No more Hiroshimas

Dyer reports on the ninth World Congress of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), held in Hiroshima, Japan, in October 1989. Taking as their theme "No more Hiroshimas," IPPNW participants visited the sites of the only acts of nuclear war -- the 1945 U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended World War II. Scientific sessions updated information on the health effects of radiation. The congress issued an appeal for "a new agenda of moral priorities" that urges the implementation of five measures: the immediate cessation of all nuclear testing; a halt to the production of bomb-grade fissile material; conversion of secret weapons laboratories to open scientific institutes addressing environmental issues; reallocation of 50% of military spending to health and environmental projects; and the establishment of a U.N. Peace Research Centre at Hiroshima and a scholarship program to educate future world leaders about nuclear war.     

Contrasting Roles of Mannan-Specific Monoclonal Immunoglobulin M Antibodies in the Activation of Classical and Alternative Pathways by Candida albicans

Polyclonal antimannan immunoglobulin G (IgG) activates the classical complement pathway and accelerates initiation of the alternative pathway by Canidida albicans. This dual role was assessed for two antimannan IgM monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). MAb B6.1 is specific for an epitope on the acid-labile portion of C. albicans phosphomannan; MAb B6 is specific for an epitope on the acid-stable region. Both MAbs were potent activators of the classical pathway but poor facilitators of alternative pathway initiation.Candida albicans activates the human complement system via both the classical and the alternative pathways, leading to deposition of opsonic complement fragments on the yeast cell surface (8, 10, 18). In previous studies, we described a critical role for naturally occurring antimannan immunoglobulin G (IgG) in complement activation by C. albicans. Those studies used a kinetic assay for C3 deposition on the yeast and immunofluorescence evaluation of the sites of C3 binding (10, 17, 18). Deposition of C3 onto C. albicans cells incubated in normal human serum (NHS) occurs rapidly via the classical pathway and can be detected within the first 2 min of incubation. If the classical pathway is blocked by chelation of Ca²⁺ with EGTA, C3 deposition occurs via the alternative pathway, but C3 deposition is delayed and a 6-min incubation is required before bound C3 is readily detectable on the yeast surface. Removal of naturally occurring antimannan IgG from the serum by mannan absorption profoundly delays accumulation of C3 on the yeast cell surface, with 12 min or more of incubation being required before appreciable amounts of bound C3 are detected. However, this 12-min delay can be overcome by supplementation of the mannan-absorbed serum with affinity-purified human antimannan IgG in the absence of EGTA to mediate classical pathway initiation or shortened to 6 min in the presence of EGTA to allow antibody-facilitated activation of the alternative pathway. These observations demonstrate a dual role for antimannan IgG in serum from healthy adults in complement activation by C. albicans. Antimannan IgG mediates activation of the classical pathway and facilitates initiation of the alternative pathway (17, 18).In studies described above, we used polyclonal antimannan IgG purified from pooled human plasma. Since C. albicans cells express a number of immunodominant mannan components recognized by rabbits (15, 16), the human polyclonal antimannan IgG likely contains a range of specificities for distinct mannan determinants. It has been shown that rabbit antibodies that are reactive with three different cell wall determinants of group A streptococci display differential abilities to activate the classical or alternative pathway (2). Although the antibodies specific for three different cell wall epitopes all activated the classical pathway, only antibody specific for the N-acetyl-d-glucosamine epitope activated the alternative pathway (2). In a separate study, capsular as well as noncapsular antibodies