Role of interferon in lethality and lymphoid atrophy induced by Coxsackievirus B3 infection in mice.

To assess the importance of interferon (IFN) in the pathology of coxsackievirus B3 (CVB-3) infection, we evaluated both mortality rate and lymphoid involution in young adult BALB/C mice infected with lethal doses of the virus and treated either with anti-IFN antibody or with murine IFN-alpha/beta. Administration of antibody to IFN caused a profound worsening of the pathology and an increase in the mortality rate in infected animals. Treatment with murine IFN exerted a significant ameliorative effect on lethality when administered concomitantly with or soon after virus infection. The extent of this protection was correlated with the plasma levels of exogenous or endogenous IFN at 6 h postinfection, whereas no correlation with IFN titers was found later. The effects of IFN apparently were not directly mediated by antiviral effects, because at the times studied, no relation was found between IFN levels and virus titers, at least in the plasma of the infected animals. Lymphoid atrophy, assessed by measuring spleen weight, was only partially reversed by early IFN treatment. These data suggest that IFN production is critical during the early phases of infection, whereas it does not seem to play a significant protective role at later stages.     

Membrane alteration responsible for the induction of gamma interferon.

Induction of gamma interferon in human lymphoid cells cultures appears to be dependent upon specific membrane-mediated events and calcium flux. Since blastic response had been observed after enzymic oxidation of membrane-bound galactose residues, we used this system to study the nature of membrane alterations responsible for the activation of interferon induction. The results of these experiments suggest that a membrane oxidation is essential for interferon induction and depletion of calcium abolishes interferon production. In addition, we have shown that interferon induction by concanavalin A, phytohemagglutinin, and staphylococcal enterotoxin A, but not by galactose oxidase is prevented by cleavage of N-acetylneuraminic acid residues. Thus, interferon induction in human lymphoid cell cultures by galactose oxidase, concanavalin A, phytohemagglutinin, staphylococcal enterotoxin A, and NaIO4 appears to reside in terminal oligosaccharides of the cell membrane. How this specific membrane event relates to the derepression of the interferon locus is being actively pursued.     

Serum Interferon (IFN)-Neutralizing Antibodies and Bioactivities of IFNs in Patients with Severe Type II Essential Mixed Cryoglobulinemia

The efficacy of alpha interferon (IFN-α) in the treatment of severe type II essential mixed cryoglobulinemia (EMC) has been reported previously. In some patients, the development of neutralizing antibodies to recombinant IFN-α (rIFN-α) can affect the clinical response achieved with rIFN-α; a second treatment with natural IFN-α preparations may reinduce the clinical response. In the present study the ability of leukocyte IFN (LeIFN) to restore the response was investigated from a pharmacodynamic viewpoint. Specifically, the pharmacodynamic profiles of different IFN-α preparations were studied by measuring the serum neopterin levels and the levels of expression of protein MxA mRNA in in vivo peripheral blood mononuclear cells in two patients with EMC whose resistance to rIFN-α2a treatment increased concomitantly with the development of neutralizing antibodies. These markers were measured before injection and at 24 and 48 h after a single injection of rIFN-α2a, consensus IFN [(C)IFN], or LeIFN. No increase or only a slight increase in MxA mRNA levels was detectable after administration of rIFN-α2a or (C)IFN, whereas a significant increase (≥10-fold) in MxA mRNA expression was recorded following administration of LeIFN. The neutralizing antibodies to rIFN-α2a cross-react with (C)IFN. Sera from these patients neutralized most but not all of the subtypes present in the natural IFN-α (LeIFN) mixture, and no significant increase in neopterin levels was observed after these patients were switched to LeIFN treatment. In summary, the data demonstrate that the problem of neutralizing antibodies still exists and that LeIFN may induce an increase in the level of MxA mRNA expression but not an increase in neopterin levels in patients who are resistant to treatment with rIFN-α2a or (C)IFN.     

Recombinant gp120 induces IL-10 in resting peripheral blood mononuclear cells; correlation with the induction of other cytokines.

Immunological abnormalities present in HIV-1-infected individuals often reflect an imbalance of cytokine production. The HIV-1 gp120 has the ability to induce a number of cytokines, and to enhance immunoglobulin release by normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in vitro, in the absence of IL-2 production and of lymphoproliferation. This study provides evidence that gp120 is a potent IL-10 inducer in normal PBMC cultures. The pattern of other cytokines induced by gp120 includes interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) and IFN-gamma, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-6, IL-1 alpha and -beta, and not IL-2 and IL-4. These findings further define the pattern of cytokine release induced by gp120 on human resting PBMC. Furthermore, the present findings roughly parallel those observed both in the sera of patients and in the mononuclear cells from HIV+ individuals early after infection, suggesting that gp120 could be a good candidate as one of the agents responsible for cytokine dysregulation observed in HIV-1-infected individuals.     

Isoform-specific associations of CD45 with accessory molecules in human T lymphocytes.

