Influence of sex hormones and genetic predisposition in Sjögren's syndrome: a new clue to the immunopathogenesis of dry eye disease.

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by lymphocytic infiltration, destruction of lacrimal and salivary glands and the presence of serum autoantibodies. Most women that suffer from SS are post-menopausal however, not all post-menopausal women develop SS, suggesting that other factors, in addition to the decrease in ovarian hormones, are necessary for the development of SS. The purposes of this study were to investigate a) the time course of lymphocytic infiltration and apoptosis in the lacrimal gland after ovariectomy, b) if a predisposed genetic background for SS aggravates the effects of decreasing levels of sex hormones in the lacrimal glands and c) if physiological doses of estrogen or androgen prevent the effects observed after ovariectomy. Six weeks old mice that are genetically predisposed to SS (NOD.B10.H2(b)) and control (C57BL/10) mice were either sham operated, ovariectomized (OVX), OVX + 17ß estradiol (E(2)) or OVX + Dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Lacrimal glands were collected at 3, 7, 21 or 30 days after surgery and processed for immunohistochemistry to measure CD4(+), CD8(+) T cells, B220(+) B cells, nuclear DNA degradation and cleaved caspase-3 activity. Quantification of the staining was done by light microscopy and Image Pro Plus software. The results of our study show that lymphocytic infiltration preceded lacrimal gland apoptosis after ovariectomy. Moreover, removal of ovarian sex hormones accelerated these effects in the genetically predisposed animal and these effects were more severe and persistent compared to control animals. In addition, sex hormone replacement at physiological levels prevented these symptoms. The mechanisms by which decreased levels of sex hormones caused lymphocytic infiltration and apoptosis and the interaction of lack of sex hormones with the genetic elements remain to be elucidated.

Sex hormone regulation of tear lipocalin in the rabbit lacrimal gland.

Tear lipocalin (TL) (approximately 18 kDa), a member of the lipocalin superfamily, has been identified as one of the major proteins present in rabbit lacrimal fluid. The concentration of TL has been found to be decreased in the tears of patients with dry eye disease. Lacrimal gland insufficiency, one of the major causes of dry eye disease, is known to affect mainly postmenopausal women, where there is a significant decrease in the production of androgen and estrogen. These observations suggest that sex hormones might influence dry eye indirectly by regulating the expression of TL. The purpose of this study was to determine: (1) the effect of sexual maturation on the expression of TL; and (2) if the expression of TL is regulated by the estrogen, 17beta-estradiol, and/or the androgen, dihydrotestosterone, in sexually mature female rabbits. Lacrimal fluid (LF) and lacrimal gland soluble fraction (Si) was collected from juvenile (2 kg) and sexually mature (4 kg) male and female New Zealand white (NZW) rabbits. In addition, LF and Si were collected from 4 kg rabbits, 7 days after being either sham operated (control), ovariectomized (OVX), ovariectomized treated with estrogen (OVX+E) or ovariectomized treated with dihydrotestosterone (OVX+DHT). Samples were analyzed for protein levels of TL by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting using a polyclonal rat anti-rabbit TL antibody. Densitometry analysis showed that TL protein levels in both LF and Si increased with age in male and female rabbits. In addition, TL protein levels were significantly higher in the sexually mature 4 kg male compared with the 4 kg female, while no significant difference in TL protein levels were seen among the juvenile male and female rabbits. Furthermore, ovariectomy decreased the protein levels of TL in LF and Si fraction by 50% and 20% respectively, compared with control values. Estrogen treatment increased TL protein levels by 30% and 50% in the LF and Si fraction respectively, compared with the sham operated group. DHT treatment also increased TL protein levels by approximately 150% in both LF and Si fraction compared with control values. These results support the hypothesis that sex hormones influence TL protein levels in rabbit lacrimal glands. The possibility of a role of TL in dry eye needs to be further investigated.

Electron microscopic and immunochemical analysis of the broadly neutralizing HIV-1-specific, anti-carbohydrate antibody, 2G12.

