Annales De L'institut Pasteur. Immunologie 

About: Annales De L'institut Pasteur. Immunologie is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Antigen & Antibody. Over the lifetime, 984 publications have been published receiving 10856 citations.

Somatic generation of antibody diversity.

Abstract: Hybridization of lambda-mRNAs to excess liver DNA yielded results compatible with gene reiteration frequencies of three or less. Purified mRNA from tumors producing structurally different lambda chains were used in competition hybridization experiments. An unlabeled lambda-mRNA competed with another, labelled mRNA to the same extent as homologous unlabelled lambda-mRNA. Mouse DNA was digested with Eco R-I restriction endonuclease and fractionated by gel electrophoresis. A DNA fragment carrying the V lambda-gene(s) was indentified in this digest. This fragment hybridized with lambda-mRNAs coding for two different lambdaV regions equally well. These results indicate that base sequence homology among lambda-mRNAs is so high that any lambda-mRNA should cross-hybridize with all or most of germ line V lambda genes. From amino acid sequence data, it is argued that there are probably more than 25 different lambdaV regions. Hence it is concluded that the number of germ line genes is too small to account for the diversity of lambda chains.

Murine cutaneous leishmaniasis: susceptibility correlates with differential expansion of helper T-cell subsets.

Abstract: BALB/c mice develop fatal illness following infection with Leishmania major despite expansion of helper L3T4+ T cells in the draining lymph nodes and spleen Healer mice, either genetically resistant C57BL/6 or BALB/c that have been pretreated with monoclonal antibody GK 15, also develop expanded numbers of L3T4+ T cells at the time of healing Lymph node cells from healer mice produce gamma-interferon in vitro and message for gamma-interferon can be recovered from the lymph nodes during healing in vivo Conversely, cells harvested from non-healer mice during the course of infection produce minimal gamma-interferon in vitro and have little message for gamma-interferon detectable in vivo When the same Northern blots are hybridized for IL-4, large amounts of IL-4 message are detected only in cells from non-healer mice The data are consistent with the expansion of type 1 helper cells (Th1) during healing and type 2 helper cells (Th2) during progressive leishmania infection

A synaptic basis for T-lymphocyte activation.

Abstract: T lymphocytes respond to foreign antigen by forming specialized junctions with antigen-presenting cells (APC) or target cells. A hypothesis is presented, illustrating the similarity between the T-cell recognition-activation process and the cell communication processes found in other organ systems, especially the nervous system. Based on data showing that a major neuronal protein, Thy-1, is also a mitogenic site on T cells, and based on predictions for the structures of the T-cell receptor (TcR) and Ia proteins, an activation model is presented as follows. 1) The T-cell receptor initiates cell-cell contact with the APC by interacting with Ia and antigen, forming an antigen-binding site. 2) Sets of adhesion molecules then bind, focusing the interacting proteins to the junctional site. One binding protein, L3/T4, binds Ia and concentrates the Ia molecules to the contact site. 3) The two-chain TcR then links together the TcR-Ia-antigen complexes, forming a linear chain of receptors which will self-associate once reaching a critical length, forming a cluster. This cluster juxtaposes associated channel subunits, the T3 membrane molecules, creating an ion channel, stimulating the T cell. 4) The MHC molecule is structurally a part of this activation complex, and therefore also forms a cluster on the APC surface, possibly activating the presenting cell. 5) Secretory products are then released into the synaptic site allowing for efficient and directed cell-cell communication. Cytolytic class-I-restricted cells use a similar pathway to focus the effect of cytolytic proteins. This analogy views neuronal communication and lymphoid recognition as evolutionary descendents of a primordial lymphocytic type of cell interaction.

Natural antibodies against tubulin, actin, myoglobin, thyroglobulin, fetuin, albumin and transferrin are present in normal human sera and monoclonal immunoglobulins from multiple myeloma and Waldenström's macroglobulinemia may express similar antibody specificities

Abstract: Sera from a pool of 800 healthy donors and from 3 individual healthy donors were passed through tubulin, actin, thyroglobulin, myoglobin, fetuin, transferrin and albumin immunoadsorbents. Proteins were eluted in all the immunosorbents and were found to be essentially composed of the three major Ig classes and albumin. The isolated Ig fractions were shown to react specifically, via their Fab fragment with the antigens and were specifically inhibited by them. These results strongly suggest that natural antibodies against the seven antigens are present in normal human serum, and probably against a high variety of self antigens. These results prompted us to search in the sera of patients with monoclonal gammapathies, paraproteins having natural antibody-like function. Among the 62 sera studied 3 were shown to react with actin and 1 with tubulin. Most important, these 4 monoclonal immunoglobulins exhibited similar specificities to that found with natural antibodies. This seems to indicate, that at least for some patients, the monoclonal immunoglobulins produced may represent the expansion of a clone producing a natural antibody.