Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating autoimmune disease of the
central nervous system. While its etiology is not well understood, genetic
factors are clearly involved. Until recently, most genetic studies in MS
have been association studies using the case-control design testing
specific candidate genes and studying only sporadic cases. The only
consistently replicated finding has been an association with the HLA-DR2
allele within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on chromosome 6.
Using the genetic linkage design, however, evidence for and against linkage
of the MHC to MS has been found, fostering suggestions that sporadic and
familial MS have different etiologies. Most recently, two of four genomic
screens demonstrated linkage to the MHC, although specific allelic
associations were not tested. Here, a dataset of 98 multiplex families was
studied to test for an association to the HLA-DR2 allele in familial MS and
to determine if genetic linkage to the MHC was due solely to such an
association. Three highly polymorphic markers (HLA-DR, D6S273 and TNFbeta)
in the MHC demonstrated strong genetic linkage (parametric lod scores of
4.60, 2.20 and 1.24, respectively) and a specific association with the
HLA-DR2 allele was confirmed (TDT; P < 0.001). Stratifying the results
by HLA-DR2 status showed that the linkage results were limited to families
segregating HLA-DR2 alleles. These results demonstrate that genetic linkage
to the MHC can be explained by the HLA-DR2 allelic association. They also
indicate that sporadic and familial MS share a common genetic
susceptibility. In addition, preliminary calculations suggest that the MHC
explains between 17 and 62% of the genetic etiology of MS. This
heterogeneity is also supported by the minority of families showing no
linkage or association with loci within the MHC.
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Mucosal and systemic administrations of high dose antigens induce long-
lasting peripheral T cell tolerance. We and others have shown that high
dose peripheral T cell tolerance is mediated by anergy or deletion and is
preceded by T cell activation. Co-stimulatory molecules B7-1 (CD80)/B7-2
(CD86) and their counter-receptors CD28/CTLA-4 play pivotal roles in T cell
activation and immune regulation. In the present study, we examined the
roles of the B7 co-stimulation pathway in the generation of high dose
peripheral T cell tolerance. We found that blocking B7:CD28/CTLA-4
interaction at the time of tolerance induction partially prevented T cell
tolerance, whereas selective blockade of B7:CTLA-4 interaction completely
abrogated peripheral T cell tolerance induced by either oral or i.p.
antigens. These results suggest that CTLA-4-mediated feedback regulation
plays a crucial role in the induction of high dose peripheral T cell
tolerance.
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Expansion of trinucleotide CAG repeats coding for polyglutamine has been
implicated in five neurodegenerative disorders, including spinocerebellar
ataxia (SCA) 1 and SCA3 or Machado-Joseph disease (SCA3/MJD), two forms of
type I autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxias (ADCA). Using the 1C2 antibody
which specifically recognizes large polyglutamine tracts, particularly
those that are expanded, we recently reported the detection of proteins
with pathological glutamine expansions in lymphoblasts from another form of
ADCA type I, SCA2, as well as from patients presenting with the distinct
phenotype of ADCA type II. We now have screened a large series of patients
with ADCA or isolated cases with cerebellar ataxia, for the presence of
proteins with polyglutamine expansions. A 150 kDa SCA2 protein was detected
in 16 out of 40 families with ADCA type I. This corresponds to 24% of all
ADCA type I families, which is much more frequent than SCA1 in this series
of patients (13%). The signal intensity of the SCA2 protein was negatively
correlated to age at onset, as expected for an expanded and unstable
trinucleotide repeat mutation. The disease segregated with markers closely
linked to the SCA2 locus in all identified SCA2 families. In addition, a
specific 130 kDa protein, which segregated with the disease, was detected
in lymphoblasts of patients from nine families with ADCA type II. It was
also visualized in the cerebral cortex of one of the patients,
demonstrating its translation in the nervous system. Finally, no new
disease-related proteins containing expanded polyglutamine tracts could be
detected in lymphoblasts from the remaining patients with ADCA or isolated
cases with cerebellar ataxia.
