Differences of ploidy status in progression of head and neck melanomas.

Thirty-three common naevi, 26 dysplastic naevi, 58 primary melanomas of facial skin, 24 oral melanomas, 32 lymph nodes and 12 distant melanoma metastases were stained using Feulgen method to evaluate the ploidy status by image analysis GAS-200 system. Eight percent of common naevi, 22% of dysplastic naevi, 43% of facial melanomas, 65% of oral melanomas, 40% of lymph nodes with melanoma metastases and 66% of distant melanoma metastases were classified as aneuploid. In facial melanomas the percentage of aneuploid cases increased with Clark level. Survival time of patients was significantly shorter for aneuploid cases as compared to euploid ones (p <0.01).

Mapping amino acids of the measles virus hemagglutinin responsible for receptor (CD46) downregulation.

We compared the amino acid sequences of groups of receptor (CD46) downregulating and nondownregulating measles virus (MV) hemagglutinins (Hs) and identified seven group-specific differences as candidates for the mediation of the observed differential effects. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we mutated the chosen amino acids of the H of MV-strain WTF (WTF-H), a nondownregulating H, and Introduced the corresponding amino acids of Edmonston-H (Edm-H), a downregulating H. We identified four amino acids, 211G, 243R, 451V, and 481Y, which influenced the downregulative function when introduced into WTF-H. The double mutation 451V and 481Y in WTF-H led to a degree of CD46 downregulation comparable to that of Edm-H. Conversely, introducing amino acids 451E and 481N into Edm-H resulted in a loss of the downregulative function. These results indicate that these amino acids play a decisive role in the H-CD46 interaction.

Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T cells in patients with Lyme arthritis.

T cells are believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of Lyme arthritis (LA), an inflammatory joint disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). The presence or absence of certain Bb-specific CD4+ T helper cells has been associated with prognosis. Since recent observations suggested the activation of CD8+ T cells during infection with Bb, we searched for CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes in patients with LA. CD8+ T cell lines were generated from peripheral blood and synovial fluid of five patients with LA. In addition, CD8+ T cells were expanded by Ag-specific stimulation in bulk cultures. A cytotoxicity assay was established using target cells infected with recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing the borrelial proteins outer surface protein (Osp) A, OspB, or flagellin. We found Bb-specific CTL lines derived from the peripheral blood of three patients with LA with specificity for flagellin, OspA, and OspB. All Bb-specific CTL lines were CD3+, CD8+, and TCRalphabeta, and cytotoxic activity was HLA class I restricted. Moreover, CD8+ T cells expanded by Ag-specific stimulation in vitro demonstrated Bb-specific and HLA class I-restricted lysis toward individual borrelial proteins. Interestingly, Bb-specific lytic activity was only detected in patient samples obtained after the disappearance of arthritis. We report the detection of Bb-specific cytotoxic CD8+ T cells in patients with LA. The induction of specific CD8+ T cells may play an important role in disease control and may have important bearings for the development of effective vaccines against Lyme borreliosis.

Gamma interferon is a major mediator of antiviral defense in experimental measles virus-induced encephalitis.

Measles virus infection of the central nervous system in the murine model of experimental measles virus-induced encephalitis is successfully controlled by virus-specific T-helper lymphocytes. T cells from BALB/c mice that are resistant to measles virus encephalitis proliferate well against measles virus in vitro, and bulk cultures recognize viral nucleocapsid and hemagglutinin as well as fusion proteins. The measles virus-specific T cells secrete large amounts of interleukin 2 (IL-2), gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) but no IL-4, IL-6, or IL-10, and hence the cytokine pattern is consistent with that of subtype 1 T-helper lymphocytes. In contrast, cells obtained from measles virus-infected susceptible C3H mice recognize measles virus proteins only weakly and secrete little IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha. Treatment of infected mice with anti-TNF-alpha antibodies has no effect on survival or virus clearance from the brain. Upon neutralization of IFN-gamma in vivo, the phenotype of measles virus-specific T-helper cells isolatable from BALB/c mice is reversed from subtype 1 to subtype 2-like. Anti-IFN-gamma antibody-treated BALB/c mice are susceptible to measles virus encephalitis, and viral clearance from the central nervous system is impaired. These results indicate that IFN-gamma plays a significant role in the control of measles virus infection of the central nervous system.

Receptor usage and differential downregulation of CD46 by measles virus wild-type and vaccine strains.

