Cloning and expression in E. coli of the malarial sporozoite surface antigen gene from Plasmodium knowlesi

The malarial sporozoite, the infective stage found in the salivary gland of the insect vector, bears highly immunogenic surface antigen(s). Repeated exposure to irradiated sporozoites induces protection against malaria in several host species, including man. Further, monoclonal antibodies that confer passive immunity react with the immunogenic surface determinants of different sporozoite species. One approach to prevent malaria, therefore, would be to produce a vaccine that induces high titres of circulating antibodies against the sporozoite surface determinant(s). However, production of such a vaccine has not been possible since sporozoites cannot be cultivated in vitro and, therefore, only limited amounts of surface antigen may be obtained. To overcome this problem, we have prepared mRNA from Plasmodium knowlesi-infected mosquitoes to construct a cDNA library. From this library we have isolated a clone that expresses the sporozoite surface antigen as a beta-lactamase fusion protein in the plasmid pBR322. This is the first potentially protective malarial antigen to be cloned by recombinant DNA technology.     

Interferons and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase: Role in antimicrobial and antitumor effects

Summary Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is an interferon (IFN)-induced protein that initiates the metabolism of tryptophan along the kynurenine pathway. Although IDO can be induced by IFN- in many cell types, only mononuclear phagocytes have been shown to be induced to decyclize tryptophan by all three IFN classes. Since tryptophan is an essential amino acid necessary for a variety of metabolic processes, depletion of available tryptophan may be an important mechanism for control of rapidly-dividing microbial pathogens and tumors. The purpose of this review is to present evidence that documents the effects of IFN-induced IDO on prokaryotic and eukaryotic pathogens, as well as on a variety of tumor cell lines.     

Alteration of early T lymphocyte count in patients with herpes genitalis.

Peripheral blood samples from 52 women, including 16 with herpes genitalis and 36 healthy persons, were studied to enumerate subpopulations of lymphocytes. It was found that the mean percentage of 'active' T lymphocytes was significantly less in the patients with herpes genitalis than in the controls.     

Mg2+-HCO 3 − -ATPase and carbonic anhydrase in rat intestinal mucosa

Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences - Mg2+-dependent and HCO 3 − -stimulated ATPase activity was highest in the brush border (microvilli) of rat duodenal mucosa compared with that of the...     

Mg2+-HCO-3-ATPase and carbonic anhydrase in rat intestinal mucosa

Mg2+-dependent and HCO-3-stimulated ATPase activity was highest in the brush border (microvilli) of rat duodenal mucosa compared with that of the other gastrointestinal mucosa. This ATPase may be useful to neutralize the gastric acid in the duodenal lumen. Carbonic anhydrase seems to accomplish a subsidiary role in the above reaction.     

A non‐linear dynamic model for multiplicative seasonal‐trend decomposition

A non‐linear dynamic model is introduced for multiplicative seasonal time series that follows and extends the X‐11 paradigm where the observed time series is a product of trend, seasonal and irregular factors. A selection of standard seasonal and trend component models used in additive dynamic time series models are adapted for the multiplicative framework and a non‐linear filtering procedure is proposed. The results are illustrated and compared to X‐11 and log‐additive models using real data. In particular it is shown that the new procedures do not suffer from the trend bias present in log‐additive models. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A genome-wide association study identifies three new risk loci for Kawasaki disease

We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of Kawasaki disease in Japanese subjects using data from 428 individuals with Kawasaki disease (cases) and 3,379 controls genotyped at 473,803 SNPs. We validated the association results in two independent replication panels totaling 754 cases and 947 controls. We observed significant associations in the FAM167A-BLK region at 8p22-23 (rs2254546, P = 8.2 × 10(-21)), in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region at 6p21.3 (rs2857151, P = 4.6 × 10(-11)) and in the CD40 region at 20q13 (rs4813003, P = 4.8 × 10(-8)). We also replicated the association of a functional SNP of FCGR2A (rs1801274, P = 1.6 × 10(-6)) identified in a recently reported GWAS of Kawasaki disease. Our findings provide new insights into the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of Kawasaki disease.     

Calyculin a increases voltage-dependent inward current in,smooth muscle cells isolated from guinea pig taenia coli

The effects of a potent phosphatase inhibitor, calyculin A (CL-A), on inward currents in guinea pig taenia coli smooth muscle cells were examined. CL-A increased the inward current, and this effect of CL-A was inhibited by a protein kinase C inhibitor, H-7, and by nifedipine. Phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate, an activator of protein kinase C, also increased the inward current and this effect was antagonized by H-7. These results suggest that in guinea pig taenia coli smooth muscle cells CL-A may facilitate the opening of thel-type Ca²⁺ channels through the protein kinase C-dependent phosphorylation system.     

Alteration of early T lymphocyte count in patients with herpes genitalis

Summary Peripheral blood samples from 52 women, including 16 with herpes genitalis and 36 healthy persons, were studied to enumerate subpopulations of lymphocytes. It was found that the mean percentage of active T lymphocytes was significantly less in the patients with herpes genitalis than in the controls.Acknowledgment. This work was done at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kansai Medical University and the authors are indebted to Professor I. Sawaragi for his support and encouragement. We also express our thanks to Dr James Monthony, Bio Rad Laboratories for his generous donation of immunobeads for this study.