Transitional changes in the structure of C-reactive protein create highly pro-inflammatory molecules: Therapeutic implications for cardiovascular diseases.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is the prototypic acute-phase reactant that has long been recognized almost exclusively as a marker of inflammation and predictor of cardiovascular risk. However, accumulating evidence indicates that CRP is also a direct pathogenic pro-inflammatory mediator in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. The 'CRP system' consists of at least two protein conformations with distinct pathophysiological functions. The binding of the native, pentameric CRP (pCRP) to activated cell membranes leads to a conformational change resulting in two highly pro-inflammatory isoforms, pCRP* and monomeric CRP (mCRP). The deposition of these pro-inflammatory isoforms has been shown to aggravate the localized tissue injury in a broad range of pathological conditions including atherosclerosis and thrombosis, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Here, we review recent findings on how these structural changes contribute to the inflammatory response and discuss the transitional changes in the structure of CRP as a novel therapeutic target in cardiovascular diseases and overshooting inflammation.

Antibody and T cell responses of patients with adenocarcinoma immunized with mannan-MUC1 fusion protein.

Mucin 1 (MUC1) is a large complex glycoprotein that is highly expressed in breast cancer, and as such could be a target for immunotherapy. In mice, human MUC1 is highly immunogenic, particularly when conjugated to mannan, where a high frequency of CD8(+) MHC-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes is induced, accompanied by tumor protection. On this basis, a clinical trial was performed in which 25 patients with advanced metastatic carcinoma of breast, colon, stomach, or rectum received mannan-MUC1 in increasing doses. After 4 to 8 injections, large amounts of IgG1 anti-MUC1 antibodies were produced in 13 out of 25 patients (with antibody titers by ELISA of 1/320-1/20,480). Most of the antibodies reacted to the epitopes STAPPAHG and PAPGSTAP. In addition, T cell proliferation was found in 4 out of 15 patients, and CTL responses were seen in 2 out of 10 patients. Mannan-MUC1 can immunize patients, particularly for antibody formation, and to a lesser extent, cellular responses. It remains to be seen whether such responses have antitumor activity.

Referral of patients with fever of unknown origin to an expertise center has high diagnostic and therapeutic value.

BACKGROUND: up to 50% of patients with fever of unknown origin (FUO) remain undiagnosed despite extensive evaluation. In expertise centers, at least 25-63% of these patients are referred after evaluation in another hospital. The diagnostic and therapeutic yields of referral to an expertise center are currently unknown. AIM: To determine the diagnostic and therapeutic yield of referral of patients with fever of unknown origin (FUO) that remain undiagnosed in non-expertise hospitals. DESIGN: Data on workup, outcome, treatment and prognosis were extracted from medical records of all 236 patients referred to the Radboud university medical center's department of internal medicine because of FUO between January 2005 and June 2014. RESULTS: A final diagnosis could be made in 110 of 192 tertiary referred FUO patients. The rate of diagnosis did not differ between patients referred for first opinion or after tertiary referral (68.2 vs. 57.3%, P = 0.234). Over half of undiagnosed tertiary referred patients were treated, and fever resolved in half of these patients. Of 96 undiagnosed patients, two died (2.1)% and in both death was considered unrelated to the febrile disease. CONCLUSION: The diagnostic rate in patients with FUO does not differ between patients that are tertiary referred and patients that have not been previously evaluated in another hospital. With a total diagnostic value of 57.3% and an additional therapeutic yield of 10.9% in undiagnosed patients, tertiary referral should therefore be considered in patients that remain undiagnosed in a non-expertise center.

Design of peptide-based vaccines for cancer.