Recently, two cell surface molecules, CD46 and moesin, have been found to be functionally associated with measles virus (MV) infectivity of cells. We investigated the receptor usage of MV wild-type, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, and vaccine strains and their effect on the down-regulation of CD46 after infection. We found that the infection of human cell lines with all 19 MV strains tested was inhibitable with antibodies against CD46. In contrast, not all strains of MV led to the downregulation of CD46 following infection. The group of CD46 non-downregulating strains comprised four lymphotropic wild-type isolates designated AB, DF, DL, and WTF. Since the downregulation of CD46 is caused by interaction with newly synthesized MV hemagglutinin (MV-H), we tested the capability of recombinant MV-H proteins to downregulate CD46. Recombinant MV-H proteins of MV strains Edmonston, Halle, and CM led to the down-regulation of CD46, whereas those of DL and WTF did not. This observed differential downregulation by different MV strains has profound consequences, since lack of CD46 on the cell surface leads to susceptibility of cells to complement lysis. These results suggest that lymphotropic wild-type strains of MV which do not downregulate CD46 may have an advantage for replication in vivo. The relatively weak immune response against attenuated vaccine strains of MV compared with wild-type strains might be related to this phenomenon.

Measles virus antisense sequences specifically cure cells persistently infected with measles virus.

Vectors expressing antisense mRNAs complementary to the measles virus (MV) nucleoprotein N or hemagglutinin H genes were used to transfect MV-permissive Vero cells, MV-nonpermissive C6 rat glioma cells, and C6 cells persistently infected with measles/SSPE virus (C6/SSPE cells). Transfected Vero cells infected with MV showed a drastically reduced yield of infectious virus (90-99.99%). In plaque assays, plaque numbers and plaque size were significantly reduced compared with untransfected Vero cells. With an unrelated control virus, VSV, no effects were seen in the transfected Vero cells, underlining the specificity for MV. Following stable transfection with MV antisense vectors, C6 rat glioma cells, which are normally suitable to establish persistently MV-infected lines, can no longer be infected with the virus. In this case also, VSV infection was not influenced. Furthermore, antisense transfection of already persistently infected C6/SSPE cells leads to a loss of MV-specific immunofluorescence, concomitant with a disappearance of viral RNA. Single cell clones from the antisense-transfected C6/SSPE cells appear to be totally free of virus in cocultivation with Vero cells, suggesting that they are really cured. The effectiveness of even low amounts of antisense sequences suggests that they are good candidates for antisense oligonucleotide therapy in tissue culture and might eventually also be useful for in vivo application.

Clonal expansion of hypermutated measles virus in a SSPE brain.

Nucleotide sequence analysis was carried out to study genes encoding the matrix (M) protein of measles virus (MV) from several regions of the brain of a case of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. This analysis revealed the presence of MV with "wild-type" sequences as well as variants which had undergone at least five biased hypermutation events (U to C and A to G in the positive strand sequences). Despite the presence of MV variants with genes encoding the intact matrix protein open reading frame, M protein could not be detected in any of the brain regions. The distribution of virus variants was studied by cDNA cloning and sequence analysis and by in situ hybridization. The hypermutated viruses appeared to expand clonally throughout the brain of patient B.

Susceptibility to measles virus-induced encephalitis in mice correlates with impaired antigen presentation to cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

In measles virus (MV) infection in humans, meningitis and encephalitis are important complications. However, little is known of the pathogenesis of MV encephalitis, in particular about the role of the immune response. We have examined the role of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) in a mouse model of MV-induced encephalitis. We report here that the resistance of inbred strains of mice to MV-induced encephalitis correlated with the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) haplotype and that only resistant mouse strains mounted an effective CTL response to MV. Mice with low susceptibility to MV infection, such as the BALB/c strain (H-2d), generated CTL, whereas the highly susceptible strains, C3H (H-2k) and C57BL/6 (H-2b), revealed very poor CTL responses. MV-induced CTL were usually CD8+, and the generation of these cells was independent of the route of inoculation or the time postinfection. CD4+ T cells were generally only weakly lytic. The nucleocapsid protein was the major target antigen for CTL in BALB/c mice, although in some experiments the hemagglutinin was also recognized. CTL from C3H and C57BL/6 mice did not lyse MV-infected target cells. However, targets infected with vaccinia virus recombinants expressing the nucleocapsid protein or hemagglutinin were lysed, but levels of cytotoxicity were still low. Experiments using target cells transfected with single MHC class I genes suggested inefficient antigen presentation of MV proteins by the MHC molecules of the H-2k and H-2b haplotypes.

Glucocorticoid modulation of transformed cell proliferation is oncogene specific and correlates with effects on c-myc levels.

