C4-binding protein (bp), a glycoprotein with specific binding affinity for the activated form of C4 (C4b), has recently been isolated from human serum and partially characterized. This report demonstrates that C4-bp is incorporated into soluble immune complexes after complement activation in vitro. The reaction requires Ca++ ions and the presence of C4 in serum. Immunopathological studies of va...

Naturally occurring activating and inactivating mutations of the thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) were found as a molecular cause of diseases in patients suffering from non-autoimmune hyperthyroidism and syndromes of thyrotropin resistance, respectively. These mutations are mostly functionally characterized in vitro and therefore, they represent an excellent tool to study structure-function relation...

The mutagenicity, in vitro metabolism, and tumor-initiating activity of methylphenanthrenes were evaluated. The only monomethyl isomers which were mutagenic toward Salmonella typhimurium were 1- and 9-methylphenanthrenes. Among the disubstituted phenanthrenes assayed for mutagenicity, only 1,4-dimethylphenanthrene was active in the presence of metabolic activation. Studies on the in vitro metab...

Approximately 7.5 × 106 patients in the US currently suffer from end-stage heart failure. The FDA has recently approved the designations of the Thoratec HeartMate II ventricular assist device (VAD) for both bridge-to-transplant and destination therapy (DT) due to its mechanical durability and improved hemodynamics. However, incidence of pump thrombosis and thromboembolic events remains high, an...

Cytokines are soluble signalling molecules which are released by cells of the immune system in response to antigen binding. Large molecule therapeutics such as antibodies can also trigger cytokine release and immune cell activation either directly by their V regions or by Fc regions binding to Fc receptors. A severe example of this was seen in the trial of TGN1412, an anti-CD28 IgG4, which acti...

The in vitro effect of endotoxin (LPS) on unfractionated mouse peritoneal cells and cells fractionated into glass adherent and nonadherent populations was studied. LPS caused blast transformation and deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis in the nonadherent, nonphagocytic cells. There was no evidence of a mitogenic effect on macrophages. Instead, a cytotoxic effect was noted. When incubated with unfra...

Sheep antisera specific for the three major immunoglobulin groups of the rabbit, i.e. IgG (gamma-chain), IgA (alpha-chain), and IgM (micro-chain), are each able to induce blast transformation of the peripheral lymphocytes of the rabbit when added to in vitro cultures. The per cent of lymphocytes transformed with each antiserum indicate that one-fourth of the peripheral lymphocytes carry or have...

Leishmania is resident within the macrophages of its vertebrate host. In any intramacrophage infection, where the pathogen is present in a form capable of mediating cell to cell transmission, the contribution of a cytotoxic T cell response to protective immunity is questionable. This study presents data from an in vitro model designed to elucidate the outcome of an interaction between CD8+, cyt...

PlXDOSO: TO assess the possible role Of experimental uveitogenic antigens (S-Ag, IRPB and recoverin) in human uveitis. Methods : Patients suffering from non-infectious bilateral UVeitiS and from the Ocular type of Behcet's disease were included in this study. Patients’ lymphocytes were tested for their possible in vitro anamnestic immune ~~SpClllS~ (specific blast transformation) to S-Ag, IRBP ...