Somatic cell hybrids between mouse peritoneal macrophages and SV40-transformed human cells. I. Positive control of the transformed phenotype by the human chromosome 7 carrying the SV40 genome.

Fusion of mouse peritoneal macrophages with SV40-transformed human cells, deficient in hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase, resulted in the formation of transformed somatic cell hybrids which contained, without exception, the human chromosome 7 carrying the SV40 genome. It is postulated that the hybridization of mouse nondividing cells with human cancer cells could permit the identification of the human "oncogenic" chromosome(s) present in human cancer cells, since such chromosome(s) should be retained by the totality of the mouse-human hybrid cells.

Concordant segregation of the expression of SV40 T antigen and human chromosome 7 in mouse-human hybrid subclones.

Subcloning of Simian virus 40 (SV40) T antigen-positive mouse-human hybrids, derived from the fusion of mouse cells deficient in thymidine kinase with SV40-transformed Lesch Nyhan fibroblasts, resulted in their segregation into T antigen-positive and negative subclones. Positive correlation between the presence of human chromosome 7 and the expression of SV40 T antigen was established in the subclones examined. These results negate the possibility of a transfer of the SV40 genome to a mouse chromosome.

Antigenic variants of rabies virus.

Antigenic variants of CVS-11 strain of rabies virus were selected after treatment of virus populations with monoclonal antibodies directed against the glycoprotein antigen of the virus. These variants resisted neutralization by the hybridoma antibody used for their selection. Two independently mutating antigenic sites could be distinguished when five variants were tested with nine hybridoma antibodies. The frequency of single epitope variants in a cloned rabies virus seed was approximately 1:10,000. Animals were not or only partially protected when challenged with the parent virus or with another variant, but were fully protected against challenge with the virus used for immunization. Variants were also detected among seven street viruses obtained from fatal cases of human rabies. Animals immunized with standard rabies vaccine were protected against challenge with some but not all street rabies variants. A comparative antigenic analysis between vaccine strain and challenge virus by means of monoclonal antiglycoprotein antibodies showed a slightly closer degree of antigenic relatedness between vaccine and challenge strain in the combinations where vaccination resulted in protection. It remains unknown, however, whether these apparently minor antigenic differences in the glycoproteins account for the varying degrees of protection. The results of this study clearly indicate that the selection of vaccine strains and the methods used to evaluate the potency of rabies vaccines need to be revised.

Suppression of cell-mediated immunity by street rabies virus.

Mice lethally infected with street rabies virus failed to develop cytotoxic T cells specific for rabies virus-infected target cells, whereas high levels of cell-mediated cytotoxicity (CMC) were generated after nonfatal infection with the attenuated high egg passage (HEP) or ERA rabies virus strains. Furthermore concurrent infection with street, but not with HEP, rabies virus suppresses development of a primary (but not a secondary) CMC response specific for influenza virus. No cross-reactivity is found between effector T-cell populations from mice immunized with HEP or with influenza virus. It thus appears that street rabies virus, which is not known to replicate in the cells of immune system, induces some general defect in the primary CMC lymphocyte response, though restimulation of memory T-cell populations is unimpaired and there is no defect in antibody formation. Development of fatal rabies may reflect the operation of this selective immunosuppressive mechanism.

Growth characteristics of virus-transformed cells. Maximum population density, inhibition by normal cells, serum requirement, growth in soft agar, and xenogeneic transplantability.

Virus transformants (like cancer cells, cells transformed by X-ray or carcinogens, or those which have transformed spontaneously) exhibit a number of phenotypic changes which are usually associated, and which may be lost concurrently. That association is, however, not invariable. More particularly, the altered characteristics here studied (escape from contact inhibition of growth and susceptibility to inhibition by other cells, decreased serum requirement, and ability to grow in soft agar) do not, in and of themselves, endow the cell with the capacity to produce a tumor, at least as judged by the methods of assay here used. Although the question as to whether the tumorigenicity of virus transformants is causally linked to any of these associated changes cannot be answered definitively, the evidence suggests a close linkage, rather than identity, between the determinants of oncogenicity and the other properties here studied.

