I and i antigens of human erythrocytes : their detection by means of immunofluorescence technic and their changes during ontogenesis]

I and i antigens were detected by indirect immunofluorescence on human erythrocytes. 80% of the cord blood cells were brightly fluorescent with anti-i, 15% only with anti-I. In adult blood, this ratio is reversed, 2% only of the cells being intensively labelled with anti-i. The percentages characteristic of adult blood are established within the first 8 months of life.     

Absence of relationship between erythrocyte and viral antigen expressed on the surface of chick erythrocytes]

Anti-gs antisera were tested on embryo and adult Chick erythrocytes. Specific immunsera directed against Chick embryo or adult erythrocyte antigens have been tested on Hamster cell lines infected with the Rous virus. Results demonstrate that the erythrocyte and viral antigens are different.     

Lysis of Rous sarcoma virus in the presence of anti-chicken fibroblast serum and complement]

Rous sarcoma virus produced by Chick embryo fibroblasts is inactivated by an antiserum prepared against uninfected fibroblasts in the presence, but not in the absence, of complement. This inactivation which demonstrates the presence of one or more antigens of the surface of the producer cell on the viral envelope, is due to virolysis. This is demonstrated by the release of the viral internal proteins and by the fact that the viral RNA becomes entirely degradable by RNase.     

Über die Beeinträchtigung der Wirkung von Spindelgiften in der Zellkultur durch menschliches Serum sowie durch Seren verschiedener Tierspezies

Summary Chick embryo fibroblasts, cultivatedin vitro, require higher concentrations of podophyllotoxin derivatives for complete mitotic arrest when the medium contains human adult or cord serum than when it contains horse, bovine, guinea pig, rat, mouse, or cock serum. This difference is due to a higher binding capacity of human serum for these compounds. No such difference was found with a colchicine and a peltatin derivative.     

Passive transfer of resistance in rabbits infested with adult Ixodes ricinus L: humoral factors influence feeding and egg laying.

Parital immunity against the bites of female I. ricinus was transferred to normal rabbits by inoculating immune serum from resistant animals. Transferred humoral factors diminished the weight of the ticks' blood meal by 29% and increased the feeding period by about 1 day in comparison with ectoparasites engorged on controls. They provoked also the failure of egg laying by female I. ricinus. Only 55% of ticks fed on treated rabbits laid eggs (94% on controls). The immunological state of immune serum donors or recipients was studied and the IgG and homocytotropic specific anti-I. ricinus antibodies were identified. The immediate hypersensitivity of rabbits' skin was also controlled.     

Cytochemical analysis of nucleic acid and protein synthesis in fibroblasts treated in vitro by trimethoprim]

Chick embryo fibroblasts cultivated in vitro are treated with trimethoprim. The mitotic activity is strongly depressed. DNA and overall RNA and protein syntheses are inhibited. However, these effects are observed only when the concentration of the drug in the culture medium is relatively high.     

Mode of action at the cellular level of new thiopyrimidines with antimitotic properties]

New thiopyrimidine derivatives have been synthesized. Among them, several inhibit the multiplication of Chick embryo cells cultivated in vitro: they provoke strong nucleolar alterations, prevent the cells from entering into mitosis and can give rise to cell polyploidisation as to DNA.     

Influence of progesterone on protein and RNA synthesis in cultured chick embryo liver cells.

Chick embryo liver primary cultures, when added with progesterone, exhibit, in comparison with the controls, a normal growth, a decline of both 3H-uridine uptake and incorporation into total RNA, a decline of 3H-leucine and 14C serine incorporation into the proteins. Progesterone is not able to stimulate phosvitin synthesis induction.     

Evidence for changes in cell shape from a 2-dimensional to a 3-dimensional substrate.

Chick embryo mesoderm cells were explanted to culture systems in vivo and in vitro and their subsequent movements were correlated with the external morphology as studied by SEM. In vitro cell movements are exaggerations of normal in vivo movements where a 2-dimensional substrate is encountered rather than a 3-dimensional environment.     

Electrophoretic profiles of proteins and glycoproteins of chick embryo fibroblasts during development]

The variations of proteins and glycoproteins of Chick embryo fibroblasts are studied during development. This investigation is carried out using polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis in SDS. Two glycoproteins of high apparent molecular weight (250,000 and 200,000) undergo quantitative modification: they increase from the 8th to 12th day of development and then remain unchanged to the 16th day. They are cell surface components as suggested by fluorescamine labelling and trypsin sensitivity. The results are discussed in terms of relationship between tumor- and embryo cells.     

Correlation between the loss of plasmid DNA and the transition from virulent phase I to avirulent phase II in Shigella sonnei

Transition from virulent phase I to non virulent phase II in five strains of Shigella sonnei was studied by immunofluorescence and plasmid electrophoresis. High frequency loss of phase I specific antigens was observed by use of fluorescent phase specific antibodies. Agarose gel electrophoresis of bacterial lysates showed that transition from phase I to phase II is associated with the loss of extrachromosomal DNA.     

Effects and duration of resistance acquired by rabbits on feeding and egg laying in Ixodes ricinus L.