The immune system responds efficiently to bacteria, viruses and other agents however, the immune response to cancers is not as effective. In most cases other than specific genetic rearrangements leading to non-self proteins such as in leukemia and idiotypes in lymphoma, tumor associated proteins are self proteins and are not recognized by the immune system to prevent malignancy. In most cancers, patients develop antibodies and/or CTL-precursors to tumor associated antigens but are not effective in generating a therapeutic immune response. Adjuvants have been used with either whole tumors, subunits or peptides with the aim of increasing their immunity. Whole tumor antigens have certain advantages associated with it, such as ready availability as recombinant proteins, potential epitopes that can be presented by a number of MHC class I/II alleles and antibody development. The methods of identification of CD8 and CD4 epitopes either by use of epitope prediction algorithms or use of transgenic mice has made the use of defined synthetic peptides more attractive. The possibility to synthesize long peptides and introduce multiple epitopes (CD4 or CD8) from single or multiple antigens makes peptide a viable alternative to whole proteins. As an alternative to totally synthetic peptide constructs or polymers, polytopes have been generated by genetic engineering methods. In addition, to deliver immunogens to and to activate DC, receptor-mediated delivery of peptides using antibodies, cytokines and carbohydrates have been used. This review will encompass the various strategies, preclinical and clinical applications in designing peptide-based vaccines for cancer.

Use of vasoactive agents to increase tumor perfusion and the antitumor efficacy of drug-monoclonal antibody conjugates.

The effects of both alpha 1- and beta-adrenergic blocking agents on the vascular perfusion of tumors were studied with the ultimate goal of improving diagnosis and therapy of solid tumors with the use of monoclonal antibody (MAb) conjugates. With the use of a subcutaneously growing murine thymoma, it was demonstrated that nonselective and cardioselective beta-adrenergic blocking agents were capable of increasing threefold tumor-to-blood and tumor-to-liver perfusion of 125I-labeled MAbs. Subsequently, these beta-adrenergic blocking agents were found to increase the antitumor efficacy of idarubicin (Ida)-MAb conjugates. Conjugate-treated mice that also received beta-adrenergic blocking agents had a smaller mean tumor size and a greater number of regressions than mice receiving Ida-MAb conjugate alone. By contrast, prazosin HCl, an alpha 1-adrenergic blocking agent, and Cyclospasmol, a peripheral vasodilator, did not enhance the tumor perfusion and antitumor efficacy of 125I- or Ida-conjugated MAbs, and no vasoactive agent enhanced the antitumor effect of Ida when used alone. By their selective action on normal blood vessels, vasoactive drugs can change the tumor-to-normal tissue perfusion ratio, thereby enhancing the access of drug-MAb conjugates to tumors and increasing the effectiveness of tumor therapy with the use of drug-MAb conjugates.

Studies of methotrexate-monoclonal antibody conjugates for immunotherapy.

Methotrexate (MTX) was covalently bound to two different murine monoclonal antibodies, one reactive with human colon carcinoma and the other reactive with the transferrin receptor. The drug-antibody complexes were examined for their in vitro and in vivo potency against tumors. The conditions of coupling were closely monitored, with particular attention being paid to the preservation of both drug and antibody activity. After activation of MTX with N-hydroxysuccinimide, MTX was bound to the antibodies under conditions leading to maximum protein and antibody recovery. Although the coupling conditions for both antibodies were different, up to 13 molecules of MTX-antibody molecule could be attached with retention of antibody activity. Such conjugates were active in vitro and could inhibit the growth [( 3H]deoxyuridine uptake) of cells in culture. The conjugates were highly specific, having no effect on tumors lacking the antigen; however, MTX complexed to antibody was less potent than the free drug. In vivo, the MTX-antibody impaired the growth of established tumors. Thus MTX-antibody complexes can be successfully produced and can be used for the immunotherapy of tumors.

Coupling of the 99mtechnetium-nitrido group to monoclonal antibody and use of the complexes for the detection of tumors in mice.

