CXCR4 and CCR5 expression on CD4+ T cells in vivo and HIV-1 antigen beta-chemokine production in vitro after treatment with HIV-1 immunogen (REMUNE)

BACKGROUND: The chemokine receptors CXCR4 and CCR5 have been identified as the major coreceptors for HIV-1 on CD4+ cells and macrophages. The natural ligands for these receptors are SDF-1 and the beta-chemokines (MIP-1alpha, MIP-1beta, RANTES), respectively, and are the products of a variety of immune cells, including CD8+ T lymphocytes. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS: We hypothesized that the ability to stimulate the natural ligands for these receptors using an immune based therapy might influence in vivo chemokine receptor expression. RESULTS: In vivo CXCR4 expression remained stable after treatment with an HIV-1 Immunogen (REMUNE), whereas CCR5 expression on CD4+ T cells decreased (p < .05). Furthermore, HIV-1 antigen-specific production of beta-chemokines in vitro was also augmented (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results suggest that this HIV-1-specific immune-based therapy can stimulate antigen-specific beta-chemokine production in vitro and downregulate CCR5 receptor expression on CD4 cells in vivo.     

In-vitro recombination in rad and rnc mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Summary Extracts of S. cerevisiae cells can catalyze homologous recombination between plasmids in vitro. Extracts prepared from rad50, rad52 or rad54 disruption mutants all have reduced recombinational activity compared to wild-type. The rad52 and rad54 extracts are more impaired in the recombination of plasmids containing double-strand breaks than of intact plasmids, whereas rad50 extracts are deficient equally for both types of substrate. The nuclease RhoNuc (previously designated yNucR), encoded by the RNC1 (previously designated NUC2) gene and regulated by the RAD52 gene, is not required for recombination when one substrate is single-stranded but is essential for the majority of recombination events when both substrates are double-stranded. Furthermore, elimination of this nuclease restores recombination in rad52 extracts to levels comparable to those in wild-type extracts.     

Teenagers' health concerns: implications for primary health care professionals.

Four hundred and eighty five students, aged 13-15 years, at nine comprehensive schools in the London borough of Brent completed a questionnaire about health-related behaviours and health concerns. Among general health concerns, most prominent were weight, acne, nutrition and exercise. There appeared to be a considerable unmet need to discuss sexual development, sexually transmitted diseases and contraception. A substantial proportion (16% of the girls and 3% of the boys) reported sexual abuse, but few wished to discuss this with a doctor or nurse. Although a relatively high percentage of the students smoked and a smaller percentage used alcohol or drugs regularly, there was little concern or interest in discussing these matters with a health professional. Most of the schools did not have a formal health education programme, and in none of them were health professionals available for discussion of the issues under study. There appears to be a need for more comprehensive health education in schools and for primary health care professionals, particularly general practitioners to raise these issues opportunistically with their teenage patients.     

Disk diffusion testing with polymyxin and amikacin for differentiation of Mycobacterium fortuitum and Mycobacterium chelonei.

Disk diffusion is one method of susceptibility testing of the Mycobacterium fortuitum complex to antibacterial agents. We utilized disks of polymyxin B (300 U), amikacin, and kanamycin to determine whether they could also be used for species identification when compared with standard biochemical methods. With the polymyxin disk, 100% of 75 M. fortuitum strains produced zones of inhibition, whereas none (0%) of 58 Mycobacterium chelonei subspecies abscessus and chelonei strains had any zone of inhibition. With the amikacin disk, 99% of M. fortuitum biovariant fortuitum had zones of greater than or equal to 30 mm compared with 6% of M. chelonei. The rare M. chelonei-like organisms gave variable results, and 42% of the unnamed "third group" biovariant of M. fortuitum exhibited an unusual but diagnostic pattern of small zone sizes to amikacin and no zone to kanamycin. The kanamycin disk was otherwise not helpful, although it resulted in larger zone sizes for M. chelonei than did amikacin. Thus, disk diffusion susceptibilities which include these disks (especially polymyxin) will provide presumptive evidence of species as well as susceptibility data.     

Comparison between testosterone oenanthate-induced azoospermia and oligozoospermia in a male contraceptive study. IV. Suppression of endogenous testicular and adrenal androgens

Administration of supraphysiological doses of testosterone to normal men causes inhibition of spermatogenesis, but while most become azoospermic, 30-55% maintain a low rate of spermatogenesis. We have investigated whether there are differences in endogenous androgen production, of testicular and adrenal origin, which may be related to the degree of suppression of spermatogenesis. Thirty-three healthy Caucasian men were given weekly i.m. injections of 200 mg testosterone oenanthate (TE), 18 became azoospermic, while 15 remained oligozoospermic. Urinary excretion of epitestosterone, a specific testicular product, was reduced to <10% of pretreatment values, with no differences between the groups. Similar results were obtained for other markers of testicular steroidogenesis. Urinary and plasma adrenal androgens were also reduced during TE treatment: a statistically significant decrease in both (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05 respectively) was seen in the azoospermic but not oligozoospermic responders. These results suggest that testicular steroidogenesis is decreased to <10% by the administration of supraphysiological doses of exogenous testosterone. Differences in the degree of ongoing steroidogenesis in the testis do not appear to account for incomplete suppression of spermatogenesis, thus differences in androgen metabolism may underlie this heterogeneous response. A small but significant reduction in secretion of adrenal androgens was also detectable, the relevance of which is unclear.      

