In vivo study of mIgM and mIgD cross-linking on murine B cells

In this study, we have analysed in mice the effects on the immune response of in vivo treatment with different rat monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) against IgM and IgD. Although the effects of IgD cross-linking have been studied already, no attempt has been made to characterize the effects of in vivo IgM crosslinking, probably because of the higher IgM serum levels compared to IgD. We have used a panel of nine monoclonal rat anti-mouse IgM and three anti-IgD antibodies and we have characterized their isotypes, avidities, immunoglobulin (Ig) cross-linking and internalization abilities. Our results show that injection of mice with some rat MoAb against IgM led to an important decrease of IgM serum level and internalization of membrane IgM (mIgM) on almost all B cells. Similarly, treatment with a high-avidity anti-IgD antibody induced disapperance of mIgD on B cells. Treatment with rat MoAb against IgM or IgD led to a synthesis of specific antibodies and there was a direct relationship between the Ig internalization abilities of rat MoAb and the induction of specific antibody production. Finally, treatment with a high-avidity rat MoAb against IgD induced a polyclonal IgE and IgG1 secretion. The significance of these results on mIg receptor functions is discussed

Scouting for scripts: Mizuki Yōko and social issue film in post-war Japan

During the heyday of the studio system in Japan in the 1950s, Mizuki Yoko (1910-2003) was one of Japan's most prominent and celebrated screenwriters. Despite screenwriting being a markedly homosocial profession, Mizuki forged a remarkable career as a freelance writer, working both for major studios and independent productions. Her collaboration with directors such as Naruse Mikio and, above all, Imai Tadashi resulted in a string of critically acclaimed films. While Imai's films were lauded by contemporary critics, his approach to directing has subsequently been regarded, especially by western scholars, as somewhat impersonal and his sympathies too leftist. Conversely, these social issue (shakaiha) films, often based on original screenplays by Mizuki, scrupulously displayed the anxieties and ambiguities of the post-war era when the social fabric of Japan was radically reconfigured as its people embraced the newly imported values of democracy and consumerism. In this article, I examine the contributions of Mizuki to the oft-neglected oeuvre of Imai and social issue film in particular. I argue that besides pointing at the capacity and bounds of narrative cinema to engage with timely and sensitive social topics, Mizuki's working methods underline a screenwriter's awareness of her own agency in filmmaking