LEUKEMIA-ASSOCIATED TRANSPLANTATION ANTIGENS RELATED TO MURINE LEUKEMIA VIRUS : THE X.1 SYSTEM: IMMUNE RESPONSE CONTROLLED BY A LOCUS LINKED TOH-2

Two BALB radiation leukemias are strongly rejected by hybrids of BALB with certain other mouse strains, although BALB mice themselves exhibit no detectable resistance whatever. Hybrids immunized with progressively increased inocula are resistant to 200 x 106 or more leukemia cells; their serum is cytotoxic for the leukemia cells in vitro and protects BALB mice against challenge with these BALB leukemias. The antigenic system thus identified has been named X.1. In (BALB x B6) hybrids the major determinant of resistance was shown to be a B6 gene in the K region of H-2. This is likely to be the Rgv-1 (Resistance to gross virus) locus of Lilly, which may thus be identified in this case as an Ir (Immune response) allele conferring ability to respond to X.1 antigen on MuLV and leukemia cells, and so responsible for production of X.1 antibody and the rejection of X.1+ leukemia cells by hybrid mice. Immunoelectron microscopy with X.1 antiserum (from immunized hybrids) shows labeling both on the cell surface and on virions produced by the leukemia cells. It is not known whether X.1 comprises only one or more than one antigen. Three radiation-induced BALB leukemias, one A strain radiation-induced leukemia, and 15/15 AKR primary spontaneous leukemias were typed X.1+ by the cytotoxicity test. Several other leukemias, including one induced by passage A Gross virus and one long-transplanted AKR ascites leukemia carried in (B6 x AKR)F1 hybrids, were X.1-. Normal mice of strains with a high incidence of leukemia and one other strain (129) express X.1 antigen, but evidently in amounts too small for certain detection in vitro; by the method of absorption in vivo, however, these strains could be typed X.1+ and other strains X.1-. We ascribe the X.1 antigen system tentatively to a sub-type of MuLV that is not passage A Gross virus and is probably not the dominant sub-type in strains with a high incidence of leukemia. After repeated passage in hybrids, one of the BALB leukemias became relatively resistant to rejection by the hybrid, partially lost its sensitivity to X.1 antiserum in vitro, and in electron micrographs was seen to produce fewer virions. The serum of untreated (BALB x B6) hybrids often contains cytotoxic antibody against leukemia cells, some of it probably anti-X.1. But another commonly occurring antibody, which is cytotoxic for C57BL leukemia EL4, appears to belong to another (undefined) system

Analysis of Fcγ receptor haplotypes in rheumatoid arthritis: FCGR3A remains a major susceptibility gene at this locus, with an additional contribution from FCGR3B

The Fcγ receptors play important roles in the initiation and regulation of many immunological and inflammatory processes, and genetic variants (FCGR) have been associated with numerous autoimmune and infectious diseases. The data in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are conflicting and we previously demonstrated an association between FCGR3A and RA. In view of the close molecular proximity with FCGR2A, FCGR2B and FCGR3B, additional polymorphisms within these genes and FCGR haplotypes were examined to refine the extent of association with RA. Biallelic polymorphisms in FCGR2A, FCGR2B and FCGR3B were examined for association with RA in two well characterized UK Caucasian and North Indian/Pakistani cohorts, in which FCGR3A genotyping had previously been undertaken. Haplotype frequencies and linkage disequilibrium were estimated across the FCGR locus and a model-free analysis was performed to determine association with RA. This was followed by regression analysis, allowing for phase uncertainty, to identify the particular haplotype(s) that influences disease risk. Our results reveal that FCGR2A, FCGR2B and FCGR3B were not associated with RA. The haplotype with the strongest association with RA susceptibility was the FCGR3A–FCGR3B 158V-NA2 haplotype (odds ratio 3.18, 95% confidence interval 1.13–8.92 [P = 0.03] for homozygotes compared with all genotypes). The association was stronger in the presence of nodules (odds ratio 5.03, 95% confidence interval 1.44–17.56; P = 0.01). This haplotype was also more common in North Indian/Pakistani RA patients than in control individuals, but not significantly so. Logistic regression analyses suggested that FCGR3A remained the most significant gene at this locus. The increased association with an FCGR3A–FCGR3B haplotype suggests that other polymorphic variants within FCGR3A or FCGR3B, or in linkage disequilibrium with this haplotype, may additionally contribute to disease pathogenesis

RELATION OF CHROMOSOME 4 (LINKAGE GROUP VIII) TO MURINE LEUKEMIA VIRUS-ASSOCIATED ANTIGENS OF AKR MICE

Genes specifying or controlling the expression of GIX (cell surface), GCSA (cell surface), and gs (internal viral) antigens are located in chromosome 4 (linkage group [LG] VIII) of the AKR mouse. All three antigens may exhibit mendelian inheritance, mice being antigen positive or antigen negative, but each may also appear in leukemic cells of mice whose inherited genotype was antigen negative. The GIX-determining gene in LG VIII of AKR mice apparently is equivalent to Gv-1, which determines expression of the same antigen in 129 strain mice, but which in the latter strain is located in LG IX. As the estimated distance of Gv-1 from H-2 in 129 mice is considerable (37 units) further tests are now indicated to assess the possibility of pseudolinkage in this case. The Fv-1 locus, also located in LG VIII, influences the mouse's titer of MuLV, and might thereby be thought to regulate the GIX and gs phenotypes of AKR backcross segregants. But the data indicate a discrete LG VIII locus for GIX, since expression of this antigen is mendelian and independent of infectious virus titer. Since the GIX and GCSA phenotypes of AKR backcross segregants were invariably concordant, these two antigens must be specified or controlled by closely linked genes, and the latter also is presumably independent of virus titer. The question as to what extent expression of gs antigen in the segregants is secondary to virus production is undecided