The in vivo detection of tumors by immunoscintigraphy with the use of radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) is a new diagnostic procedure currently undergoing clinical evaluation. In the present study the use of 99mtechnetium (99mTc) for this purpose was explored. A simple method for the labeling of microgram quantities of MoAb with 99mTc based on the substitution reaction of MoAb and tetrachloronitridotechnetate ion (99mTcNCl4-) is described. The selective activity of the 99mtechnetium-nitrido-MoAb (99mTcN-MoAb) complexes was proved in vitro by a binding assay with different target cells. The 99mTcN-MoAb complexes were shown to bind reactive cells up to 20 times more avidly than nonreactive cells. The specificity of the 99mTcN-MoAb complexes was shown in vivo. (C57BL/6 X BALB/c)F1 mice bearing palpable tumors (0.3-1.5 cm in diameter) were given an iv injection of 1 of 2 MoAb (one reactive and the other nonreactive) identically labeled with 99mTcNCl4- and then scanned with a gamma camera, and/or the tissues were removed and the localization of 99mTc-nitrido group-labeled MoAb was measured. Tumor localization of the reactive MoAb (1.8-2.2% of the injected dose) was four times greater than that of the nonreactive 99mTcN-MoAb (0.3-0.4% of the injected dose). The localization of specific 99mTcN-MoAb to a murine thymoma was observed in the gamma camera image at just 2 hours after injection. At 27 hours, tumors could readily be detected by 99mTcN-MoAb without the need for background subtraction. Nonreactive 99mTcN-MoAb did not image the tumors. The use of 99mTcN-MoAb offers substantial improvement over radioiodinated (125I or 131I) MoAb for the detection of tumors. The use of 99mTcNCl4- as a labeling agent results in 99mTc-labeled MoAb with high specific activity and specificity when compared with the specific activity and specificity of the 99mTc-MoAb prepared by using the conventional SnCl2 reduction of pertechnetate.

Specific targeting of chlorambucil to tumors with the use of monoclonal antibodies.

The concept of attaching cytotoxic drugs, such as the alkylating agent chlorambucil (CBL), to "tumor-specific" antibodies for the treatment of cancer is attractive, inasmuch as the specificity of CBL could be increased and its systemic toxicity reduced. To this end, CBL was activated by N-hydroxysuccinimide to produce an active ester derivative that was covalently coupled to monoclonal antibodies reactive with murine cell surface antigens. Up to 30 molecules of CBL were specifically bound per molecule of antibody, without impairing the alkylating activity of CBL and with minimal loss of antibody activity. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the conjugate was tested by the inhibition in [3H]thymidine incorporation into tumor cells, which demonstrated the conjugate to be specifically cytotoxic toward antibody-reactive cell lines, having more activity than the free drug. In vivo treatment of (C57BL/6 X BALB/c)F1 mice bearing a murine thymoma with CBL-antibody conjugates gave prolonged survival times and greater inhibition of growth of established tumors than was obtained with free antibody or CBL alone. The study is one of the first examples of the greater toxicity of a drug coupled to antibody, inasmuch as most drugs when coupled to antibody lose activity. CBL-monoclonal antibody conjugates may, therefore, provide a means of specifically attacking tumors, which could be therapeutically useful.

Novel synthesis and in vitro characterization of disulfide-linked ricin-monoclonal antibody conjugates devoid of galactose binding activity.

The use of tumor immunotherapy using whole ricin-antibody conjugates is complicated by the nonspecific lectin activity of the ricin B-chain which leads to toxic side effects. A novel method of coupling whole intact ricin to monoclonal antibody (MoAb) is described herein, where the nonspecific binding of the ricin B-chain is blocked. The coupling was done using the bifunctional reagents S-acetylmercaptosuccinic anhydride for antibody and succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate for ricin, and this resulted in the loss of B-chain binding activity, while impairing neither the toxic potential of the A-chain nor the activity of the MoAb. The purified immunotoxins could not bind to lactose-Sepharose and were equally cytotoxic in vitro to MoAb-reactive cell lines in the presence or absence of lactose. The coupling method was suitable for six different ricin-antibody conjugates and also using ricin deglycosylated by treatment with periodate. However, the blocking of the ricin B-chain was only effective with whole IgG molecules as F(ab')2-ricin immunotoxins could, like ricin, bind to lactose-Sepharose. Ricin-antibody conjugates reduced the [3H]leucine incorporation of appropriate target cells by 50% at a concentration of 6 to 45 ng/ml, whereas nonreactive antibody immunotoxins were not toxic to the target cells at concentrations as high as 10(4) ng/ml. The specific cytotoxicity of these immunotoxins could be inhibited by the addition of unconjugated reactive MoAb; the presence of lactose or a nonreactive MoAb did not significantly affect the observed cytotoxicity. Thus, whole ricin-antibody conjugates produced in this way do not bind nonspecifically to target cells, the most important implication being that such immunotoxins should be more potent that ricin A-chain conjugates and capable of being used in vivo.

Immunochemotherapy of a murine thymoma with the use of idarubicin monoclonal antibody conjugates.

