Isolation and characterization of indigenous endophytic bacteria associated with leaves of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) cultivars.

AIMS: To isolate and characterize indigenous bacterial endophytes from cultivars of switchgrass and study their antimicrobial and growth promoting potential. METHODS AND RESULTS: The diversity, molecular and biochemical characterizations of indigenous and culturable bacterial endophytes residing in leaves of switchgrass have not been studied previously. This study describes the characterization of 31 bacterial endophytes from three switchgrass cutlivars: Cave-in Rock, Blue Jacket and Tecumseh. Molecular and phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA sequence grouped the endophytes into eight different taxa that shared high homology of 98-99% with other known sequences. Bacterial endophytes were identified as Microbacterium testaceum, Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus pumilus, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Sphingomonas parapaucimobilis, Serratia sp. and Pantoea ananatis. Some endophytes were detected in switchgrass seeds and in plants that originated from seeds collected a year earlier, confirming vertical transmission to the next generation of the host. Selected endophytes produced cellulases and were capable of solubilizing inorganic phosphorus. Analysis of cell-free culture filtrate of selected strains using direct infusion orbitrap mass spectrometry confirmed the presence of several well-characterized lipopeptide toxins and phytohormones. Re-inoculation of the roots of switchgrass seedlings with endophytes singly or combined confirmed their migration to the upper aerial parts of the plant. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that switchgrass leaves harbour a diversity of bacterial endophytes, some of which could potentially be applied as growth promoting bacteria. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is the first report on the characterization of indigenous bacterial endophytes and their potential use as biofertilizers.

Neonatal thrombocytopenia in HLA-DR, -DQ, -DP-typed mother due to rare anti-HPA-1b (PLA2) (Zwb) fetomaternal immunization.

A new case of rare neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, due to an IgG anti-HPA-1b in a mother HPA-1 (a+, b-), was diagnosed using monoclonal antibody-specific immobilization of platelet antigens. Clinically, it was similar to the 2 previously reported observations and confirmed that, in this particular case of anti-HPA-1b, the treatment with random platelet pools may be as effective as selected single-donor platelet units when maternal platelets are unusable. The HLA-DR, -DQ, -DP genotypes of the family were obtained by PCR-SSO. The mother's typing, compared to the HLA-DR of the 6 similar cases reported in Europe, suggests that a combined effect of two rare HLA haplotypes might enhance this immunization.

Human allospecific T cell proliferative clones: different T cell clones expressing an apparently identical HLA class II specificity are heterogeneous in regard to their proliferative inhibition by a panel of monoclonal antibodies against human Ia-like antigens.

Four independent PLT clones displaying an apparently identical class II specificity (i.e., Dw/DR3) were found to give a heterogeneous pattern of inhibition in relation to 15 anti-class II mAb and an anti-beta 2m mAb used as a control. Some clones were inhibited by all anti-class II mAbs, irrespective of the cluster of molecular subsets with which they reacted. Such clones were also inhibited by the control anti-beta 2m mAb. Other clones were inhibited by only a few of the mAb tested. Within this group of T clones following the addition of a limiting amount of conditioned medium the inhibitory data of all independent clones with an identical specificity were inhibited by the same mAb; under these conditions, it was possible to relate the mAb inhibition patterns with the specificity of the T cell clones and these T cell specificities with the epitopic cluster/molecular subsets defined by these mAbs. A new level of T cell subset heterogeneity within T cell clones with apparent identical proliferative specificities is demonstrated, in relation to the T cell clone "susceptibility" or "resistance" to the effects of anti-class II mAbs directed towards their own Ia-like antigens.

Mouse monoclonal anti-Ia antibodies recognize cross-reacting determinants expressed on distinct subsets of human Ia-like cell-surface molecules.

