Concurrent colonization of rodent kidneys with multiple species and serogroups of pathogenic Leptospira.

Rodents are important reservoir hosts of pathogenic leptospires in the US Virgin Islands. Our previous work determined that trapped rodents were colonized with Leptospira borgpetersenii serogroup Ballum (n = 48) and/or Leptospira kirschneri serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae (n = 3). In addition, nine rodents appeared to be colonized with a mixed population comprising more than one species/serogroup. The aim of this study was to validate this finding by characterizing clonal isolates derived from cultures of mixed species. Cultures of presumptive mixed species (designated LR1, LR5, LR37, LR57, LR60, LR61, LR68, LR70, and LR72) were propagated in different media including Hornsby-Alt-Nally (HAN) media, incubated at both 29℃ and 37℃, and T80/40/LH incubated at 29℃. Polyclonal reference antisera specific for serogroup Ballum and Icterohaemorrhagiae were used to enrich for different serogroups followed by subculture on agar plates. Individual colonies were then selected for genotyping and serotyping. Of the nine cultures of mixed species/serogroups, a single clonal isolate was separated in five of them: L. borgpetersenii serogroup Ballum in LR1, LR5, and LR37, and L. kirschneri serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae in LR60 and LR72. In four of the cultures with mixed species (LR57, LR61, LR68, and LR70), clonal isolates of both L. borgpetersenii serogroup Ballum and L. kirschneri serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae were recovered. Our results definitively establish that rodents can be colonized with more than one species/serogroup of Leptospira concurrently. The identification and characterization of multiple species/serogroups of Leptospira from individual reservoir hosts of infection are essential to understand the epidemiology and transmission of disease to both human and domestic animal populations.IMPORTANCEPathogenic Leptospira, the causative agent of human and animal leptospirosis, comprise a diverse genus of species/serogroups which are inherently difficult to isolate from mammalian hosts due to fastidious growth requirements. Molecular evidence has indicated that reservoir hosts of Leptospira may shed multiple species concurrently. However, evidence of this phenomena by culture has been lacking. Culture is definitive and is essential for comprehensive characterization of recovered isolates by high-resolution genome sequencing and serotyping. In this work, a protocol using recently developed novel media formulations, in conjunction with reference antisera, was developed and validated to demonstrate the recovery of multiple species/serogroups of pathogenic Leptospira from the same host. The identification and characterization of multiple species/serogroups of Leptospira from individual reservoir hosts of infection are essential to understand the epidemiology and transmission of disease to both human and domestic animal populations.

Production of polyclonal antibodies against leek yellow stripe virus (LYSV) coat protein expressed in Escherichia coli and its application in serological diagnostics.

Leek yellow stripe virus (LYSV) is one of the most important potyviruses, associated with garlic throughout the world, including India. LYSV causes stunting and yellow streaks in garlic and leek leaves and with other coinfecting viruses leading to severe symptom expression and yield reduction. In this study, we have made the first reported attempt to produce specific polyclonal antibodies to LYSV using expressed recombinant coat protein (CP), which would be useful for screening and routine indexing of the garlic germplasm. The CP gene was cloned, sequenced, and further subcloned in pET-28a(+) expression vector, which yielded ∼35 kDa fusion protein. The fusion protein was obtained in insoluble fraction after purification and its identity was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and western blotting. The purified protein was used as immunogen for production of polyclonal antisera in New Zealand white rabbit. Antisera raised, was able to recognize the corresponding recombinant proteins in western blotting, immunosorbent electron microscopy and dot immunobinding assay (DIBA). Developed antisera to LYSV (titer 1:2000) was used for screening of 21 garlic accessions in antigen coated plate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ACP-ELISA) and 16 accessions were found positive for LYSV, indicating its widespread presence within the collection tested. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a polyclonal antiserum against the in-vitro expressed CP of LYSV and its successful application in diagnosis of LYSV in garlic accessions in India.