Use of routinely collected health data in randomised clinical trials: comparison of trial-specific death data in the BOSS trial with NHS Digital data

Background: A promising approach to reduce the increasing costs of clinical trials is the use of routinely collected health data as participant data. However, the quality of this data could limit its usability as trial participant data. Methods: The BOSS trial is a randomised controlled trial comparing regular endoscopies versus endoscopies at need in patients with Barrett’s oesophagus with primary endpoint death. Data on death and cancer collected every 2 years after randomisation (trial-specific data) were compared to data received annually (all patients on one date) from the routinely collected health data source National Health Service (NHS) Digital. We investigated completeness, agreement and timeliness and looked at the implications for the primary trial outcome. Completeness and agreement were assessed by evaluating the number of reported and missing cases and any disparities between reported dates. Timeliness was considered by graphing the year a death was first reported in the trial-specific data against that for NHS Digital data. Implications on the primary trial outcome, overall survival, of using one of the data sources alone were investigated using Kaplan-Meier graphs. To assess the utility of cause of death and cancer diagnoses, oesophageal cancer cases were compared. Results: NHS Digital datasets included more deaths and often reported them sooner than the trial-specific data. The number reported as being from oesophageal cancer was similar in both datasets. Due to time lag in reporting and missing cases, the event rate appeared higher using the NHS Digital data. Conclusion: NHS Digital death data is useful for calculating overall survival where trial-specific follow-up is only every 2 years from randomisation and the follow-up requires patient response. The cancer data was not a large enough sample to assess usability. We suggest that this assessment of registry data is done for more phase III RCTs and for more registry data to get a more complete picture of when RCHD would be useful in phase III RCT. Trial registration: ISRCTN54190466 (BOSS) 1 Oct 2009

A linear plasmid truncation induces unidirectional flagellar phase change in H:z66 positive Salmonella Typhi

The process by which bacteria regulate flagellar expression is known as phase variation and in Salmonella enterica this process permits the expression of one of two flagellin genes, fliC or fljB, at any one time. Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) is normally not capable of phase variation of flagellar antigen expression as isolates only harbour the fliC gene (H:d) and lacks an equivalent fljB locus. However, some S. Typhi isolates, exclusively from Indonesia, harbour an fljB equivalent encoded on linear plasmid, pBSSB1 that drives the expression of a novel flagellin named H:z66. H:z66+S. Typhi isolates were stimulated to change flagellar phase and genetically analysed for the mechanism of variation. The phase change was demonstrated to be unidirectional, reverting to expression from the resident chromosomal fliC gene. DNA sequencing demonstrated that pBSSB1 linear DNA was still detectable but that these derivatives had undergone deletion and were lacking fljAz66 (encoding a flagellar repressor) and fljBz66. The deletion end-point was found to involve one of the plasmid termini and a palindromic repeat sequence within fljBz66, distinct to that found at the terminus of pBSSB1. These data demonstrate that, like some Streptomyces linear elements, at least one of the terminal inverted repeats of pBSSB1 is non-essential, but that a palindromic repeat sequence may be necessary for replication

Refractive Index of Humid Air in the Infrared: Model Fits

The theory of summation of electromagnetic line transitions is used to tabulate the Taylor expansion of the refractive index of humid air over the basic independent parameters (temperature, pressure, humidity, wavelength) in five separate infrared regions from the H to the Q band at a fixed percentage of Carbon Dioxide. These are least-squares fits to raw, highly resolved spectra for a set of temperatures from 10 to 25 C, a set of pressures from 500 to 1023 hPa, and a set of relative humidities from 5 to 60%. These choices reflect the prospective application to characterize ambient air at mountain altitudes of astronomical telescopes.Comment: Corrected exponents of c0ref, c1ref and c1p in Table

Direct tumor recognition by a human CD4(+) T-cell subset potently mediates tumor growth inhibition and orchestrates anti-tumor immune responses.

Tumor antigen-specific CD4(+) T cells generally orchestrate and regulate immune cells to provide immune surveillance against malignancy. However, activation of antigen-specific CD4(+) T cells is restricted at local tumor sites where antigen-presenting cells (APCs) are frequently dysfunctional, which can cause rapid exhaustion of anti-tumor immune responses. Herein, we characterize anti-tumor effects of a unique human CD4(+) helper T-cell subset that directly recognizes the cytoplasmic tumor antigen, NY-ESO-1, presented by MHC class II on cancer cells. Upon direct recognition of cancer cells, tumor-recognizing CD4(+) T cells (TR-CD4) potently induced IFN-γ-dependent growth arrest in cancer cells. In addition, direct recognition of cancer cells triggers TR-CD4 to provide help to NY-ESO-1-specific CD8(+) T cells by enhancing cytotoxic activity, and improving viability and proliferation in the absence of APCs. Notably, the TR-CD4 either alone or in collaboration with CD8(+) T cells significantly inhibited tumor growth in vivo in a xenograft model. Finally, retroviral gene-engineering with T cell receptor (TCR) derived from TR-CD4 produced large numbers of functional TR-CD4. These observations provide mechanistic insights into the role of TR-CD4 in tumor immunity, and suggest that approaches to utilize TR-CD4 will augment anti-tumor immune responses for durable therapeutic efficacy in cancer patients