen presenting cells. Moreover, this epitope is encephalitogenic in HLA-DRB1*0401 transgenic mice. This study demonstrates intra- and intermolecular epitope spreading to MOG and MBP in "humanized" HLA-DR4 transgenic mice.     

实验性自身免疫性甲状腺炎小鼠细胞免疫状态研究

作者检测了实验性自身免疫性甲状腺炎(EAT)小鼠的细胞免疫状态,结果表明:EAT小鼠脾细胞Thy-1.2和Lyt-2阳性T细胞数显著下降并伴随L3T4/Lyt-2阳性T细胞数比值升高;甲状腺球蛋白刺激的淋巴细胞增殖明显增强,但NK细胞活性无显著变化;脾细胞产生TNF和IL-1的水平明显高于正常小鼠。提示T细胞免疫功能紊乱和细胞因子的大量释放可能是引起此病的重要因素。     

Cell surface laminin-like substances and laminin-related carbohydrates of rat ascites hepatoma AH7974 and its variants with different lung-colonizing potential

Rat ascites hepatoma AH7974 cells strongly expressed antilaminin antibody-reactive substances (laminin-like substances) andGriffonia simplicifolia isolectin B4 (GS)-reactive carbohydrate (alpha)-d-galactose; alpha-Gal) on their cell surface. The alpha-Gal expression was not apparently influenced by the pretreatment of cells with methanol. The cell membrane laminin-like substances had approximate molecular weights of 150, 62 and 56 kDa in denaturating reducing conditions, of which the 62 and 56 kDa bands were stained with GS. The cell membrane molecules bearing alpha-Gal were 62 and 56 kDa and were stained with antilaminin antibody. Therefore, the major molecules bearing alpha-Gal residues of AH7974 cell membrane are considered to be laminin-like substances. To determine the role of the substances in metastasis, we selected four cell lines (74AD, 74AD-f, 74FL, 74FL-a) from AH7974 in culture. 74AD and 74FL-a are adherent lines and 74AD-f and 74FL are floating lines. All of these cell lines strongly expressed laminin-like substances, but a marked difference was found in expression of alpha-Gal, which was most strongly expressed by 74FL, followed by 74AD, and rarely by 74AD-f and 74FL-a; the staining intensity was positively correlated with their experimental lung-colonizing potential. Cell membrane laminin-like substances were 200, 97, 62, 56 and 46 kDa and among them 62 and 56 kDa molecules were glycosylated with alpha-Gal. The pretreatment of 74FL cells with antilaminin antibody or with human type A serum (containing natural antibody to alpha-Gal epitope) depressed remarkably the lung-colonizing potential of the cells. These results suggest that the expression of 62 and 56 kDa laminin-like substances with alpha-Gal residues on tumor cell surfaces is one of the determinants associated with lung-colonizing potential of these cells.     

Apoptosis of CD4+ T cells occurs in experimental autoimmune anterior uveitis (EAAU)

To investigate the spontaneous turning off mechanism of endogenous uveitis, EAAU was induced in Lewis rats. Immunohistochemical and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) stains revealed that CD4+ T cells were predominant in the uveal tissue of EAAU and that the apoptosis of these cells had occurred and progressed throughout the inflammatory period in EAAU eyes. The immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization for Fas ligand (FasL) expression showed that the expression of Fas ligand was increased in the EAAU eyes compared with control eyes. These results suggest that the apoptosis of CD4+ T cells may play a key role in the spontaneous turning off mechanism of intra-ocular inflammation and that the induction of apoptosis may be mediated by the Fas-FasL system in EAAU.     

Acute experimental pancreatitis in rat induced by sodium taurocholic acid: objective quantification of pancreatic necrosis

Summary Retrograde injection of 5% sodium taurocholic acid (TA) in Wistar rat pancreatic duct is followed by acute pancreatitis, resulting in 100% mortality within 36 h. Biochemical determinations show raised levels of amylase in ascites and blood. Necrosis has been measured using seven morphometric characteristics of pathological changes that add precise information on the type and extension of the pancreatic lesion. The percentage of necrotic tissue (by area) seems to be the most objective parameter. Necrosis appears 6 h after TA infusion, being 5.77% in extent after 12h, 14.9% after 24 h and animals die with an area of 29.5% necrosis. This experimental model seems to one in which physiopathological and therapeutic trials on acute pancreatitis may be camed out.     

二氧化碳血液净化仪实验研究

目的探讨气体传输型二氧化碳血液净化仪在呼吸衰竭(RF)治疗中实施体外膜肺氧合(ECMO)部分循环支持的实验研究。方法建立实验犬的RF模型,用BaxterEF-550血管路连接二氧化碳血液净化仪,股静脉置入双腔单针导管行V-V转流,转流过程中维持血流量200mL/min,氧入通入量4L/min~6L/min,转流开始10min后,分别采集动脉血及膜式人工肺出入端血标本,以后每转流60min分别采集血标本进行血气分析。结果人工肺出入端PCO2可由50.93mmHg±1.62mmHg~63.27mmHg±0.46mmHg下降为1.27mmHg±0.05mmHg~14.07mmHg±1.86mmHg,PO2上升值为371.6mmHg±42.67mmHg~614.6mmHg±50.35mmHg,人工肺出入端PCO2、TCO2、PO2、SO2、O2-C变化均有显著性差异(P<0.01)。转流60min,实验犬体动脉血PaO2从39.6mmHg,升高为56.7mmHg±2.36mmHg,PCO2由52.8mmHg下降为50.4mmHg±0.53mmHg。结论二氧化碳血液净化仪有良好的二氧化碳血液净化和氧传输双重性能;二氧化碳血液净化仪的气体传输性能,在0.2L/min流量时,可以使活体实验动物血气发生改变———氧摄入和二氧化碳排出增多,从而简化了ECMO技术并实现呼吸支持的作用,为呼吸衰竭的救治提供一项新的技术和途径。