Establishment of a candidate equine influenza Florida Clade 2 strain A/eq/Richmond/1/07 horse antiserum as Ph. Eur. Biological Reference Preparation/OIE International Reference Reagent.

Equine influenza (EI) is an important respiratory disease of horses, with welfare and economic consequences. Vaccination remains one of the most efficient prevention methods available. Equine influenza virus (EIV) is constantly evolving and consequently EI vaccines need to be updated on a regular basis. In 2010, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Expert Surveillance Panel (ESP) on EI provided a new recommendation for EI vaccine strain composition, including the incorporation of representative EIV strains of both Florida Clade 1 and Clade 2 sub-lineages (FC1 and FC2, respectively). In this context, the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) - OIE reference panel for EI had to be complemented by an antiserum raised in horses against the FC2 representative EIV strain A/eq/Richmond/1/07. An international collaborative study was organised and managed by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and HealthCare (EDQM) within the framework of its Biological Standardisation Programme (BSP). The study aimed at evaluating a new candidate reference for use as a common OIE International Standard/Ph. Eur. Biological Reference Preparation (BRP) horse antiserum to FC2 EIV A/equine/Richmond/1/07. The standard was to be established using the SRH and HI tests for subsequent use in immunogenicity, efficacy and batch potency assay of EI vaccines as a Ph. Eur. BRP (Ph. Eur. monograph 0249) and for use in clinical diagnostic tests as an OIE-approved International Standard Reagent (OIE chapter 3.5.7). The collaborative study confirmed the suitability of the candidate and an SRH titre was assigned. The candidate was adopted as a BRP by the Ph. Eur. Commission and approved by the OIE Biological Standards Commission as an International Standard Serum in November 2017 and February 2018, respectively.

Transcriptional frameshifts contribute to protein allergenicity.

Transcription infidelity (TI) is a mechanism that increases RNA and protein diversity. We found that single-base omissions (i.e., gaps) occurred at significantly higher rates in the RNA of highly allergenic legumes. Transcripts from peanut, soybean, sesame, and mite allergens contained a higher density of gaps than those of nonallergens. Allergen transcripts translate into proteins with a cationic carboxy terminus depleted in hydrophobic residues. In mice, recombinant TI variants of the peanut allergen Ara h 2, but not the canonical allergen itself, induced, without adjuvant, the production of anaphylactogenic specific IgE (sIgE), binding to linear epitopes on both canonical and TI segments of the TI variants. The removal of cationic proteins from bovine lactoserum markedly reduced its capacity to induce sIgE. In peanut-allergic children, the sIgE reactivity was directed toward both canonical and TI segments of Ara h 2 variants. We discovered 2 peanut allergens, which we believe to be previously unreported, because of their RNA-DNA divergence gap patterns and TI peptide amino acid composition. Finally, we showed that the sIgE of children with IgE-negative milk allergy targeted cationic proteins in lactoserum. We propose that it is not the canonical allergens, but their TI variants, that initiate sIgE isotype switching, while both canonical and TI variants elicit clinical allergic reactions.

A Novel Polyclonal Antiserum against Toxoplasma gondii Sodium Hydrogen Exchanger 1.

The sodium hydrogen exchanger 1 (NHE1), which functions in maintaining the ratio of Na(+) and H(+) ions, is widely distributed in cell plasma membranes. It plays a prominent role in pH balancing, cell proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, and migration. However, its exact subcellular location and biological functions in Toxoplasma gondii are largely unclear. In this study, we cloned the C-terminal sequence of T. gondii NHE1 (TgNHE1) incorporating the C-terminal peptide of NHE1 (C-NHE1) into the pGEX4T-1 expression plasmid. The peptide sequence was predicted to have good antigenicity based on the information obtained from an immune epitope database. After induction of heterologous gene expression with isopropyl-b-D-thiogalactoside, the recombinant C-NHE1 protein successfully expressed in a soluble form was purified by glutathione sepharose beads as an immunogen for production of a rabbit polyclonal antiserum. The specificity of this antiserum was confirmed by western blotting and immunofluorescence. The antiserum could reduce T. gondii invasion into host cells, indicated by the decreased TgNHE1 expression in T. gondii parasites that were pre-incubated with antiserum in the process of cell entry. Furthermore, the antiserum reduced the virulence of T. gondii parasites to host cells in vitro, possibly by blocking the release of Ca(2+). In this regard, this antiserum has potential to be a valuable tool for further studies of TgNHE1.