Association of CD45 with surface molecules was investigated in human T lymphocytes by co-capping. CD45 appeared to be associated with the CD3/T cell receptor complex and with CD4 or CD8 molecules in memory, but not in naive T cells, as previously reported in the mouse. Associations of CD45 isoforms with accessory molecules were then identified with seven anti-CD45R monoclonal antibodies (mAb). An isoform-specific association pattern was observed: CD2 co-capped with CD45 molecules recognized by UCHL1 mAb (CD45R0). LFA-1 with molecules bound by 2H4 mAb (CD45RA), and both CD4 and CD8 with molecules reacting with MCA.347 mAb (whose isoform specificity was not known). Further information on the CD45 isoform(s) associated to CD4 and CD8 was sought by assessing the isoform specificity of MCA.347. Cross-competition experiments showed that it reacts with an epitope clearly different from those recognized by 2H4 and UCHL1, and only partially overlapping the PD7/26 epitope (CD45RB). Moreover, the competition between MCA.347 and PD7/26 was maximal in naive T cells and minimal both in memory T cells and in a subset expressing CD11b, a marker of granular lymphocytes. Immunoprecipitation experiments showed that MCA.347 binds to CD45 molecules with a molecular mass of 220, 205 and 190 kDa, the 190-kDa molecules not being recognized by 2H4, PD7/26 or UCHL1. These data indicate that MCA.347 recognizes amino acid sequences different from those coded by the exon A or B of the gene, and not expressed by CD45R0, suggesting that it binds to sequences coded by the exon C. In conclusion, this work shows that in human T cells different CD45 isoforms are associated to different surface molecules: LFA-1 is associated to CD45RA, CD2 to CD45R0 and CD4 and CD8 presumably to CD45RC. This peculiar behavior of CD45 suggests that it may play a crucial role in lymphocyte activation, probably by modulating the signals delivered to the cell by different receptor systems.     

Lipid peroxidation in fatty liver induced by caffeine in rats.

An increase in lipid peroxidation has been found in liver after poisoning with hepatotoxic substances and following dietary changes, i.e. choline-devoid diet and orotic acid-rich diet. In this study we analysed in the rat a model of fatty liver induced by administration of caffeine. The results seem to indicate an increased peroxidability in the liver of caffeine-treated animals, due to an increase in triglyceride content. A decrease of vitamin E which also occurs might contribute to the lipid peroxidation.     

Host cell antigenic profile acquired by HIV-1 is a marker of its cellular origin

Summary HIV-1 acquires cell membrane proteins during budding. The cell membrane proteins (CMP) profile of laboratory HIV-1 strains grown in different host cells was established, by using an immobilized antibody capture (IAC), to verify whether CMPs present on HIV-1 correlate with its host cell origin. HIV-1 grown in different cell lines incorporates cell markers such as CD3, CD19, CD14, CD31 and IL 2-R, according to the distinctive expression of these antigens on the host cells. Furthermore, also T-tropic and monocytotropic HIV-1 strains display host cell specific markers, supporting the hypothesis that virus associated CMPs are a marker of host cell origin.     

RFLPs of the phenylalanine hydroxylase gene in the Italian population

Summary Different mutations of the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene leading to phenylketonuria (PKU) have been described associated with specific haplotypes in several European countries. In order to investigate the distribution of DNA haplotypes in Italy, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the PAH gene was performed in nine Italian PKU patients from eight unrelated families, and in the available relatives. The analysis of eight polymorphic sites revealed haplotypes 1 and 6 in association with PKU. This pattern appears to differ from those reported for other European populations.The majority of the 14 PKU subjects studied showed compound heterozygosity for different haplotypes, as observed for other European series.RFLP analysis at the PAH locus allowed us to offer the possibility of prenatal diagnosis to six of the studied families. One prenatal diagnosis was performed and a normal fetus was diagnosed.     

Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) production by human intestinal mononuclear cells. Response to virus in control subjects and in Crohn''s disease.

The virus induced production of interferon alpha by human intestinal lamina propria mononuclear cells was investigated. Intestinal and autologous peripheral cells from control subjects and patients with Crohn's disease were cultured in vitro with and without stimulation with the Newcastle disease virus. Interferon alpha was measured and characterised in the culture supernatants after 12 hours and the kinetics of production was evaluated over the following four days of culture. No detectable interferon alpha was found in cultures of unstimulated intestinal and autologous peripheral mononuclear cells from controls and Crohn's disease whereas interferon alpha was released in all cultures stimulated with the virus. In all 12 hours experiments in both groups, virus stimulated intestinal mononuclear cells yielded significantly less interferon alpha than the autologous peripheral cells. The kinetics experiments showed that control intestinal mononuclear cells appeared to be poorly responsive to virus stimulation showing a release of interferon alpha significantly lower than that of the autologous peripheral cells. The interferon alpha release at day 4 by control cells (either intestinal or peripheral) did not differ from that measured after the first 12 hours. In contrast, the interferon alpha produced by Crohn's disease cells progressively increased during the culture period and the amount of interferon alpha measured at day 4 was significantly higher than that released at 12 hours. These data suggest that normal human intestinal mononuclear cells are down regulated in their capability of producing interferon alpha and that in Crohn's disease their activation for this function is enhanced. These data also suggest that in Crohn's disease intestinal mononuclear cells exhibit a transient hyporesponsiveness to in vitro stimulation possibly related to massive in vivo exposure to interferon alpha inducers.