were found to direct classical-pathway-mediated killing of Haemophilus influenzae type b, whereas only the capsular antibodies promoted killing by the alternative pathway (12). These studies provide evidence that epitope specificity may influence the ability of an antibody to activate the alternative pathway and prompted us to examine whether antibodies that recognize different mannan determinants are able to mediate activation of the classical and alternative pathways by C. albicans.Two IgM monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that recognize distinct mannan determinants were compared for their abilities to activate the classical or alternative pathway. MAb B6.1 is specific for an acid-labile component of the Candida phosphomannan complex, and MAb B6 is specific for an acid-stable component (5). The MAbs were produced commercially (Montana ImmunoTech, Inc., Bozeman, Mont.).C. albicans CA-1 was grown as yeast forms to stationary phase in glucose (2%)-yeast extract (0.3%)-peptone (1%) broth for 24 h at 37°C as described elsewhere (4, 6, 10). The mannan of CA-1 yeast was purified as described previously (7, 18) and coupled to CNBr-Sepahrose 4B (Pharmacia Biotech, Uppsala, Sweden) (18).Pooled NHS was prepared from peripheral blood from at least 10 healthy adult donors and stored at −80°C. C3 was isolated from frozen human plasma (9, 13) and stored at −80°C until used. C3 was labeled with ¹²⁵I as described previously (3) by use of IODO-GEN reagent (Pierce, Rockford, Ill.). NHS was absorbed with mannan-Sepharose 4B to remove antimannan antibodies (18).Kinetics of C3 binding were assayed by the method of Kozel et al. (10). To determine whether MAb B6 or B6.1 activates the classical pathway, 2 × 10⁶ yeast cells were incubated at 37°C in 1 ml of a complement binding medium that contained (i) 40% NHS, mannan-absorbed serum, or mannan-absorbed serum supplemented with MAb B6 or B6.1, (ii) sodium Veronal (5 mM)-buffered saline (142 mM, pH 7.3) containing 0.1% gelatin, 1.5 mM CaCl₂, and 1 mM MgCl₂, and (iii) ¹²⁵I-labeled C3. To study whether MAb B6 or B6.1 plays a role in alternative pathway initiation, yeast cells were incubated in the manner described above except that the binding medium was not supplemented with Ca²⁺ and contained 5 mM EGTA and 5 mM MgCl₂. At various time intervals from 2 to 16 min, 50-μl samples were withdrawn in duplicate and added to 200 μl of phosphate-buffered saline–0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate–20 mM EDTA in Millipore MABX-N12 filter plates fitted with BV 1.2-μm-pore-size filter membranes (Millipore, Bedford, Mass.). The cells were washed with phosphate-buffered saline–0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate, and filter-bound radioactivity was determined with a gamma counter. Nonspecific binding was estimated from cells incubated in NHS containing EDTA and was subtracted from the total counts.Mannan absorption of serum profoundly delayed C3 accumulation on yeast from 2 min to approximately 10 min (Fig. ​(Fig.11 and ​and2).2). However, addition of either MAb B6 or MAb B6.1 at 50 μg per ml of reaction mixture to the absorbed serum generated rapid activation kinetics characteristic of C3 deposition via the classical pathway (Fig. ​(Fig.1)1) (10, 17, 18). This observation was not unexpected, as polyvalent IgM is known to be a potent activator of the classical pathway. Open in a separate windowFIG. 1Effect of MAb B6 or B6.1 on the kinetics of C3 deposition on C. albicans cells via the classical pathway. Yeast cells were incubated in a C3 binding medium containing (i) 40% NHS (•), (ii) 40% mannan-absorbed NHS (○), (iii) 40% mannan-absorbed NHS supplemented with MAb B6 (▴), or (iv) 40% mannan-absorbed NHS supplemented with MAb B6.1 (▿) at 50 μg per ml of reaction mixture. C3 deposition patterns from three independent assays were similar; results from one representative assay are shown.Open in a separate windowFIG. 