A novel immunoproteomics method for identifying in vivo-induced Campylobacter jejuni antigens using pre-adsorbed sera from infected patients.

BACKGROUND: Campylobacter jejuni is an important food-borne and zoonotic pathogen with a worldwide distribution. Humans and chickens are hosts of this pathogen. At present, there is no ideal vaccine for controlling human campylobacteriosis or the carriage of C. jejuni by chickens. Bacterial in vivo-induced antigens are useful as potential vaccine candidates and biomarkers of virulence. METHODS: In this study, we developed a novel systematic immunoproteomics approach to identify in vivo-induced antigens among the total cell proteins of C. jejuni using pre-adsorbed sera from patients infected with C. jejuni. RESULTS: Overall, 14 immunoreactive spots were probed on a PVDF membrane using pre-adsorbed human sera against C. jejuni. Then, we excised these protein spots from a duplicate gel and identified using MALDI-TOF MS. In total, 14 in vivo-induced antigens were identified using PMF and BLAST analysis. The identified proteins include CadF (CadF-1 and CadF-2), CheW, TufB, DnaK, MetK, LpxB, HslU, DmsA, PorA, ProS, CJBH_0976, CSU_0396 and hypothetical protein cje135_05017. Real-time RT-PCR was performed on 9 genes to compare their expression levels in vivo and in vitro. The data showed that 8 of the 9 analyzed genes were significantly upregulated in vivo relative to in vitro. CONCLUSION: We successfully developed a novel immunoproteomics method for identifying in vivo-induced Campylobacter jejuni antigens by using pre-adsorbed sera from infected patients. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: This new analysis method may prove to be useful for identifying in vivo-induced antigens within any host infected by bacteria and will contribute to the development of new subunit vaccines.

Identification, cloning and characterization of BmP41, a common antigenic protein of Babesia microti.

Babesia microti is a rodent tick-borne blood parasite and the major causative agent of emerging human babesiosis. Here, we identified a candidate of common antigenic protein BmP41 of B. microti by serological screening of cDNA library of human-pathogenic Gray strain with antisera against rodent Munich strain. Immunofluorescent antibody test using mouse anti-recombinant BmP41 (rBmP41) serum revealed that native BmP41 was expressed in each of the developmental stages of B. microti merozoites. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using rBmP41 detected specific antibodies in sera from hamsters infected with B. microti Gray strain and mice infected with B. microti Munich strain. Taken together, BmP41 could be a promising universal serological marker for diagnosis of human babesiosis.

Virus-like particles containing multiple M2 extracellular domains confer improved cross-protection against various subtypes of influenza virus.

The extracellular domain of M2 (M2e), a small ion channel membrane protein, is well conserved among different human influenza A virus strains. To improve the protective efficacy of M2e vaccines, we genetically engineered a tandem repeat of M2e epitope sequences (M2e5x) of human, swine, and avian origin influenza A viruses, which was expressed in a membrane-anchored form and incorporated in virus-like particles (VLPs). The M2e5x protein with the transmembrane domain of hemagglutinin (HA) was effectively incorporated into VLPs at a several 100-fold higher level than that on influenza virions. Intramuscular immunization with M2e5x VLP vaccines was highly effective in inducing M2e-specific antibodies reactive to different influenza viruses, mucosal and systemic immune responses, and cross-protection regardless of influenza virus subtypes in the absence of adjuvant. Importantly, immune sera were found to be sufficient for conferring protection in naive mice, which was long-lived and cross-protective. Thus, molecular designing and presenting M2e immunogens on VLPs provide a promising platform for developing universal influenza vaccines without using adjuvants.

