Chang Q et al. (SEP 2002)
Infection and Immunity 70 9 4977--86
Structure-function relationships for human antibodies to pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide from transgenic mice with human immunoglobulin Loci.
To investigate the influence of antibody structure and specificity on antibody efficacy against Streptococcus pneumoniae,human monospecific antibodies (MAbs) to serotype 3 pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide (PPS-3) were generated from transgenic mice reconstituted with human immunoglobulin loci (XenoMouse mice) vaccinated with a PPS-3-tetanus toxoid conjugate and their molecular genetic structures,epitope specificities,and protective efficacies in normal and complement-deficient mice were determined. Nucleic acid sequence analysis of three MAbs (A7,1A2,and 7C5) revealed that they use two different V(H)3 genes (A7 and 1A2 both use V3-15) and three different V(kappa) gene segments. The MAbs were found to have similar affinities for PPS-3 but different epitope specificities and CDR3 regions. Both A7 and 7C5 had a lysine at the V(H)-D junction,whereas 1A2 had a threonine. Challenge experiments with serotype 3 S. pneumoniae in BALB/c mice revealed that both 10- and 1- micro g doses of A7 and 7C5 were protective,while only a 10- micro g dose of 1A2 was protective. Both A7 and 7C5 were also protective in mice lacking either an intact alternative (FB(-/-)) or classical (C4(-/-)) complement pathway,but 1A2 was not protective in either strain. Our data suggest that PPS-3 consists of epitopes that can elicit both highly protective and less protective antibodies and that the superior efficacies of certain antibodies may be a function of their structures and/or specificities. Further investigation of relationships between structure,specificity,and efficacy for defined MAbs to PPS may identify antibody features that might be useful surrogates for antibody (and vaccine) efficacy.
View Publication
Lopez-Izquierdo A et al. (NOV 2014)
American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology 307 9 H1370--7
A near-infrared fluorescent voltage-sensitive dye allows for moderate-throughput electrophysiological analyses of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes.
Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte (iPSC-CM)-based assays are emerging as a promising tool for the in vitro preclinical screening of QT interval-prolonging side effects of drugs in development. A major impediment to the widespread use of human iPSC-CM assays is the low throughput of the currently available electrophysiological tools. To test the precision and applicability of the near-infrared fluorescent voltage-sensitive dye 1-(4-sulfanatobutyl)-4-β[2-(di-n-butylamino)-6-naphthyl]butadienylquinolinium betaine (di-4-ANBDQBS) for moderate-throughput electrophysiological analyses,we compared simultaneous transmembrane voltage and optical action potential (AP) recordings in human iPSC-CM loaded with di-4-ANBDQBS. Optical AP recordings tracked transmembrane voltage with high precision,generating nearly identical values for AP duration (AP durations at 10%,50%,and 90% repolarization). Human iPSC-CMs tolerated repeated laser exposure,with stable optical AP parameters recorded over a 30-min study period. Optical AP recordings appropriately tracked changes in repolarization induced by pharmacological manipulation. Finally,di-4-ANBDQBS allowed for moderate-throughput analyses,increasing throughput textgreater10-fold over the traditional patch-clamp technique. We conclude that the voltage-sensitive dye di-4-ANBDQBS allows for high-precision optical AP measurements that markedly increase the throughput for electrophysiological characterization of human iPSC-CMs.
View Publication
Sequential treatment of CD34+ cells from patients with primary myelofibrosis with chromatin-modifying agents eliminate JAK2V617F-positive NOD/SCID marrow repopulating cells.
Because primary myelofibrosis (PMF) originates at the level of the pluripotent hematopoietic stem cell (HSC),we examined the effects of various therapeutic agents on the in vitro and in vivo behavior of PMF CD34(+) cells. Treatment of PMF CD34(+) cells with chromatin-modifying agents (CMAs) but not hydroxyurea,Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) inhibitors,or low doses of interferon-α led to the generation of greater numbers of CD34(+) chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor (CXCR)4(+) cells,which were capable of migrating in response to chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand (CXCL)12 and resulted in a reduction in the proportion of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) that were JAK2V617F(+). Furthermore,sequential treatment of PMF CD34(+) cells but not normal CD34(+) cells with decitabine (5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine [5azaD]),followed by suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA; 5azaD/SAHA),or trichostatin A (5azaD/TSA) resulted in a higher degree of apoptosis. Two to 6 months after the transplantation of CMAs treated JAK2V617F(+) PMF CD34(+) cells into nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (SCID)/IL-2Rγ(null) mice,the percentage of JAK2V617F/JAK2(total) in human CD45(+) marrow cells was dramatically reduced. These findings suggest that both PMF HPCs,short-term and long-term SCID repopulating cells (SRCs),are JAK2V617F(+) and that JAK2V617F(+) HPCs and SRCs can be eliminated by sequential treatment with CMAs. Sequential treatment with CMAs,therefore,represents a possible effective means of treating PMF at the level of the malignant SRC.
View Publication