2Effect of MAb B6 or B6.1 on the kinetics of C3 deposition on C. albicans cells via the alternative pathway. Yeast cells were incubated in a C3 binding medium containing (i) 40% NHS (•), (ii) 40% NHS–EGTA (■), (iii) 40% mannan-absorbed NHS containing EGTA (○), (vi) 40% mannan-absorbed NHS containing EGTA supplemented with MAb B6 (▴), or (iv) 40% mannan-absorbed NHS supplemented with MAb B6.1 (▿) at 50 μg per ml of reaction mixture. C3 deposition patterns from four independent assays were similar; results from one representative assay are shown.The effects of MAbs B6 and B6.1 on activation of the alternative pathway were assessed by addition of the antibodies to mannan-absorbed serum in the presence of EGTA. The results (Fig. ​(Fig.2)2) showed that neither MAb B6 nor MAb B6.1 at 50 μg per ml of reaction mixture altered the alternative pathway activity of the mannan-absorbed serum. To determine whether the inability of MAb B6 or B6.1 to facilitate initiation of the alternative pathway was influenced by antibody concentration, the experiment represented in Fig. ​Fig.22 was repeated with mannan-absorbed serum that was supplemented with 10 to 160 μg of MAb B6 or B6.1 per ml. These antibody concentrations were chosen because in our previous studies we found that affinity-purified human antimannan IgG activates both the classical and alternative pathways (17). However, at 10, 40, or 160 μg per ml of reaction mixture, both antibodies failed to enhance alternative pathway activity of mannan-absorbed serum but promoted classical pathway activity (data not shown).The observation that both MAbs were unable to enhance alternative pathway activity was unexpected. Our previous studies showed that addition of polyclonal antimannan IgG to mannan-absorbed NHS containing EGTA produced C3 binding kinetics that were indistinguishable from the kinetics observed with nonabsorbed NHS containing EGTA (17). We further demonstrated IgG-dependent initiation of the alternative pathway by C. albicans using the six purified alternative pathway proteins (17).There are at least three possible explanations for the failure of MAbs B6 and B6.1 to facilitate activation of the alternative pathway. First, it is possible that antimannan antibodies of the IgM class are unable to enhance C3 deposition via the alternative pathway. However, there is evidence that polyclonal IgM is able to enhance alternative pathway-mediated lysis of rabbit erythrocytes by NHS (11, 14). Second, the ability of an antibody to facilitate deposition of C3 via the alternative pathway could be epitope specific; MAbs B6 and B6.1 could have the wrong epitope specificity. As noted above, Eisenberg and Schwab (2) found that polyclonal antibodies specific for one antigen found on group A streptococcal cell walls were able to facilitate initiation of the alternative pathway, whereas antibodies specific for two other antigens were not. If antibody-facilitated activation of the alternative pathway is dependent on epitope specificity, such a finding might influence strategies for induction of protective immunity to Candida. Optimal immunization may require an immunogen that induces antibodies with epitope specificities needed to facilitate activation of the alternative pathway. Finally, we cannot exclude the possibility that human antimannan antibodies are able to facilitate activation of the alternative pathway, whereas mouse antibodies lack this capability.In studies involving a murine model of disseminated candidiasis, MAb B6.1 was shown to be protective, whereas MAb B6 was not (4). However, the protection mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In an in vitro assay, MAb B6.1 but not MAb B6 was found to enhance candidacidal activity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the presence of fresh mouse serum, suggesting the involvement of mouse complement in the killing (1). Although assessing the role of complement in MAb B6.1-mediated protection was beyond the scope of this study, our observation that the two antibodies mediate similar kinetics of C3 deposition for C. albicans does not preclude the possibility that the composition and/or accessibility of opsonic complement fragments bound to the yeast cells might differ following complement activation by these two antibodies. Alternatively, the concerted action of several protective functions, including activation of the complement system, may be required for MAb B6.1-mediated protection.     