Conditional hypoxia inducible factor-1α induction in embryonic pulmonary epithelium impairs maturation and augments lymphangiogenesis.

Hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) 1a, EPAS1 and NEPAS are expressed in the embryonic mouse lung and each isoform exhibits distinct spatiotemporal expression patterns throughout morphogenesis. To further assess the role of the HIF1a isoform in lung epithelial cell differentiation and homeostasis, we created transgenic mice that express a constitutively active isoform of human HIF-1a (HIF-1a three point mutant (TPM)), in a doxycycline-dependent manner. Expression of HIF1a TPM in the developing pulmonary epithelium resulted in lung hypoplasia characterized by defective branching morphogenesis, altered cellular energetics and impaired epithelial maturation, culminating in neonatal lethality at birth from severe respiratory distress. Histological and biochemical analyses revealed expanded glycogen pools in the pulmonary epithelial cells at E18.5, concomitant with decreased pulmonary surfactant, suggesting a delay or an arrest in maturation. Importantly, these defects occurred in the absence of apoptosis or necrosis. In addition, sub-pleural hemorrhaging was evident as early as E14.5 in HIF1a TPM lungs, despite normal patterning of the blood vasculature, consistent with defects in endothelial barrier function. Epithelial expression of HIF1a TPM also resulted in increased VEGFA and VEGFC production, an increase in the number of lymphatic vessels and indirect activation of the multiple Notch pathway components in endothelial precursor cells. Collectively, these data indicate that HIF-1a protein levels in the pulmonary epithelium must be tightly controlled for proper development of the epithelial and mesenchymal compartments.

Pathogenic complement activation in collagen antibody-induced arthritis in mice requires amplification by the alternative pathway.

Immune complex-induced inflammation can be mediated by the classical pathway of complement. However, using mice genetically deficient in factor B or C4, we have shown that the collagen Ab-induced model of arthritis requires the alternative pathway of complement and is not dependent on the classical pathway. We now demonstrate that collagen Ab-induced arthritis is not altered in mice genetically deficient in either C1q or mannose-binding lectins A and C, or in both C1q and mannose-binding lectins. These in vivo results prove the ability of the alternative pathway to carry out pathologic complement activation in the combined absence of intact classical and lectin pathways. C3 activation was also examined in vitro by adherent collagen-anti-collagen immune complexes using sera from normal or complement-deficient mice. These results confirm the ability of the alternative pathway to mediate immune complex-induced C3 activation when C4 or C1q, or both C1q and mannose-binding lectins, are absent. However, when all three activation pathways of complement are intact, initiation by immune complexes occurs primarily by the classical pathway. These results indicate that the alternative pathway amplification loop, with its ability to greatly enhance C3 activation, is necessary to mediate inflammatory arthritis induced by adherent immune complexes.

Production of antisera using fusion proteins.

This unit details the use of bacterially produced fusion proteins for the production of antisera, allowing for the large-scale generation of affinity-purified antibodies to specific, targeted epitopes. The use of pET vectors containing a polyhistidine (His) or glutathione-S-transferase (GST) tag to construct bacterial expression plasmids are provided as prototypical examples of fusion protein methodology. The basic protocols provided in this unit describe: (1) transformation of E. coli for high-yield production of soluble fusion protein, (2) purification of soluble fusion proteins for use in immunization using chelated nickel or glutathione affinity chromatography (for His- and GST-tagged fusion proteins, respectively), (3) immunization of rabbits with purified fusion protein and collection of antisera, and (4) characterization of antisera for antibody specificity using immunoblotting techniques. Support protocols describe the purification of His-tagged insoluble fusion proteins for animal immunization and the construction and use of affinity columns for purifying antibodies using soluble fusion proteins.

Search for Bacillus anthracis potential vaccine candidates by a functional genomic-serologic screen.