Clonal analysis of a human antibody response. Quantitation of precursors of antibody-producing cells and generation and characterization of monoclonal IgM, IgG, and IgA to rabies virus.

We quantitated and characterized the changes in the human B cell repertoire, at the clonal level, before and after immunization with rabies virus. Moreover, we generated 10 monoclonal cell lines producing IgM, IgG, and IgA antibodies to the virus. We found that in healthy subjects, not previously exposed to the virus, nearly 2% of the circulating B lymphocytes were committed to the production of antibodies that bound the virus. These B cells expressed the surface CD5 molecule. The antibodies they produced were polyreactive IgM that displayed a relatively low affinity for the virus components (Kd, 1.0-2.4 x 10(-6) g/microliters). After immunization, different anti-virus (IgG and IgA) antibody-producing cells consistently appeared in the circulation and increased from less than 0.005% to greater than 10% of the total B cells committed to the production of IgG and IgA, respectively. Most of such B cells do not express CD5 and produce monoreactive antibodies of high affinity for rabies virus (Kd, 6.5 x 10(-9) to 1.2 x 10(-10) g/microliters). One of these IgG mAbs efficiently neutralized rabies virus in vitro and in vivo, as detailed elsewhere (Dietzschold, B., P. Casali, Y. Ueki, M. Gore, C. E. Rupprecht, A. L. Notkins, and H. Koprowski, manuscript submitted for publication). Hybridization experiments using probes specific for the different human V gene segment families revealed that cell precursors producing low affinity IgM binding to rabies virus utilized a restricted number of VH gene segments (i.e., only members of the VHIIIb subfamily), whereas cell precursors producing high affinity IgG and IgA to rabies virus utilized an assortment of different VH gene segments (i.e., members of the VHI, VHIII, VHIV, and VHVI families and VHIIIb subfamily). In conclusion, our studies show that EBV transformation in conjunction with limiting dilution technology and somatic cell hybridization techniques are useful methods for quantitating, at the B cell clonal level, the human antibody response to foreign Ags and for generating human mAbs of predetermined specificity and high affinity.

Production of recombinant anthrax toxin receptor (ATR/CMG2) fused with human Fc in planta.

Mass vaccination against anthrax with existing vaccines is costly and unsafe due to potential side effects. For post-infection treatment, passive immunotherapy measures are currently available, most based on anthrax protective antigen (PA)-specific therapeutic antibodies. Efficient against wild-type strains, these treatment(s) might fail to protect against infections caused by genetically engineered Bacillus anthracis strains. A recent discovery revealed that the von Willebrand factor A (VWA) domain of human capillary morphogenesis protein 2 (CMG2) is an exceptionally effective anthrax toxin receptor (ATR) proficient in helping to resolve this issue. Here we describe in planta production of chimeric recombinant protein (immunoadhesin) comprised of functional ATR domain fused with the human immunoglobulin Fc fragment (pATR-Fc). The fusion design allowed us to obtain pATR-Fc in plant green tissues in a soluble form making it fairly easy to purify by Protein-A chromatography. Standardized pATR-Fc preparations (purity>90%) were shown to efficiently bind anthrax PA as demonstrated by ELISA and Western blot analysis. Recombinant pATR-Fc was also shown to protect J774A1 macrophage cells against the anthrax toxin. This study confirmed that plant-derived pATR-Fc antibody-like protein is a prospective candidate for anthrax immunotherapy.

Role of uric acid in multiple sclerosis.

In the past decade, a growing number of evidence has implicated free radicals in a variety of pathophysiological conditions including aging, cancer, and coronary heart disease. Analyses of different aspects of multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology with respect to oxidative damage have also revealed evidence of free radical injury to the central nervous system (CNS), although attempts to protect the CNS using various antioxidants have met with only moderate success. Several recent studies have reported lower levels of uric acid (UA), a major scavenger of reactive nitrogen species, in MS patients, while other studies found no such correlation. Here, we discuss these studies as well as current efforts to manipulate serum UA levels in MS patients.

