Serum antibodies and cytokines in C4-deficient mice and their responses to exercise.

Psychological stress is believed to be one of the predisposing factors for systemic lupus erythemato-sus (SLE), whereas physical stress such as exercise has never been reported to be related. We measured the cir-culating levels of antibodies (IgM, IgG, anti-dsDNA IgG), Th1 (IFN-γ), Th2 (IL-4, IL-6), and of pro-inflammatory (TNF-α, IL-1β) and anti-inflammatory (TGF-β) cytokines of C4-/- female mice at rest, after acute exercise and after exercise training, using an antibody-capture ELISA. Prior to the exercise, the C4-/- mice had higher levels of IgG and anti-dsDNA IgG but lower levels of IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-4 than wild-type C57BL/6 (B6) mice. A single bout of exercise to exhaustion increased serum IgG, TNF-α, IL-1β and TGF-β in the B6 mice but only TGF-β in the C4-/- mice was increased. We conclude that exhaustive or moderate exercise has no effect on the levels of serum anti-bodies and cytokines and is thus unlikely to promote the onset of SLE.

Distinct immunologic properties of Penicillium marneffei yeasts obtained from different in vitro growth conditions.

A dimorphic fungus Penicillium marneffei is a causative agent of penicilliosis, a life-threatening disseminated disease in immunocompromised hosts predominantly found in southeast Asia and southern China. P. marneffei is the only known Penicillium that possesses a dimorphic characteristic. Since it is difficult to produce large amount of P. marneffei yeasts in vivo for experimentation purpose, yeast cells were produced in different in vitro conditions as alternatives. We interested in investigating the immunologic properties of yeast cells from different culture preparations. It was found that yeast cells obtained from brain heart infusion broth and Sabouraud dextrose broth did not resemble those resided in clinical specimens. A solution of 1% peptone, on the other hand, could induce a direct conidial transition into fission yeasts. Ability of yeast cells in each preparation to activate macrophages was determined by analyzing surface expression of CD40 and CD86 co-stimulatory molecules after two days of co-cultivation. Every P. marneffei yeast cell preparation demonstrated such ability. However, the ones from Sabouraud dextrose broth seemed to induce less phagocytosis. Additionally, although distinct antigenic profiles and lack of conformity in antigenic expression were observed among yeast cells from different culture conditions, most major immunogenic bands were present when Western analysis was performed using polyclonal antisera from penicilliosis patients. The results of the study raise attention on immunological and biochemical characteristics of P. marneffei yeasts if such preparations are to be used in future laboratory investigations.