Bacillus anthracis proteins that possess antigenic properties and are able to evoke an immune response were identified by a reductive genomic-serologic screen of a set of in silico-preselected open reading frames (ORFs). The screen included in vitro expression of the selected ORFs by coupled transcription and translation of linear PCR-generated DNA fragments, followed by immunoprecipitation with antisera from B. anthracis-infected animals. Of the 197 selected ORFs, 161 were chromosomal and 36 were on plasmids pXO1 and pXO2, and 138 of the 197 ORFs had putative functional annotations (known ORFs) and 59 had no assigned functions (unknown ORFs). A total of 129 of the known ORFs (93%) could be expressed, whereas only 38 (64%) of the unknown ORFs were successfully expressed. All 167 expressed polypeptides were subjected to immunoprecipitation with the anti-B. anthracis antisera, which revealed 52 seroreactive immunogens, only 1 of which was encoded by an unknown ORF. The high percentage of seroreactive ORFs among the functionally annotated ORFs (37%; 51/129) attests to the predictive value of the bioinformatic strategy used for vaccine candidate selection. Furthermore, the experimental findings suggest that surface-anchored proteins and adhesins or transporters, such as cell wall hydrolases, proteins involved in iron acquisition, and amino acid and oligopeptide transporters, have great potential to be immunogenic. Most of the seroreactive ORFs that were tested as DNA vaccines indeed appeared to induce a humoral response in mice. We list more than 30 novel B. anthracis immunoreactive virulence-related proteins which could be useful in diagnosis, pathogenesis studies, and future anthrax vaccine development.

Synthethic peptide used to develop antibodies for detection of polyhedrin from monodon baculovirus (MBV).

The use of previously published primers to amplify the monodon baculovirus (MBV) polyhedrin gene sequence by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from post larvae (PL) of Thai Penaeus monodon resulted in failure. As a result, the putative polyhedrin protein of MBV was isolated from infected PL by homogenization, differential centrifugation and density gradient centrifugation with verification by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). By SDS-PAGE, a single major protein band at 58 kDa was obtained from the putative polyhedrin fraction and this corresponded to a previous report of the molecular weight of polyhedrin from MBV. When used for N-terminal sequence analysis, the putative polyhedrin protein yielded a sequence of 25 amino acids (M F D D S M M M E N M D D L S G D Q K M V L T L A) that did not correspond to the deduced amino acid sequence derived from a previous report of a putative MBV polyhedrin gene amplicon. Despite this, a synthetic peptide of our 25 amino acid sequence (25Pmbv) was conjugated with bovine serum albumin and used as an antigen for antiserum production in mice. Using immunohistochemistry with tissue sections of PL infected with MBV or other viruses, the mouse anti-25Pmbv antiserum showed strong immunoreactivity to occlusion bodies of MBV only. It also showed strong reactivity to the 58 kDa putative polyhedrin protein in Western blots. Altogether, the results suggest that the 58 kDa protein is Thai MBV polyhedrin and that a previously reported MBV polyhedrin gene sequence may represent another protein or polyhedrin from a different variety of MBV.

Localization of epitopes in the toxins of Tityus serrulatus scorpions and neutralizing potential of therapeutic antivenoms.

Overlapping pentadecapeptides covering the complete amino acid sequence of TsII, TsVII and TsIV toxins from the venom of scorpion Tityus serrulatus (Ts), were prepared by use of the Spot method of multiple peptide synthesis. Horse anti-Ts antisera for therapeutic use were tested for their binding to peptides. All nine antisera tested showed reactivity with several peptides from the three toxins. Three antigenic regions, one in the very N-terminal, the second in the central part and the other in the C-terminal part of the three toxins were frequently, but not constantly recognized, with an intensity that seemed to be related to the neutralizing potency of the tested antivenom. Thus the corresponding peptides (residues 1-15 and 48-62 of TsII; residues 1-15, 16-30 and 48-62 of TsIV and residues 1-15 and 47-61 of TsVII) were synthesized, coupled to KLH and used as antigens to coat the microtitration plates to determine any relationship between their ELISA reactivity with therapeutic horse antivenoms and the neutralizing potential of these antivenoms. The mixture of the N-terminal peptide of TsII, of the N-terminal TsVII peptide and of the C-terminal of TsIV was found to give a linear relationship with the neutralizing titer of horse serum of low neutralizing potency (< or =1 mg/ml). However, high neutralizing antivenoms did not show the expected response in peptide ELISA. This observation is discussed in the context of the occurrence of continuous and discontinuous epitopes on toxins.

