During the last nine years, two important methodologies have been used to characterize the cell surfaces of normal lymphocytes and malignant lymphoblasts. Normal mature T-cells have a receptor for sheep erythrocyte (E+) while mature B-cells bear membrane-bound immunoglobulin molecules (sIg+). These two findings can be used to divide acute lymphoblastic leukemia of childhood into three major gro...

The occurrence of e antigen in 44 patients with acute hepatitis B was studied in order to determine if e was related to the outcome of the illness. In 13.6% of cases e was detected, and in none of these did the carrier state develop. The HBsAg carrier state developed in 4.6% of the patients and in none of these was e antigen detected. Anti-e was detected in only three cases. Only in the very ea...

Background/Aim: Hepatitis B surface antigen(HBsAg) is routinely detected qualitatively in Hepatitis B Virus(HBV) infection where its persistence beyond 6 months defines chronic hepatitis B(CHB) infection. Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) usually indicates active HBV replication and risk of transmission of infection. In spite of the emerging use of chemiluminescence based quantitative HBsAg assays ...

Two new cell surface antigens specific for the erythroid lineage were defined with cytotoxic IgM monoclonal antibodies (McAb) (EP-1; EP-2) that were produced using BFU-E-derived colonies as immunogens. These two antigens are expressed on in vivo and in vitro derived adult and fetal erythroblasts, but not on erythrocytes. They are not detectable on resting lymphocytes, concanavalin-A (Con-A) act...

We used a cloned, TNP-specific, MHC-restricted, human Th cell line, E-11, and an assay of cognate Th-B cell interaction, BLAST-2 antigen expression on the B cell surface, to investigate the functional nature of the Th cell antigen receptor. We observed that E-11 induces BLAST-2 expression by resting B cells in a hapten-dependent, hapten-specific, but MHC nonrestricted manner. The implication of...

T cells recognize peptides derived from the processing of proteins by antigen presenting cells (APCs) in association with the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. We have engineered a murine MHC class II antigen presenting molecule consisting of the extracellular domains of I-E(d)alpha and I-E(d)beta chains to which the CD4 T cell immunodominant epitope HA110-120 of the hemagglutin...

The O-antigen gene clusters of Escherichia coli serogroups O117, O126, and O146 were sequenced, and 11, 10, and 11 open reading frames (ORFs) were identified, respectively. Genes required for O-antigen sugar biosynthesis, sugar transfer, and sugar processing were identified. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were developed targeting the wzx and wzy genes present in the O-antigen ...

The importance of CD4+ Th1 cells during the effector phase of the antitumor response has been overshadowed by emphasis on CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). To determine their respective functions, we purified antigen-primed T cells from tumor-draining lymph nodes and separately activated CD4+ and CD8+ subsets in vitro. Adoptive transfer of CD4+ T effector cells (T(E)s) combined with CD8+ T(E...

The gene coding for the envelope (E) glycoprotein of dengue-2 virus was cloned into baculovirus (Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus). The recombinant virus contained the entire E protein gene, preceded by 38 nucleotides from the end of the prematrix glycoprotein gene and followed by the first 83 nucleotides of nonstructural protein 1. When expressed in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9)...