Rabbits gradually developed a resistance against Ixodes ricinus ticks as a result of sequential experimental infestations. The resistance was characterized by an increase duration of feeding, by ticks engorging to a smaller extent and by reduced egg production. Once established, the immunity persisted for at least 9 months. Changes in the titre of circulating anti-I. ricinus antibodies was measured by indirect immunofluorescence.     

Scanning electron microscopy study of spinal cord nerve cells from chick embryos cultured in vitro with poly-L-lysine]

Chick embryo nerve cells from the lumbo-sacral spinal cord have been isolated by trypsinisation and cultivated in Rose chambers on polylysine-L as a substrate. The cells are analysed by scanning electron microscopy. The mode of adherence of these cells to the substrate and the modifications of the surface of the neuroblasts during their transformation into neurocytes are studied.     

Influence of progesterone on protein and RNA synthesis in cultured chick embryo liver cells

Summary Chick embryo liver primary cultures, when added with progesterone, exhibit, in comparison with the controls, a normal growth, a decline of both³H-uridine uptake and incorporation into total RNA, a decline of³H-leucine and¹⁴C serine incorporation into the proteins. Progesterone is not able to stimulate phosvitin synthesis induction.These studies were supported in part by the Italian CNR grants.     

Nachweis von Nahrungsmittel-Antikörpern mittels der Hämagglutination

Summary By means of ahaemo-agglutination test using erythrocytes sensitised with tannic acid, we were able to demonstrate the presence of cow's milk antibodies in humans. The use of the haemo-agglutination test enables us now to give exact information on the titer value of the antibody in human serum. Previously this was limitately possible using the method of antibody demonstration by means of the complement-compound reaction.We have well-established reasons to assume that other antibodies caused by various antigens, can be determined by means of the haemo-agglutination test.     

The role of glycosylation in protein antigenic properties

Glycosylation of proteins is a common event and contributes to protein antigenic properties. Most data have been obtained from model studies on glycoprotens with well-defined structure or synthetic glycopeptides and their respective monoclonal antibodies. Antibodies raised against glycoprotein antigens may be specific for their carbohydrate units which are recognized irrespective of the protein carrier (carbohydrate epitopes), or in the context of the adjacent amino acid residues (glycopeptidic epitopes). Conformation or proper exposure of peptidic epitopes of glycoproteins is also frequently modulated by glycosylation due to intramolecular carbohydrate-protein interactions. The effects of glycosylation are broad: glycosylation may 'inactivate' the peptidic epitope or may be required for its reactivity with the antibody, depending on the structure of the antigenic site and antibody fine specificity. Evidence is increasing that similar effects of glycosylation pertain to T cell-dependent cellular immune responses. Glycosylated peptides can be bound and presented by MHC class I or II molecules and elicit glycopeptide-specific T cell clones. Received 5 July 2001; received after revision 9 October 2001; accepted 11 October 2001     

Comparison of the effects of concanavalin A on cell growth and the transport of 3-O-methylglucose in chick embryo fibroblasts

The proliferative capacity of Chick embryo fibroblasts was modified by Con A treatment. Con A decreased the growth of fibroblasts from young embryos (8 days), whereas the lectin stimulated the growth of fibroblasts from older embryos (16 days). This differential effect of Con A did not result from changes in cellular permeability to thymidine, but rather from Con A induced modifications of hexose transport. Changes in hexose transport would cause, as a response, parallel modifications in glycolysis and hence energy charge, which would alter proliferative capacity.     

Effects and duration of resistance acquired by rabbits on feeding and egg laying in Ixodes ricinus L.

Summary Rabbits gradually developed a resistance against Ixodes ricinus ticks as a result of sequential experimental infestations. The resistance was characterized by an increased duration of feeding, by ticks engorging to a smaller extent and by reduced egg production. Once established, the immunity persisted for at least 9 months. Changes in the titre of circulating anti-I. ricinus antibodies was measured by indirect immunofluorescence.The present work was supported by the Swiss National Fund for Scientific Research, grant No. 3.558-0.75.     

Suppressive effects of graft versus host reaction on humoral immunity: consequences of homograft of chicken spleen on differentiation of the bursa of Fabricius

By engrafting the chorio-allanto?s of Chick embryos with spleen fragments from homologous adult donors, one elicits a graft-versus-host disease. When the graft is performed before the bursa of Fabricius has reached the lymphoid differentiation state, the final follicular organization is greatly reduced. It seems that this suppression effect cannot be related to a diminution of the stem cell compartment available in the anlage but is a result of a direct impact on the mesenchyme and/or the epithelium of the bursa.     

Comparative evaluation of 7 helminth antigens in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (E.L.I.S.A.).

112 sera from Europeans with parasitologically proven helminthiasis were tested in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (E.L.I.S.A.) against 6 crude extracts of various helminths (2 of adult worms: Dipetalonema viteae, Fasciola hepatica; 3 of eggs: Ascaris suum, Toxocara canis, Schistosoma mansoni; and of Echinococcus granulosus scolices) and against bovine hydatid fluid. Each serum was tested simultaneously at a fixed dilution of 1:160 against all antigens. Extensive cross-reactions were observed, leading to the conclusion that non-purified helminth antigens, even in combination, are of limited value for reliable serodiagnosis in E.L.I.S.A.