[Preparation of polyclonal antiserum against beta subunit of rabbit BK channel].

AIM: To prepare polyclonal antiserum against beta subunit of rabbit BK channel in mice. METHODS: Gene encoding the intracellular fragment of rabbit BK channel's beta subunit was amplified by RT-PCR. The GST-beta fusion protein was expressed in E. coli. The fusion protein from PAGE gel was used to immunize BALB/c mice and prepare polyclonal antiserum. The specificity of antiserum was identified by ELISA and Western blot. RESULTS: A unique band about 300 bp was amplified by RT-PCR and was verified to be BK channel beta subunit by DNA sequencing. The SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the M(r) of the fusion protein was about 37,000. The purity of GST-beta fusion protein was over 95%. The polyclonal antiserum against GST-beta fusion protein could recognize both GST-beta fusion protein and beta protein in rabbit tissues. The highest titer of the antiserum was about 1:128,000, as shown by Western blot and ELISA, respectively. CONCLUSION: The gene encoding the intracellular fragment of rabbit BK channel's beta subunit has been cloned. The polyclonal antiserum against beta subunit of rabbit BK channel with high titer and specificity has been prepared successfully.

Molecular characterization of the Leishmania braziliensis L6 ribosomal protein.

By screening a Leishmania braziliensis complementary DNA library with a pool of sera from leishmaniasis patients, the gene coding for L6 ribosomal protein was isolated. The sequence, genomic organization, and transcription of this gene are described in this article. The sequence analysis of the L. braziliensis L6 gene shows a single open reading frame, which codes for a protein of 192 amino acids (aa) with a hypothetical molecular mass of 20.9 kDa. The protein exhibits significant sequence similarity to L6 ribosomal proteins from higher eukaryotes and yeast. Thus, the L. braziliensis L6 protein contains 4 functional motifs, which are located at equivalent positions in other L6 ribosomal proteins described previously. Interestingly, the L6 ribosomal protein from L. braziliensis contains a specific region of 14 aa and a tyrosine kinase motif, which is absent in human and C. elegans L6 protein. The locus coding the L. braziliensis L6 ribosomal protein is formed by 2 gene copies arranged in tandem and located in a chromosome of approximately 0.9. Mb. The genes are actively transcribed as 2 polyadenylated transcripts of approximately 1.15 and 0.85 kb, which differ in their steady-state level and stability.

Cutting edge: selection of B lymphocyte subsets is regulated by natural IgM.

Natural IgM has a wide range of actions in the immune system. Here we demonstrate that mice lacking serum IgM have an expansion in splenic marginal zone B cells with a proportionately smaller reduction in follicular B cells. The increase in the marginal zone-follicular B cell ratio (and an expansion in peritoneal B1a cells) is fully reversed by administration of polyclonal IgM, but not by two IgM monoclonals. Mice engineered to have a secreted oligoclonal IgM repertoire with an endogenous membrane IgM also exhibited a similar expansion of marginal zone B cells. We propose that natural IgM, by virtue of its polyreactivity, enhances Ag-driven signaling through the B cell receptor and promotes the formation of follicular B cells. These results demonstrate that natural IgM regulates the selection of B lymphocyte subsets.

Cutting edge: targeted ligation of CTLA-4 in vivo by membrane-bound anti-CTLA-4 antibody prevents rejection of allogeneic cells.