Hybridomas revisited.

In the report by John C. Behrendt et al. "Aeromagnetic and radio echo ice-sounding measurements show much greater area of the Dufek Intrusion, Antarctica" (29 Aug., p. 1014), the word "expedition" should have read "exploitation" in line 13 of the first paragraph on page 1014. Also, in line 2 of the next to last paragraph on page 1016, "50 to 60 cm/sec(2)" should have read "50 to 60 (cm sec(2)) x 10(-3)."

Positive control of transformed phenotype in hybrids between SV40-transformed and normal human cells.

Somatic cell hybrids have been obtained between SV40-transformed Lesch-Nyhan fibroblasts, which are deficient in hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) and display glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase A (G6PD-A) activity, and late-passage HGPRT-positive W138 human embryo fibroblasts, which display G6PD-B activity. The human-human hybrid clones, which display G6PD-A and G6PD-B and heteropolymers of the two enzyme forms, have the same growth characteristic as the SV40-transformed parental cells and behave as continuous cell lines. The SV40 tumor antigen, the gene for which has been assigned to human chromosome 7, is present in all clones examined.

Human macrophages armed with murine immunoglobulin G2a antibodies to tumors destroy human cancer cells.

Macrophages isolated from tumor-bearing patients as well as cultured human monocytes express Fc receptors that cross-react strongly with murine immunoglobulins of the G2a but only slightly or not at all with the G1, G2b, or G3 subclasses. Such macrophages in the presence of murine immunoglobulin G2a monoclonal antibodies to tumors mediated the killing of tumor cells in vitro. These data suggest that monoclonal antibodies of the G2a subclass may be useful in the immunotherapy of human cancer.

Anti-idiotypic antibodies bear the internal image of a human tumor antigen.

Goat antibodies to idiotypes (anti-idiotypic antibodies; Ab2) that recognize an idiotype associated with the combining site of a BALB/c mouse IgG2a monoclonal antibody (Ab1) to human gastric carcinoma were used to immunize BALB/c mice and rabbits. A monoclonal anti-anti-idiotypic antibody (Ab3) of IgG1 isotype was obtained after immunization of mice. The Ab3 and the Ab1 showed identical binding specificities and bound with similar avidities to the same tumor antigen. The induction of Ab1-like Ab3 by Ab2 was not restricted to mice, since Ab3 could also be induced in rabbits. Both the mouse- and the rabbit-derived Ab3 bound the same gastrointestinal cancer-associated antigen as Ab1. These findings indicate that Ab2 induced the formation of antigen-specific Ab3, probably because it bears the internal image of the tumor-associated antigen. This Ab2 may therefore have potential for modulating the immune response of cancer patients to their tumors.

Tumorigenicity of mouse-human diploid hybrids in nude mice.

Somatic cell hybrids between normal mouse cells and simian virus 40 (SV40)-transformed human cells, which contained a diploid complement of mouse chromosomes and the human chromosome 7 carrying the genome of SV40, were tumorigenic in nude mice. One single copy of human chromosome 7 per hybrid cell appeared to be sufficient for the tumorigenicity of the hybrids.

Specific antigen in serum of patients with colon carcinoma.

The binding of monoclonal antibody specific for colon carcinoma was inhibited by serum from patients with adenocarcinoma of the colon but not by serum from patients with other bowel diseases or from healthy volunteers. Of other malignancies studied, serum from two patients with gastric carcinoma and two patients with pancreatic carcinoma also inhibited the specific binding of monoclonal antibody. The levels of carcinoembryonic antigen in these serum samples were not correlated with their levels of binding inhibition. Such monoclonal antibodies may prove useful for the detection of colorectal carcinoma.

Detection of serum antibodies to Borna disease virus in patients with psychiatric disorders.