In the presence of the glucocorticoid hormone dexamethasone, bovine papillomavirus-1 (BPV-1)-transformed C127 mouse fibroblasts assume a flattened morphology and reach a saturation density of only 50% of that attained without hormone. This phenotypic reversion of transformation is dependent on the continued presence of dexamethasone and occurs with concentrations as low as 1 nM. Dexamethasone also suppresses the growth of the parental C127 cells as well as that of cells transformed by polyoma middle-T. In contrast, the growth of C127 cells transformed by the oncogenes v-H-ras, v-mos, or v-fes is inhibited by low concentrations of dexamethasone (1 nM) and stimulated by higher concentrations (0.1-1 microM), possibly due to dexamethasone-induced transcription from the viral long terminal repeat promoters as is shown for v-H-ras. On the other hand, inhibition of BPV-transformed cell line growth by dexamethasone does not appear to be related to hormone effects on BPV-1 oncogene transcription. Indeed, in several cases, dexamethasone increases the steady state transcript levels of the BPV-1 oncogenes, E5 and E6-E7, while suppressing cellular proliferation. Dexamethasone also rapidly reduces the steady state levels of c-myc in the BPV-transformed cells but has less effect on c-myc expression in the ras-transformed cells. These results demonstrate that the growth-promoting actions of the papillomavirus transforming genes, but not those of several retroviral oncogenes, may be overcome by dexamethasone, which appears to act by down-regulation of c-myc expression.

Efficacy of individual measles virus structural proteins in the protection of rats from measles encephalitis.

Lewis rats were immunized with recombinant vaccinia virus (VV) expressing the nucleocapsid (N), phospho (P), matrix (M), fusion (F), and haemagglutinin (H) proteins of measles virus (MV). Animals developed humoral as well as cell-mediated immune (CMI) responses to the corresponding MV proteins. Rats immunized with recombinants VVN, VVF or VVH survived a MV challenge infection whereas VVP- and VVM-immunized rats were only partially protected. In vivo depletion of CD8+ T lymphocytes did not prevent the protective effect of the N, F or H protein-specific CMI response in rats. VVH and VVF immunization induced neutralizing antibodies, but no such antibodies were detected after VVN immunization. Further investigation of the temporal occurrence of the antiviral antibodies indicated that the observed protection provided by VVN and VVF immunization depends on CD4+ N- or F-specific T cells in the absence of neutralizing antibodies and CD8+ T cells. A role for neutralizing antibodies induced by VVH cannot be ruled out.

Nucleotide sequence of the genes encoding the matrix protein of two wild-type measles virus strains.

The nucleotide sequences of the matrix protein (M) genes of two wild-type measles virus (MV) isolates (JM and CM) have been determined and shown to differ in 56 positions; 31 of these differences are located in the non-coding region and 25 in the coding region of the gene. Most (80%) of the mutations in the coding region are changes to the third base of a codon. A maximum parsimony analysis of the available M gene nucleotide sequences allowed the construction of a tree with at least three lineages or subtypes. One wild-type strain (JM) was very similar to a subacute sclerosing panencephalitis virus strain (case B); the second wild-type strain, CM, showed nucleotide sequence similarity with MV from a case of measles inclusion body encephalitis. Both wild-type virus sequences are distinct from those so far determined for vaccine strains.

Measles virus nucleocapsid protein protects rats from encephalitis.

Lewis rats immunized with recombinant vaccinia virus expressing the nucleocapsid (N) protein of measles virus were protected from encephalitis when subsequently challenged by intracerebral infection with neurotropic measles virus. Immunized rats revealed polyvalent antibodies to the N protein of measles virus in the absence of any neutralizing antibodies as well as an N protein-specific proliferative lymphocyte response. Depletion of CD8+ T lymphocytes did not abrogate the protective potential of the N protein-specific cell-mediated immune response in rats, while protection could be adoptively transferred with N protein-specific CD4+ T lymphocytes. These results indicate that a CD4+ cell-mediated immune response specific for the N protein of measles virus is sufficient to control measles virus infections of the central nervous system.

Papillomavirus-associated inductions of cellular proteins in mouse C127 cells: correlation with the presence of open reading frame E2.

Bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1) readily transforms mouse C127 cells, conferring the ability to grow in soft agar and to form tumors in athymic (nu/nu) mice. Electrophoresis of total cellular proteins from these BPV-transformed lines on ultra-high resolution, giant two-dimensional gels displays the presence of novel, papillomavirus-related protein phenotypes. Analysis of the established BPV-1-transformed C127 cell lines, ID13 and ID14, reveals a set of six proteins which are either absent or synthesized at extremely low levels in the parental cell line. One of these proteins is also present in v-ras-transformed C127 cells, but none of the others are found in cells transformed by a variety of viral oncogenes, including the polyomavirus middle T, v-mos, or v-fes. The genome of BPV-1 contains two separate open reading frames (ORFs), E5 and E6, which can act independently to transform C127 cells. In addition, trans-activator and repressor proteins encoded respectively by the full-length and carboxy-terminal E2 ORF regulate the level of expression of other BPV-1 genes. We examined 34 cell lines transformed by intact and subgenomic recombinant DNAs of BPV-1. Cells harboring BPV-1 DNAs engineered to eliminate the expression of ORFs E4, E5, E6, or E7 display five of the PV-associated proteins, but these proteins are not seen in lines lacking the full E2 ORF. Moreover, G418-selected nontransformed cells expressing E2 cDNA from an SV40 promoter exhibit these proteins at high levels. Surprisingly, these proteins are also present in cells containing BPV-1 DNAs with amino-terminal E2 deletions, suggesting that these PV-associated proteins represent novel cellular responses to a factor encoded within the E2-C gene region.

The nucleotide sequence of the inverted terminal repetition of the tree shrew adenovirus DNA.

The termini of the tupaia (tree shrew) adenovirus (TAV) DNA have been sequenced. The inverted terminal repetitions (ITR) are 166 bp long containing the A + T-rich, highly conserved sequence present in all adenovirus DNAs so far analysed. An unusual feature within the TAV ITR is the presence of four sets of a conserved sequence TGACCG which occur at or near the ends of many adenovirus ITR.

Tupaia (tree shrew) adenovirus DNA: sequence of the left-hand fragment corresponding to the transforming early region of human adenoviruses.

The nucleotide sequence of the left-hand region of the adenovirus DNA of the phylogenetically interesting tree shrew, (Tupaia belangeri) has been determined. Transcription signals, initiation codons, splice sites and termination codons were assigned on the basis of its relatedness to the EIA region of human adenoviruses 5, 7 and 12. A consensus sequence for encapsidation of adenoviral DNA that is based on the established packaging region of adenovirus 16 is proposed. The sequenced region includes the gene for a 18 000 dalton polypeptide that corresponds to the EIA proteins of the transforming region of the human serotypes. The deduced amino acid sequence of the 18 000 dalton TAV polypeptide contains a highly conserved central domain that is homologous to the middle of the 30 000 dalton polypeptides of human adenovirus indicating the significance of the central amino acid residues for the biological function of the EIA proteins.

Tetranucleotides as effectors for the binding of initiator tRNA to Escherichia coli ribosomes.

Oligonucleotides such as G-A-G-G, which are complementary to the C-U-C-C region at the 3' end of 16-S RNA, inhibit the R17-RNA-dependent binding of the initiator tRNA (fMet-rRNA) to 30-S ribosomal subunits. However, if phage RNA is replaced by A-U-G, the same oligonucleotides stimulate the binding of fMet-tRNA to the 30-S subunits. This indicates that the formation of the RNA x RNA hybrid acts as a positive control signal for the selection of the initiator tRNA by the 30-S-subunit x mRNA complex. Tetranucleotides of the type A-U-G-N (where N = A, G, C or U) stimulated the IF-2-dependent binding of fMet-tRNA to the 30-S subunit more effectively than A-U-G, with A-U-G-R better than A-U-G-Y (where R is a purine nucleoside and Y is a pyrimidine nucleoside). Since the 3'-terminal adenosine in A-U-G-A can be replaced by 6-deamino-adenosine, a stacking type of interaction between U-33 of tRNA and N of A-U-G-N should additionally stabilize the codon-anticodon complex. The situation is strictly reversed for 70-S ribosomes where A-U-G is the best codon followed by A-U-G-U, A-U-G-C, A-U-G-G and A-U-G-A. Replacement of GTP by guanosine 5'-[beta, gamma-methylene]triphosphate (GuoPP[CH2]P] results in A-U-G-A becoming more efficient than A-U-G as the codon for the binding of fMet-tRNA to 70-S ribosomes. This indicates that IF-2 and GTP hold the anticodon of the fMet-tRNA in a conformation capable of binding to a tetranucleotide codon. GTP hydrolysis and release of IF-2 from the 70-S ribosome results in a change of the tertiary structure of fMet-tRNA as a consequence of which the initiator tRNA reassumes the conformation which preferentially binds to A-U-G.