Natural engagement of CTLA-4 on host B7 limits T cell activation. We hypothesized that therapeutic cross-linking of CTLA-4 in vivo may further inhibit T cell function and prevent allograft rejection. However, none of the currently available CTLA-4-binding reagents have ligating properties when injected in vivo. The observation that surface-immobilized anti-CTLA-4 mAb inhibits T cell activation in vitro prompted us to develop a membrane-bound single-chain anti-CTLA-4 Ab (7M). To model whether tissue expression of 7M could suppress allograft rejection, we examined the ability of H-2L(d)-specific TCR-transgenic T cells to reject 7M-expressing allogeneic tumor cells injected s.c. Expression of 7M significantly inhibited allogeneic rejection in mice that received CTLA-4(+/+) but not CTLA-4(-/-) T cells. Furthermore, CTLA-4(+/+) T cells that had encountered 7M-expressing tumors in vivo acquired defects in cytokine production and cytotoxicity. Thus, deliberate ligation of CTLA-4 in vivo potently inhibits allogeneic T cell responses.

IL-12 is required for antibody-mediated protective immunity against blood-stage Plasmodium chabaudi AS malaria infection in mice.

In this study, we investigated the role of endogenous IL-12 in protective immunity against blood-stage P. chabaudi AS malaria using IL-12 p40 gene knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice. Following infection, KO mice developed significantly higher levels of primary parasitemia than WT mice and were unable to rapidly resolve primary infection and control challenge infection. Infected KO mice had severely impaired IFN-gamma production in vivo and in vitro by NK cells and splenocytes compared with WT mice. Production of TNF-alpha and IL-4 was not compromised in infected KO mice. KO mice produced significantly lower levels of Th1-dependent IgG2a and IgG3 but a higher level of Th2-dependent IgG1 than WT mice during primary and challenge infections. Treatment of KO mice with murine rIL-12 during the early stage of primary infection corrected the altered IgG2a, IgG3, and IgG1 responses and restored the ability to rapidly resolve primary and control challenge infections. Transfer of immune serum from WT mice to P. chabaudi AS-infected susceptible A/J mice completely protected the recipients, whereas immune serum from KO mice did not, as evidenced by high levels of parasitemia and 100% mortality in recipient mice. Furthermore, depletion of IgG2a from WT immune serum significantly reduced the protective effect of the serum while IgG1 depletion had no significant effect. Taken together, these results demonstrate the protective role of a Th1-immune response during both acute and chronic phases of blood-stage malaria and extend the immunoregulatory role of IL-12 to Ab-mediated immunity against Plasmodium parasites.

Essential role of neutrophils in the initiation and progression of a murine model of rheumatoid arthritis.

Neutrophils are prominent participants in the joint inflammation of human rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, but the extent of their role in the inductive phase of joint inflammation is unknown. In the K/BxN mouse RA model, transfer of autoreactive Ig from the K/BxN mouse into mice induces a rapid and profound joint-specific inflammatory response reminiscent of human RA. We observed that after K/BxN serum transfer, the earliest clinical signs of inflammation in the ankle joint correlated with the presence of neutrophils in the synovial regions of recipient mouse ankle joints. In this study, we investigated the role of neutrophils in the early inflammatory response to transferred arthritogenic serum from the K/BxN transgenic mouse. Mice were treated with a neutrophil-depleting mAb before and following transfer of arthritogenic serum and scored for clinical indications of inflammation and severity of swelling in ankle joints and front paws. In the absence of neutrophils, mice were completely resistant to the inflammatory effects of K/BxN serum. Importantly, depletion of neutrophils in diseased recipient mice up to 5 days after serum transfer reversed the inflammatory reaction in the joints. Transfer of serum into mice deficient in the generation of nitrogen or oxygen radicals (inducible NO synthase 2 or gp91(phox) genes, respectively) gave normal inflammatory responses, indicating that neither pathway is essential for disease induction. These studies have identified a critical role for neutrophils in initiating and maintaining inflammatory processes in the joint.