Idarubicin is a derivative of daunomycin and is characterized by the absence of the methoxyl group at the C-4 position. It has been reported to have greater therapeutic effect than daunomycin. Idarubicin was chemically coupled to a monoclonal antibody to the murine Ly-2.1 alloantigen and the cytotoxicity of the drug-monoclonal antibody conjugate versus free idarubicin was tested in vitro against Ly-2+ and Ly-2- tumor cell lines. Some loss of idarubicin activity occurred upon conjugation to the monoclonal antibody; however, antibody activity was preserved and selective cytotoxicity for the Ly-2+ cell line was observed. By contrast free idarubicin was equally cytotoxic for all cell lines (Ly-2+ and Ly-2-). Idarubicin-anti-Ly-2.1 conjugates were tested for their capacity to inhibit solid tumor growth in (Ly-2.1-, Ly-2.2+) (C57BL/6 x BALB/c)F1 mice while their nonspecific effects were monitored by histological examination. The idarubicin-anti-Ly-2.1 conjugates when injected i.v. or directly into the tumor were observed to inhibit tumor growth more effectively than idarubicin or anti-Ly-2.1 alone, with smaller tumors being completely eradicated within several days of the completion of treatment.

Increased antitumor effect of immunoconjugates and tumor necrosis factor in vivo.

The potential of specifically targeting antineoplastic drugs and toxins to tumors with the use of monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) reactive with tumor-associated antigens is currently being examined. N-Acetyl-melphalan-MoAb (N-AcMEL-MoAb) conjugates have previously been shown to have greater antitumor activity than N-AcMEL, melphalan, or MoAb alone against both subcutaneous and ascites murine thymomas in mice (1). Although this conjugate is also a highly selective tumor inhibitor in vitro, it may not reach all the tumor cells in a high concentration, and consequently larger tumors (greater than 0.4 cm2) cannot be eradicated. This conjugate is representative of many drug-MoAb conjugates in that they are unable to gain adequate access to the tumor site to exert their cytotoxic effect. To potentiate the antitumor effect of the N-AcMEL-MoAb conjugate, studies were undertaken to analyze its action in combination with recombinant human tumor necrosis factor alpha (rTNF-alpha), a monokine, capable of causing acute necrosis of syngeneic tumor transplants in mice. Treatment of mice with murine thymomas (0.4 to 0.6 cm2 in size) demonstrated that 30% of the tumors in mice receiving conjugate and rTNF-alpha partially or completely regressed, while no regressions were observed in the tumors of mice receiving N-AcMEL-anti-Ly-2.1 conjugate or rTNF-alpha alone. This and other experiments indicated that the antitumor effect and tumor localization of N-AcMEL-MoAb conjugates can be enhanced in vivo by rTNF-alpha, thereby enabling successful eradication of larger established subcutaneous murine tumors.

Selective enhancement of antitumor activity of N-acetyl melphalan upon conjugation to monoclonal antibodies.

Melphalan (MEL) is an aromatic alkylating agent which is useful for the treatment of a number of human cancers, including myeloma and ovarian cancer. However, like most cytotoxic drugs, MEL has side effects, due to its nonspecific effects on all or most cells. To overcome these nonspecific effects N-acetyl melphalan (N-AcMEL) was synthesized and found to be 75 times less toxic to tumor cells in vitro. However, when N-AcMEL was conjugated to monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) to form N-AcMEL-MoAb conjugates the cytotoxic effect of MEL was restored, but with a difference in that the MEL could only act on cells which bound antibody. It was shown that, for N-AcMEL-MoAb conjugates, the N-AcMEL entered cells via the MoAb, by endocytosis, and not by the phenylalanine amino acid transport system. In addition, N-AcMEL-MoAb conjugates more effectively erradicated tumors in vivo than does free MEL or N-AcMEL. The N-AcMEL-MoAb conjugates therefore have high specific activity both in vitro and in vivo and a markedly reduced nonspecific toxicity, as N-AcMEL is relatively nontoxic to cells unless conveyed there by MoAb. In these respects the study offers a new approach to the use of chemotherapeutic agents in patients with cancer.

Antitumor effect of 2'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine conjugates against a murine thymoma and colon carcinoma xenografts.

