Amyloidosis and the serum amyloid A protein response to muramyl dipeptide analogs and different mycobacterial species.

Serum amyloid A protein (SAA) elevation accompanies induction of secondary amyloidosis in mice given Mycobacterium butyricum in Freund adjuvant. The synthesis of SAA by cultured hepatocytes is induced by a macrophage-derived mediator, which has been identified as interleukin 1. In these studies, SAA synthesis has been used as an index of macrophage activation to examine the in vivo response of mice to challenge with seven different mycobacteria and with synthetic analogs of the immunoadjuvant N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine [MDP(L-D)]. SAA synthesis was stimulated by administration (by the intraperitoneal route) of the mycobacteria dissolved in saline, with Mycobacterium vaccae being the most active and Mycobacterium leprae being the least stimulatory. MDP(L-D), which is the minimal structure (molecular weight, 492) able to substitute for mycobacteria in Freund adjuvant, stimulated SAA synthesis, whereas the MDP(D-D) isomer was inactive. The butyl ester of MDP, which induces no detectable pyrogenicity but retains adjuvanticity, required a 100-fold greater dosage than MDP(L-D) in stimulating SAA synthesis. Amyloidosis was detected histologically only when active SAA inducers MDP(L-D), M. vaccae, and M. butyricum, were administered in incomplete Freund adjuvant, with amyloid-enhancing factor. These studies demonstrated that SAA elevation was a sensitive in vivo marker of the capacity of antigens to stimulate macrophages to produce interleukin 1. A point of considerable relevance to the human use of MDP was the observation that repeated injections of the adjuvant MDP in saline did not induce secondary amyloidosis.     

Transfer by bone marrow cells of increased natural resistance to Klebsiella pneumoniae induced by lipopolysaccharide in genetically deficient C3H/He mice.

In a previous study we demonstrated that lipopolysaccharide failed to elicit nonspecific resistance in C3H/He lipopolysaccharide low-responder mice against Klebsiella infection in contrast to its activity in a closely related histocompatible high-responder subline, C3HeB/Fe. Complete restoration of lipopolysaccharide-induced protection against 10(5) Klebsiella was obtained in the present study by transferring bone marrow from high-responder mice to the highly deficient C3H/He mice. The ability of C3H/He mice to clear and destroy bacteria in 5 h was also transferred by C3HeB/Fe marrow cells. In contrast, when high-responder C3HeB/Fe mice were reconstituted with low-responder bone marrow, the clearance and destruction of K. pneumoniae were similar to what is observed in the high-responder strain, but survival was only temporary. Collectively, our data show that the failure of C3H/He mice to respond to lipopolysaccharide with nonspecific immunity is due to a defect in two types of bone-marrow-derived cells--radioresistant and radiosensitive.     

Macrophage stimulation in vitro by an inactive muramyl dipeptide derivative after conjugation to a multi-poly(DL-alanyl)-poly(L-lysine) carrier

It has been previously reported that N-acetyl-muramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine (MDP), which represents the minimal structure that can substitute for mycobacteria in Freund complete adjuvant, activated macrophages in vitro and in vivo. In the present study we show that, in contrast to MDP, the nonadjuvant MDP(DD) stereoisomer has no effect on cytostatic activity of thioglycolate-induced macrophages as measured by uptake of [3H]thymidine. However, surprisingly, after conjugation to an inert carrier, multi-poly(DL-alanyl)-poly(L-lysine), this compound activates macrophages in vitro and becomes at least as effective as MDP. It has also been shown in other studies that after conjugation MDP(DD) remained devoid of antigenicity and of adjuvant activity although such a conjugate could increase resistance to infection. It, therefore, appears that there exists no correlation between the structure required for adjuvant activity and the structure required for macrophage activation or for enhancement of nonspecific immunity.     

Immunostimulant activities of a lipophilic muramyl dipeptide derivative and of desmuramyl peptidolipid analogs.

The immunostimulant properties of a new muramyl dipeptide (MDP) derivative bearing a lipophilic moiety on the C-terminal end of the peptide chain are described. It is shown, in particular, that 1,O-(acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine-L-alanyl)-glycerol-3-mycolate had increased immunostimulant activity in comparison with MDP. It induced hypersensitivity even when administered with an antigen in saline, and it gave higher protection against bacterial infections than did MDP. A quite unexpected finding was obtained with the corresponding desmuramyl compound 1,O-(L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine-L-alanyl)-glycerol-3-mycolate, which had no activity in producing humoral antibodies but was just as active as the muramic acid-containing compound in stimulating nonspecific resistance to bacterial infections. It was not pyrogenic. Modifications of the peptide moiety or the lipid moiety of this peptidolipid led to decrease, or even loss, of activity. These results show the importance of the N-acetylmuramyl moiety in MDP for humoral antibody production. The peptidolipid 1,O-(L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine-L-alanyl)-glycerol-3-mycolate is the first member of a new category of nonspecific immunostimulants.     

Predominance of null mutations in ataxia-telangiectasia

Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is an autosomal recessive disorder involving cerebellar degeneration, immunodeficiency, chromosomal instability, radiosensitivity and cancer predisposition. The responsible gene, ATM, was recently identified by positional cloning and found to encode a putative 350 kDa protein with a Pl 3-kinase-like domain, presumably involved in mediating cell cycle arrest in response to radiation-induced DNA damage. The nature and location of A-T mutations should provide insight into the function of the ATM protein and the molecular basis of this pleiotropic disease. Of 44 A-T mutations identified by us to date, 39 (89%) are expected to inactivate the ATM protein by truncating it, by abolishing correct initiation or termination of translation, or by deleting large segments. Additional mutations are four smaller in-frame deletions and insertions, and one substitution of a highly conserved amino acid at the Pl 3-kinase domain. The emerging profile of mutations causing A-T is thus dominated by those expected to completely inactivate the ATM protein. ATM mutations with milder effects may result in phenotypes related, but not identical, to A-T.