Borna disease virus causes a rare meningoencephalitis in horses and sheep and has been shown to produce behavioral effects in some species. The possibility that the Borna virus is associated with mental disorders in humans was evaluated by examining serum samples from 979 psychiatric patients and 200 normal volunteers for the presence of Borna virus-specific antibodies. Antibodies were detected by the indirect immunofluorescence focus assay. Antibodies to the virus were demonstrated in 16 of the patients but none of the normal volunteers. The patients with the positive serum samples were characterized by having histories of affective disorders, particularly of a cyclic nature. Further studies are needed to define the possible involvement of Borna virus in human psychiatric disturbances.

Amplification and molecular cloning of HTLV-I sequences from DNA of multiple sclerosis patients.

Techniques of gene amplification, molecular cloning, and sequence analysis were used to test for the presence of sequences related to human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of six patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 20 normal individuals. HTLV-I sequences were detected in all six MS patients and in one individual from the control group by DNA blot analysis and molecular cloning of amplified DNAs. The viral sequence in MS patients were associated with adherent cell populations consisting predominantly of monocytes and macrophages. Molecular cloning and nucleotide sequence analysis indicated that these amplified viral sequences were related to the HTLV-I proviral genome.

A monosialoganglioside is a monoclonal antibody-defined antigen of colon carcinoma.

The antigen of a monoclonal antibody that is specific for cells of human carcinoma of the colon is a monosialoganglioside as determined by the direct binding of antibody to thin-layer chromatograms of total lipid extracts of tissues. Binding of antibody to chromatograms is detected by autoradiography after the application of iodine-125-labeled F(ab')2 of rabbit immunoglobulin G antibodies to mouse immunoglobulins.

Gene transfer and molecular cloning of the human NGF receptor.

Nerve growth factor (NGF) and its receptor are important in the development of cells derived from the neural crest. Mouse L cell transformants have been generated that stably express the human NGF receptor gene transfer with total human DNA. Affinity cross-linking, metabolic labeling and immunoprecipitation, and equilibrium binding with 125I-labeled NGF revealed that this NGF receptor had the same size and binding characteristics as the receptor from human melanoma cells and rat PC12 cells. The sequences encoding the NGF receptor were molecularly cloned using the human Alu repetitive sequence as a probe. A cosmid clone that contained the human NGF receptor gene allowed efficient transfection and expression of the receptor.

Use of mouse anti-rabies monoclonal antibodies in postexposure treatment of rabies.

Immunization of mice and hamsters with a cocktail of mouse MAbs specific for rabies virus nucleocapsid protein and glycoprotein protected animals not only when challenged with a lethal dose of rabies virus after immunization, but also in post-exposure situations. Hamsters treated with the MAb cocktail 3 h after virus inoculation were completely protected from lethal rabies virus infection, and 80% of the animals survived when the MAb cocktail was given 36 h after virus challenge. The potential usefulness of this MAb cocktail for the postexposure treatment of human rabies is discussed.

Pathogenesis of rabies.

Rabies is a central nervous system (CNS) disease that is almost invariably fatal. The causative agent is rabies virus (RV), a negative-stranded RNA virus of the rhabdovirus family. RV pathogenesis, like that of other viruses, is a multigenic trait. Recent findings indicate that in addition to the RV G protein viral elements that regulate gene expression, especially expression of the L gene, are also likely to play a role in RV pathogenesis. In vivo, RV infects almost exclusively neurons, and neuroinvasiveness is the major defining characteristic of a classical RV infection. A key factor in the neuroinvasion of RV is transsynaptic neuronal spread. While the ability of RV to spread from the post-synaptic site to the pre-synaptic site is mediated by the RV G protein, the RV P protein might be an important determinant of retrograde transport of the virus within axons. Although the mechanism(s) by which an RV infection cause(s) a lethal neurological disease are still not well understood, the most significant factor underlying the lethal outcome of an RV infection appears to be the neuronal dysfunction due to drastically inhibited synthesis of proteins required in maintaining neuronal functions.