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Polyclonal antiserum to an Escherichia coli-produced beta-galactosidase/E4 fusion protein of human papillomavirus type 6b (antiserum 256), and affinity purified HPV 11 anti-E4 antibodies were tested for reactivity in Western blots with bacterially expressed trpE/E4 fusion proteins of HPV types 6b, 11, 16, and 18. To further characterize the affinity purified anti-E4 antibodies, a dot-immunobinding assay was performed using overlapping synthetic HPV 11 E1E4 peptides as antigens. Protein extracts of condylomata acuminatum from 18 patients containing HPV type 6 or 11 DNA sequences were tested in Western blots using antiserum 256 or affinity purified HPV 11 anti-E4 antibodies. In the Western blots of the trpE proteins, antiserum 256 identified the HPV types 6b and 11 fusion proteins; the affinity purified HPV 11 anti-E4 antibodies identified only the HPV 11 fusion protein. In the dot-immunobinding assay, three HPV 11 peptides were recognized, each containing a shared 8 amino acid sequence that differs significantly from the corresponding sequences of HPV types 6b, 16, or 18. In the Western blots of protein extracts from 18 condylomata acuminatum samples shown to contain HPV types 6 or 11 DNA, putative E4 gene products were identified in six samples by antiserum 256. The affinity purified HPV 11 anti-E4 antibodies identified putative E4 gene products in one of these same six lesions, which was shown to contain HPV 11 sequences by the Southern blot method. All six samples containing E4 gene products were from women. Three of these women were pregnant, one had serum antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus, and one was a renal transplant recipient receiving glucocorticoids.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS) 相似文献
Although traditional tube culture (TTC) is still considered by many as the 'gold standard' for the laboratory diagnosis of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), the shell vial assay (SVA) offers greater speed of detection. This technique utilizes immunofluorescence (IF) to detect early or immediate early nuclear antigens (IEA). The detection capabilities of these two tests were compared with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a technique that amplifies enzymatically selected DNA target sequences. Serial dilutions of crude culture harvests from 2 HCMV strains, Towne and a clinical urine isolate, were made up to 1:1 000,000. Ten-microliters aliquots of the original sample and each dilution were tested by PCR, TTC and SVA. For PCR, the nested-primer approach was used. Outer primers delimited a 721-bp sequence contained within the 2nd to 4th exons of the immediate-early protein. Inner nest primers delimited a 167-bp sequence in the third exon, detected by a 32P-labelled probe. The results show that: (1) control samples which contained all PCR reagents but no DNA were uniformly negative; (2) radiolabelled-probe detection (RPD) of PCR products is, on average, 100 x more sensitive than detection by ethidium bromide; (3) PCR is, on average, 100 x more sensitive than evaluation of cytopathic effect (CPE) in the TTC; (4) the predictive value of a negative SVA result is low compared to PCR. 相似文献
The Drosophila melanogaster proteins Flamingo and Prickle act in the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway, which is required for acquisition of epithelial polarity in the wing, eye, and epidermis. In mammals, PCP signaling has been shown to regulate cell movements and polarity in a variety of tissues. Here, we show that the murine Flamingo orthologues Celsr1-3 and the Prickle orthologues Prickle1, Prickle2, and Testin have dynamic patterns of expression during pregastrulation and gastrulation stages. Celsr1 is expressed in the anterior visceral endoderm and nascent mesoderm, Celsr2 and Celsr3 mark the prospective neuroectoderm, Prickle1 is expressed in the primitive streak and mesoderm, Prickle2 in the node, and Testin in the anterior visceral endoderm, the extraembryonic ectoderm, primitive streak, and mesoderm. Analysis of a gene-trap mutation in Testin indicates that this gene is not required for embryogenesis; therefore, other Prickle homologues may compensate for its function during development. 相似文献
Summary: This study describes the chain extension, with polycaprolactone diols, of polyurethane‐graft‐poly(butyl acrylate)s which were first prepared by the step growth polymerization of a mixture of diphenylmethane‐4,4′‐diisocyanate (MDI) and α,α′‐dihydroxyl‐poly(butyl acrylate)s. The success of the chain extension reaction was studied and confirmed by 1H NMR, SEC and DSC analysis. The incorporation of polycaprolactone sequences in the polyurethane chains modified their specific adhesive properties, bringing cohesion to the material, as demonstrated by tack measurements.
Immunization of BALB/c mice with an expression genomic library of Toxoplasma gondii induces a Th1-type immune response, with recognition of several T. gondii proteins (21 to 117 kDa) and long-term protective immunity against a lethal challenge. These results support further investigations to achieve a multicomponent anti-T. gondii DNA vaccine. 相似文献
To examine the type distribution of pathogenic group A streptococcal (GAS) strains in Mexico, we determined the emm types of 423 GAS isolates collected from ill patients residing in Mexico (Durango or Mexico City). These included 282 throat isolates and 107 isolates from normally sterile sites. Of the other isolates, 38 were recovered from other miscellaneous infections. A total of 31 different emm types were found, revealing a broad overlap between commonly occurring emm types in Mexico and the United States. The information obtained in this study is consistent with the possibility that multivalent, M type-specific vaccines prepared for GAS strain distribution within the United States could theoretically protect against the majority of GAS strains causing disease in the two cities surveyed in Mexico. 相似文献