Association between EcoRI fragment-length polymorphism of the immunoglobulin lambda variable 8 (IGLV8) gene family with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus

The human immunoglobulin lambda variable 8 (IGLV8) subgroup is a gene family containing three members, one of them included in a monomorphic 3.7-kb EcoRI genomic fragment located at the major lambda variable locus on chromosome 22q11.1 (gene IGLV8a, EMBL accession No. Z73650) at 100 percent frequency in the normal urban population. The second is a polymorphic RFLP allele included in a 6.0-kb EcoRI fragment at 10 percent frequency, and the third is located in a monomorphic 8.0-kb EcoRI fragment at 100 percent frequency, the last being translocated to chromosome 8q11.2 and considered to be an orphan gene. Our Southern blot-EcoRI-RFLP studies in normal individuals and in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), using a specific probe for the IGLV8 gene family (probe pVL8, EMBL accession No. X75424), have revealed the two monomorphic genomic fragments containing the IGLV8 genes, i.e., the 3.7-kb fragment from chromosome 22q11.1 and the 8.0-kb fragment from 8q11.2, both occurring at 100 percent frequency (103 normal individuals, 48 RA and 28 SLE patients analyzed), but absence of the 6.0-kb IGLV8 polymorphic RFLP allele in all RA or SLE patients. As expected, the frequency of the 6.0-kb allele among the normal individuals was 10 percent. These findings suggest an association between the absence of the 6.0-kb EcoRI fragment and rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus

Lymphocyte subpopulations and neutrophil function in chronic human Chagas' disease

Numeros absolutos de leucocitos e linfocitos, de celulas T totais, indutoras/auxiliares, supresorras/citotoxicas e de celulas B estavam diminuidos no sangue periferico de pacientes com doenca de Chagas cronica. Como anticorpos antilinfocitarios estavam presentes em apenas uma minoria de pacientes, eles provavelmente nao sao responsaveis pelas anormalidades das subpopulacoes de linfocitos. Neutrofilos de pacientes estimulados por plasma autologo tratado por endotoxina mostravam atiividade quimiotatica diminuida que deve ser devida a um defeito celular intrinseco e nao a inibicao plasmatica. A migracao aleatoria dos neutrofilos estava normal. A reducao do corante "nitroblue tetrazolium" (NBT) por neutrofilos estimulados por endotoxina tambem estava diminuioda nos pacientes. Estes achados estendem a documentacao da imunossupressao na doenca de Chagas humana. Eles podem ser relevantes para autoimunidade e para defesa contra microorganismos e celulas tumorais, pelo menos em um subgrupo de pacientes com anormalidades mais pronunciadas

Circulating immune complexes in sickles cell-ß- thalassemia

A serum fraction from patients with sickle cell-betao thalassemia prepared by treatment with polyethyleneglycol showed increased amounts of C1q-precipitable immune complexes, i.e., 216 microng/dl (range, 141-266 microng/d) vs 181 microng/dl (range, 152-228 microng/dl) for controls (P<0.05), as well as increased amounts of protein. Levels of IgG, IgA, IgM, C3, C4 and factor B in the same fraction were within the normal range