Human Ia-like cell-surface molecules from a homozygous HLA-DR (6/6) B lymphoblastoid cell line have been analyzed using five mouse anti-Ia m.Ab cross-reacting with HLA-DR antigens. The surface-iodinated molecules immunoprecipitated by these m.Ab were analyzed by SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions and by SDS-PAGE followed by isoelectrofocusing. As read from the different migration patterns, three distinct combinations of human Ia-like molecules were identified by these m.Ab. Three anti-I-E-reactive m.Ab immunoprecipitated two-chain molecules whose apparent mol. wt (32K, 29K) corresponded to those of the classical HLA-DR antigens. One m.Ab which on mouse cells recognized a determinant shared by the I-A and I-E molecules precipitated not only the 32-29K bands, but also a 26K band from human cell extracts. Finally, an I-A reactive m.Ab precipitated a complex set of polypeptides including in addition to the 32-29K bands, three additional chains of 30, 28 and 26K. Sequential immunoprecipitation demonstrated that removal of the classical 29-32K HLA-DR chains by an anti-I-E m.Ab did not affect the subsequent immunoprecipitation of the additional chains by the anti-I-A or the anti-I-A + I-E m.Abs. These patterns and those obtained by 2D-gels analysis which demonstrated the complexity of the 26K band are compatible with the coexpression of at least three different subsets of molecules: (1) Ia-like molecules of 29-32K, recognized by all the m.Ab used; (b) molecules of 28-30K recognized by the anti-I-A m.Ab and (c) molecules apparently constituted by 26K chains, precipitated by the anti-I-A m.Ab and by the anti-I-A + I-E m.Ab.

A biochemical analysis of the secregation of HLA-DR heavy and light chains in a family studied by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.

Previous studies in our laboratory using primed lymphocyte typing (PLT) in an informative family have led to the identification of four traits and two regions, separable by recombination within the HLA-DR system. In the present study, we analysed the heterogeneity of HLA-DR antigens among members of this family as a first step towards defining the molecular entities responsible for the observed cellular reactivities. Cell lines of various genotypes derived from the members of this family were labelled biosynthetically with 35S-methionine. The total glycoproteins and immunoprecipitates prepared with two monoclonal anti-HLA-DR antibodies, two monoclonal anti-mouse Ia antibodies cross-reactive with HLA-DR, and a rabbit anti-HLA-DR (anti-p27,33) antiserum were fractionated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. In agreement with previous results, HLA-DR light chains were clearly polymorphic whereas the heavy chains looked rather monomorphic. The light chain subunits either segregated with one haplotype, or were shared by some but not all haplotypes or were common to all haplotypes. Whereas the haplotype-specific polypeptides correlated best with HLA-DR3 and HLA-DR5 specificities, the shared subunits may have corresponded to the cross-reactivities observed by PLT. Comparison of the patterns obtained with the various monoclonal antibodies and with the rabbit antiserum revealed that each monoclonal antibody bound a subset of HLA-DR light chains, all of which were present in the anti-p27,33 precipitates. This rabbit antiserum and one of the monoclonal antibodies immunoprecipitated a set of heavy chains not bound by the other 3 antibodies. Since overlapping pools of light chains were present in all five immunoprecipitates, these results suggest that different heavy chains may associate with the same light chains.

HLA-SB in the south of France. Correlation between locally derived and reference typing reagents.

The HLA-D region of the Major Histocompatibility Complex has been subdivided since 1978 (Mawas et al. 1978) into two subregions separable by recombination: a telomeric subregion (closer to HLA-B), coding for the classical HLA-DR or Dw specificities (Mawas et al. 1980) as well as for the more recent MT series (Park et al. 1980); and a centromeric subregion (closer to GLO), coding for a new series of alleles provisionally named SB (for secondary B cell antigens) (Shaw et al. 1980, 1981a). Reagents allowing the identification of six independent alleles have been characterized in two laboratories (Charmot et al. 1980 and Shaw et al. 1980, 1981b) using the technology of primed lymphocytes typing (Sheehy et al. 1975; Mawas et al. 1975). The existence of this new locus is supported by the following arguments: population studies by Shaw demonstrating five traits distinct from DR behaving as alleles (Shaw et al. 1981b), analysis of two informative SB/DR recombinant families (Mawas et al. 1978; Mawas et al. 1980; Shaw et al. 1981a), and, finally, studies of mutants showing independent loss of DR expression without loss of SB expression (Kavathas et al. 1981). The present report summarizes the HLA-SB typing of 109 unrelated individuals from the South of France and segregation studies in 14 unrelated families; a first attempt to correlate local "SB" reagents with the NIH reference standards is presented.