2G12 is one of only a few cloned antibodies with broadly neutralizing specificity to HIV-1 envelope proteins. Crystallographic and electron microscopic (EM) data showed that the Fab arms are locked together via a novel VH domain exchange. Both the conventional and the unprecedented additional VH-VH antigen binding sites show specificity for high mannose oligosaccharides on the silent face of gp120. We have now extended the EM and biochemical analysis of 2G12. Unligated 2G12 IgG1 molecules clearly show paired (parallel attached) Fab arms in the "doughnut" configuration attached to the Fc both in individual and computationally averaged images. A minority of the IgG molecules in the 2G12 prep showed the open "Y" configuration of conventional IgG. The averaged EM image compares well to the atomic structure model of 2G12. Papain digests of 2G12 yielded paired Fab arms (Fab dimer), as observed by EM, which dissociated into Fab-sized fragments in non-reducing SDS-PAGE. Purified 2G12 reduced and alkylated H and L chains can reassociate to form IgG molecules with the Fab dimer configuration and can combine with L and H chains from conventional human IgG to form hybrid molecules. 2G12 is heavily aggregated following brief acid exposure possibly as a result of its unique structure. A model of the aggregation process is proposed. An anti-Id MAb was shown by EM to react with neither the conventional nor additional antigen binding sites, but bound to the lateral faces of the Fab arms of intact, reduced and alkylated, and reconstructed 2G12 molecules. Efforts to identify IgG molecules with a similar intertwined Fab dimer structure in a large IgG pool were unsuccessful.

Estrogen up-regulation of metalloproteinase-2 and -9 expression in rabbit lacrimal glands.

Increased levels of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)-2 and -9 have been found in tear fluids of patients with dry eye disease, suggesting that these MMPs may be implicated in the pathogenesis of this disease. One of the main causes of dry eye disease is lacrimal gland insufficiency. However, the contribution of the lacrimal gland (LG) to the expression and production of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in tears is not known. Since dry eye disease occurs more frequently in women, sex hormones, especially estrogens, have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of this disease. Estrogens have been shown to regulate the synthesis levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in several tissues, Thus, the purpose of these studies was to determine if: (1) rabbit lacrimal glands secrete MMP-2 and MMP-9; (2) MMP-2 and MMP-9 are produced by lacrimal epithelial cells and/or lacrimal lymphocytes; and (3) the expression, activity and level of these enzymes are regulated by sex hormones. Lacrimal epithelial cells (LEC) and lacrimal lymphocytes (LL) from sexually mature New Zealand White female rabbits were isolated, purified and cultured with and without 10(-6)M dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or 10(-6), 10(-8), 10(-9) and 10(-10)M 17beta-estradiol (E2). The culture supernatants were analyzed by zymography and western blotting (WB) using polyclonal anti-human MMP-2 and MMP-9 antibodies. LGs were also collected from rabbits 7 days after being sham-operated, ovariectomized (OVX), OVX treated with 4 mg/kg DHT, and OVX treated with 0.5 mg/kg of E2. LGs were collected and processed for RNA extraction as well as protein determination using WB and immunocytochemistry. The pro-forms of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were detected in primary LEC and LL culture medium by zymography and WB. Pro-MMP-2 and pro-MMP-9 were also detected at the gene and protein levels in the lacrimal glands of all four treatment groups, with the highest levels and gene expression found in the estrogen-treated group. These results suggest that both pro-MMP-2 and pro-MMP-9 are secreted by the lacrimal gland and appear to be up-regulated by estrogen. The role of the lacrimal MMPs in the pathogenesis of dry eye disease needs to be further investigated.

Ana o 3, an important cashew nut (Anacardium occidentale L.) allergen of the 2S albumin family.

BACKGROUND: Cashew nut allergy is the second most commonly reported tree nut allergy in the United States. We have previously cloned and characterized major cashew allergens belonging to the vicilin and legumin families of seed storage proteins. OBJECTIVE: Here we set out to describe a third major cashew allergen, a 2S albumin. METHODS: The recombinant cashew 2S albumin was amplified from a cDNA library by means of PCR, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. Immunoblotting was used to screen for reactivity with patients' sera, and inhibition immunoblotting was used to identify the corresponding native cashew nut proteins. The mass of affinity-purified native allergen was determined by means of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectroscopy. Patients' sera were used to probe solid-phase 2S albumin peptides to identify linear epitopes. RESULTS: The cloned allergen, designated Ana o 3, was identified as 2S albumin. MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy of native Ana o 3 yielded a molecular mass of 12,598 d. Immunoblot analysis showed 21 (81%) of 26 sera from patients with cashew allergy were reactive. Three native Ana o 3 large-subunit isoforms with molecular weights ranging from approximately 6 to 10 kd were identified. Probing of overlapping synthetic Ana o 3 peptides with patients' sera identified 16 reactive peptides, 4 of which gave strong signals and one of which positionally overlaps linear epitopes in mustard and walnut allergenic 2S albumins. The overlapping cashew and walnut epitopes also share considerable homology. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that this 2S albumin protein is a major allergen in cashew nut and demonstrates a possible basis for cross-reactivity with walnut 2S albumin.