The conjugation of antineoplastic drugs to monoclonal antibodies reactive with tumor associated antigens conveys selective cytotoxicity, overcoming the systemic toxicities caused by drugs during standard chemotherapy. 2'-Deoxy-5-fluorouridine, a more potent derivative of 5-fluorouracil, is an antimetabolite which exerts its cytotoxic action by inhibiting the enzyme thymidylate synthetase and as a result inhibits DNA synthesis. 2'-Deoxy-5-fluorouridine was successfully conjugated to anti-Ly-2.1 reactive with the murine thymoma ITT(1)75NS E3, I-1, and 250-30.6 reactive with human colon cancer cells using the active ester of 2'-deoxy-5-fluoro-3'-O-succinoyluridine (5FdUrdsucc). In vitro, 5Fd-Urdsucc-anti-Ly-2.1 was selectively cytotoxic against ITT(1)75NS E3 murine thymoma cells at nanomolar concentrations. The human colon carcinoma cell LIM1899 was inhibited by 5FdUrdsucc-I-1 conjugates in the range of 10(-7)-10(-8) M, as were Colo 205 cells by 5FdUrdsucc-250-30.6 conjugates. In vivo, 5FdUrdsucc conjugates were more effective than equivalent amounts of free 5FdUrdsucc. Against the ITT(1)75NS E3 murine thymoma, a single dose of 100 micrograms (5FdUrdsucc equivalents) 5FdUrdsucc-anti-Ly-2.1 resulted in 85% tumor inhibition compared to mean tumor size of control mice. Irrelevant 5FdUrdsucc conjugates failed to inhibit tumor growth. Multiple doses of 5FdUrdsucc-I-1 conjugate produced 50% growth inhibition of the moderately differentiated tumor LIM1899. In contrast, the human colon carcinoma Colo 205 was relatively resistant to free 5FdUrdsucc and 5FdUrdsucc-250-30.6 conjugates.

Effect of tumor necrosis factor on the antitumor efficacy and toxicity of aminopterin-monoclonal antibody conjugates: parameters for optimization of therapy.

Immunoconjugates of monoclonal antibodies with drugs, isotopes, or toxins are currently being investigated for their therapeutic effect on tumors. However, all have problems of access of the immunoconjugate to the tumor, particularly with solid tumors. To address this problem, we have used aminopterin-monoclonal antibody (AMN-mAb) conjugates combines with murine tumor necrosis factor (mTNF-alpha), which is known to have specific effects on tumor vasculature. In a murine model, well-established tumors (measuring 1.0-1.4 cm in diameter) were either totally eradicated or considerably reduced in size with combined therapy--a greater effect than with either mTNF-alpha or AMN-mAb used alone. The mechanisms involved in the improved antitumor effect were investigated using in vitro assays, autoradiography, and biodistribution experiments. mTNF-alpha was found both to increase the cytotoxic activity of the conjugate in vitro and to increase in vivo tumor localization of mAb up to 5-fold. The timing of mTNF-alpha administration was crucial to effects on tumor localization; mTNF-alpha given with mAb caused the greatest increase in localization and mTNF-alpha given well before mAb decreased localization. mTNF-alpha also reduced the toxicity to mice of AMN-mAb depending on the timing of injection. These results indicate that mTNF-alpha has a useful role in potentiation of immunoconjugate therapy but shows the need for careful planning of the dose regimen.

Antitumor activity of idarubicin-monoclonal antibody conjugates in a disseminated thymic lymphoma model.

Many of the experimental approaches used in the search for new targeted drug delivery systems ignore the disseminated nature of metastatic disease; the development of more relevant tumor models is therefore a priority. A reproducible and tumor-specific model has been generated by inoculating (C57BL/6 x BALB/c) F1 (Ly-2.2+) mice i.v. with the Ly-2.1+ murine ITT(1) 75NS E3 thymic lymphoma (E3). At a dose of 2 x 10(6) cells, E3 tumors grew in a disseminated fashion, arising initially and predominantly in the lung and kidney, and later and less often in the thymus, spleen, and other tissues. In addition, histopathological examination and flow cytometry of blood did not detect E3 tumor cells in most other organs or in the circulation throughout the course of disease. The mean survival time (MST) of untreated mice was both reproducible and proportional to the number of E3 tumor cells injected and was therefore used to demonstrate the suitability of this model for immunochemotherapeutic studies. When examining the antitumor efficacy of idarubicin-monoclonal antibody conjugates, it was observed that the survival times of treated mice were consistent within groups and between experiments. The disseminated E3 (Ly-2.1+) tumor model, like the s.c. E3 tumor model, demonstrated the dose-dependent efficacy of idarubicin-anti-Ly-2.1 conjugate treatment and illustrated both the negligible antitumor activity and toxicity of idarubicin alone. Furthermore, lung and kidney weight measurements formally demonstrated that the increased MST of treated mice represented a reduction of E3 tumor burden in these organs. This model provides a useful tool for study of the immunochemotherapy of disseminated tumors in mice and further illustrates the antitumor activity of idarubicin-monoclonal antibody conjugates.