Development of the human elbow joint

Many studies have been published on the development of the human elbow joint, but authors disagree on its morphogenetic timetable. Most discrepancies center on the cavitation of the elbow joint (including the humeroradial, humeroulnar, and superior radioulnar joints), and the organization of the tunnel of the ulnar nerve. We summarize our observations on the development of the elbow joint in 49 serially sectioned human embryonic (n = 28) and fetal (n = 21) upper limbs. During week 12, ossification begins in the epiphyses of the elements comprising the elbow joint. At the end of the embryonic period, the shallow groove between the posterior aspect of the medial epicondyle and the olecranon process, begins to be visible. The elbow joint cavity appears in O'Rahilly stage 21 (51 days) at the level of the humeroulnar and humeroradial interzones. Formation of the cavity begins at the medialmost portion of the humeroradial interzone and the lateralmost portion of the humeroulnar interzone. The annular ligament begins to develop in O'Rahilly stage 21 (51 days), and the superior radioulnar joint cavity appears between this ligament and the lateral aspect of the head of the radius during O'Rahilly stage 23 (56 days). We established the morphogenetic timetable of the human elbow joint.     

Hydrocephalus induced by immunological blockage of the subcommissural organ–Reissner's fiber (RF) complex by maternal transfer of anti-RF antibodies

Stenosis of the cerebral aqueduct seems to be a key event for the development of congenital hydrocephalus. The causes of such a stenosis are not well known. Overholser et al. in 1954 (Anat Rec 120:917-933) proposed the hypothesis that a dysfunction of the subcommissural organ (SCO) leads to aqueductal stenosis and congenital hydrocephalus. The SCO is a brain gland, located at the entrance of the cerebral aqueduct, that secretes glycoproteins into the cerebrospinal fluid that, upon release, assemble into a fibrous structure known as Reissner's fiber (RF). By the permanent addition of new molecules to its rostral end, RF grows and extends along the aqueduct, fourth ventricle, and central canal of the spinal cord. The immunological blockage of the SCO-RF complex has been used to test Overholser's hypothesis. The following was the sequence of events occurring in pregnant rats that had been immunized with RF glycoproteins: the mother produced anti-RF antibodies and transferred them to the fetus through the placenta and to the pup through the milk, and the antibodies reached the brain of the fetus and pup and blocked the SCO-RF complex. This resulted in a permanent absence of RF that was followed by stenosis of the cerebral aqueduct, and then by the appearance of hydrocephalus. The latter was patent until the end of the 6-month observation period. The chronic hydrocephalic state appeared, in turn, to induce new alterations of the SCO. It is concluded that a selective immunological knock out of the SCO-RF complex leads to hydrocephalus.     

The Drosophila projectin mutant,bent D,has reduced stretch activation and altered indirect flight muscle kinetics

Projectin is a ca. 900 kDa protein that is a member of the titin protein superfamily. In skeletal muscle titins are involved in the longitudinal reinforcement of the sarcomere by connecting the Z-band to the M-line. In insect indirect flight muscle (IFM), projectin is believed to form the connecting filaments that link the Z-band to the thick filaments and is responsible for the high relaxed stiffness found in this muscle type. The Drosophila mutant bent ^D (bt ^D ) has been shown to have a breakpoint close to the carboxy-terminal kinase domain of the projectin sequence. Homozygotes for bt ^D are embryonic lethal but heterozygotes (bt ^D /+) are viable. Here we show that bt ^D /+ flies have normal flight ability and a slightly elevated wing beat frequency (bt ^D /+ 223 ± 13 Hz; +/+203 ± 5 Hz, mean ± SD; P < 0.01). Electron microscopy of bt ^D /+ IFM show normal ultrastructure but skinned fiber mechanics show reduced stretch activation and oscillatory work. Although bt ^D /+ IFM power output was at wild-type levels, maximum power was achieved at a higher frequency of applied length perturbation (bt ^D /+ 151 ± 6 Hz; +/+ 102 ± 14 Hz; P < 0.01). Results were interpreted in the context of a viscoelastic model of the sarcomere and indicate altered cross-bridge kinetics of the power-producing step. These results show that the bt ^D mutation reduces oscillatory work in a way consistent with the proposed role of the connecting filaments in the stretch activation response of IFM.