Diagnostic issues in a family with late onset type 2 neurofibromatosis.

We report a family with type 2 neurofibromatosis and late onset tumours. Five members of this family have developed hearing loss late in life, two of whom have only been shown to have the diagnosis in their seventies, and three other obligate gene carriers died undiagnosed at 64, 72, and 78 years of age. A missense mutation at the C-terminal end of the NF2 protein has been identified in this family and segregates with disease. The use of highly polymorphic markers for predictive testing is also shown. There appears to be an autosomal dominant form of spinocerebellar degeneration which is segregating separately to NF2 in this family, which created a diagnostic dilemma.     

Sequence analysis of cDNAs for the human and bovine ATP synthase β subunit: mitochondrial DNA genes sustain seventeen times more mutations

We have cloned and sequenced human and bovine cDNAs for the subunit of the ATP synthase (ATP-synß), a nuclear DNA (nDNA) encoded oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) gene. The two cDNAs were found to share 99% amino acid homology and 94% nucleotide homology. The evolutionary rate of ATPsynß was then compared with that of two mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) ATP synthase genes (ATPase 6 and 8), seven other mtDNA OXPHOS genes, and a number of nuclear genes. The synonymous substitution rate for ATPsynß proved to be 1.9 × 10^–9 substitutions per site per year (substitutions × site^–1 × year^–1) (SSY). This is less than 1/2 that of the average nDNA gene, 1/12 the rate of ATPase 6 and 8, and 1/17 the rate of the average mtDNA gene. The synonymous and replacement substitution rates were used to calculate a new parameter, the selective constraint ratio. This revealed that even the most variable mtDNA protein was more constrained than the average nDNA protein. Thus, the high substitution mutation rate and strong selective constraints of mammalian mtDNA proteins suggest that mtDNA mutations may result in a disproportionately large number of human hereditary diseases of OXPHOS.     

Inherited resistance to Corynebacterium kutscheri in mice.

An analysis of the factors responsible for inherited resistance to Corynebacterium kutscheri was undertaken. Various inbred mouse strains were examined; these included the Swiss Lynch and C57Bl/l mice, their F1 and F2 progeny, and the progeny of the F1 backcrossed to each parent strain. Two modes of inherited resistance are described. An examination suggested that resistance as measured by the mean lethal dose of C. kutscheri was under polygenic control and was inherited continuously. However, the efficiency with which C. kutscheri was eliminated by the mononuclear phagocyte cells of the liver over 3 days differed markedly among strains. A genetic analysis of this mononuclear phagocyte microbicidal efficiency (MPME) in Swiss Lynch and C57Bl/6 mice was undertaken. The trait, MPME, was present, but did not segregate, in the F1 progeny or in the progeny of the backcross to the resistant C57Bl/6 parent; this was clear evidence of dominance. Moreover, MPME segregated in a ratio of 1:1 in the progeny of the backcross to the sensitive Swiss Lynch parent and in a ratio of 3:1 in the F2 progeny. It was concluded that MPME was inherited discontinuously and was controlled by a single dominant autosomal gene (or closely linked group); the recessive allele was assigned the gene symbol ack. Linkage experiments showed there to be no association between the ack locus and any of the immune-response genes.     

Mapping of a visceral leishmaniasis-specific immunodominant B-cell epitope of Leishmania donovani Hsp70.

We have shown that a member of the 70-kDa heat shock protein (Hsp70) family is a major target of the humoral immune response during Leishmania donovani infection. A recombinant fusion protein was recognized by sera from 92% (35 of 38) of patients with visceral leishmaniasis, including representatives from each of the major regions where it is endemic. Serological analysis of recombinant Hsp70, expressed by a series of deletion constructs, identified the carboxy-terminal region as the immunodominant site. This region, which is the most evolutionarily divergent part of the molecule, was recognized by all sera from patients with visceral leishmaniasis which exhibited an anti-Hsp70 response. Purified recombinant L. donovani Hsp70 was not recognized by sera from patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis, Chagas' disease, leprosy, malaria, or schistosomiasis. To determine the regions involved in antibody recognition, a series of overlapping peptides were synthesized on polyethylene pins by the Pepscan method, and a hexamer, EADDRA, was identified by the visceral leishmaniasis serum samples as an immunodominant B-cell epitope.