Comparison of in vitro cell binding characteristics of four monoclonal antibodies and their individual tumor localization properties in mice.

Although many antibodies are being used for imaging studies, it is not clear which in vitro properties of antibodies will best reflect their in vivo characteristics. The ability to correlate in vitro binding characteristics of monoclonal antibodies to tumor antigens with their in vivo localization characteristics, particularly with respect to tumor localization properties, is desirable for rapid selection of monoclonal antibodies with potential for clinical use. The in vitro binding characteristics of three monoclonal antibodies to the murine Ly-2.1 antigen and one to the Ly-3.1 antigen have been studied on cultured tumor cells bearing these antigens. The association and dissociation rate constants, apparent affinity, and immunoreactivity of each antibody in vitro were compared with their ability to localize the s.c. tumors from the same cell line growing in Ly-2.1-/Ly-3.1-mice. The antibody with the highest affinity and fastest association rate localized to tumor at the earliest time (16-20 h after injection) and had the highest percentage of the injected dose/g in the tumor (greater than 25%). The antibody with the lowest affinity showed significantly less localization to tumor cells, compared with the other three antibodies. The ranking of the antibodies by affinity agreed with the ranking in terms of their ability to localize to tumors, but the in vitro immunoreactivity of the antibodies, as measured by a cell binding assay, did not correlate with their tumor localization properties. Immunoscintigraphic studies did not precisely correlate with biodistribution data or in vitro binding characteristics, because tumors could be satisfactorily imaged with each antibody, although it was noted that the antibody with the highest affinity gave the best image. The results indicate that kinetic binding parameters and affinity of monoclonal antibodies may be useful in predicting their potential for tumor localization and that kinetics of association of antibodies in vitro may predict localization kinetics in vivo.

Tumor localization by combinations of monoclonal antibodies in a new human colon carcinoma cell line (LIM1899).

One of the problems of in vivo diagnosis and therapy of tumors with monoclonal antibodies is their heterogeneity with respect to antigen expression, with some cells expressing no antigen and others being weakly or strongly positive. Selected mixtures of antibodies to different antigens are therefore likely to react with more cells than single antibodies and be more effective for imaging and therapy. With this in mind, we have examined a new human colon cancer cell line (LIM1899) which has a heterogeneous expression of several cell surface molecules: by flow cytometry 38% were carcinoembryonic antigen positive; 64%, human milk fat globule positive, and 73%, CD46 positive; 87% of tumor cells bound a mixture of all three antibodies in vitro. Some blocking of the binding of anti-human milk fat globule antibody by the anti-CD46 antibody was noted. LIM1899 was established as a xenograft in nude mice and in vivo biodistribution studies performed using antibodies alone or in combination. Mixtures of antibodies clearly showed a higher percentage of injected dose of antibody in the tumor than did single antibodies: one antibody gave 10%; two together, 17 to 21%; and all three together gave 29% of the injected dose in the tumor. Tumor:blood ratios were also superior for combinations of antibodies, provided that low doses of the antibodies were used; at higher doses the effect was lost. The study demonstrates that combinations of antibodies are better than single antibodies for localization, provided that the dose used is carefully selected.

Chimeric (mouse/human) anti-colon cancer antibody c30.6 inhibits the growth of human colorectal cancer xenografts in scid/scid mice.

The mouse monoclonal antibody, m30.6 (IgG2b), detects an antigenic determinant expressed predominantly on the surface of colorectal adenocarcinoma cells and has been shown previously to be a potentially useful therapeutic and diagnostic reagent for human colon cancer. We report the production and characterization of a mouse/human chimeric antibody, c30.6, with potent in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity. The genes encoding the variable domains for heavy and light chains were amplified by thermal cycling using degenerate oligonucleotide primers complementary to conserved immunoglobulin framework sequences. The gene segments were sequenced, subcloned into eukaryotic expression vectors containing human constant region genes (IgG1 and kappa), and cotransfected into nonsecreting Sp2/0 mouse myeloma cells. There were significant differences in the biological activities of the murine and chimeric antibodies. The i.p. administration of c30.6 but not of m30.6 produced a marked growth inhibition of s.c. 30.6+ COLO 205 tumors in scid/scid mice (approximately 40% reduction in tumor size, measured 21 days after tumor inoculation). Reduced tumor growth was not due to altered binding characteristics of c30.6 because: (a) the chimeric antibody was shown by flow cytometry to bind exclusively to cell lines that expressed the 30.6 determinant; (b) c30.6 was able to completely inhibit the binding of m30.6 on 30.6+ cells; and (c) the affinity of binding of the two antibodies was the same (Ka, approximately 1.50 x 10(8)). Up to 15% of the total injected antibody dose/g tissue was localized in 30.6+ tumors at 24 h, approximately 13% was present in the tumors at 48 h, and approximately 10% was present at 72 h. Furthermore, c30.6 demonstrated a shorter circulating half-life (53 h; m30.6, 72 h) when given i.p. to C57BL6 x BALB/cF1 mice. Unlike m30.6, c30.6 was also strongly active in antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity against a range of 30.6+ tumor target cells in vitro. Up to 80% specific 51Cr release was achieved using either freshly isolated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells or 2-day-old interleukin 2-stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells as effectors. The enhanced antitumor activity of c30.6 suggests that it might be a useful immunotherapeutic reagent for colorectal carcinoma.

The effect of temperature on the binding kinetics and equilibrium constants of monoclonal antibodies to cell surface antigens.

The effect of temperature on the kinetic association and dissociation binding parameters, and equilibrium constants of four monoclonal antibodies to the murine Ly-2.1 and Ly-3.1 antigens has been studied using flow cytometry. All four monoclonal antibodies were conjugated to FITC and their association to, and dissociation from, the surface of murine thymoma cells was observed at 15 sec intervals, at temperatures between 1 and 37 degrees C. The initial association rate constant and the dissociation rate constant for each antibody at each temperature were calculated from graphs of the first-order reactions and it was demonstrated that an increase in temperature caused an increase in both association rate and dissociation rate of the antibodies. Generally the increase in association rate with temperature was less than the increase in dissociation rate. Differences between antibodies to the same antigen (Ly-2.1) suggest that changes in membrane fluidity were not solely responsible for the changes in association rate. However, the equilibrium constants (Keq) did not always show a simple relationship of increasing temperature causing decreasing values for Keq. For one antibody the highest value for Keq was seen at 17 degrees C rather than at 37 degrees C and differences in Keq between individual antibodies were greater at 1 degree C than at 37 degrees C. Kinetic rate constants are usually measured at 4 degrees C or room temperature, therefore for antibodies under consideration for in vivo use, measurements at 37 degrees C are more appropriate.

Molecular cloning and characterization of ovine homeo-box-containing genes.

The sheep genome contains at least eleven homeo-boxes (hox). Using two hox-specific 36-mer oligodeoxynucleotides to screen a sheep genomic library, constructed in lambda Charon28, clones of nine of the hox were identified. Six of the hox clones were analysed by nucleotide sequencing, Southern-blot hybridization and Northern-blot analysis. Two of the hox appear to be cognates of the human Hu-1 (or mouse Hox 2.1) and the mouse Hox 1-3, while another is closely related to the mouse Hox 1-4. These results suggest that there is strong sequence conservation in the hox-containing genes of different mammals, and highlight the possible occurrence of an ubiquitous set of hox-containing genes in mammals. Northern-blot analysis of four sheep hox-containing genes indicates that they are all expressed during embryogenesis and that expression is temporally regulated allowing hierarchical-regulatory interaction. Interestingly, none of the cloned hox-containing sequences contain repetitive sequences.