Use of monoclonal antibodies specific for the a determinant of K88 pili for detection of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in pigs.

Monoclonal antibodies directed against the a determinant of K88 pili from porcine enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli which react with all three K88 variants have been produced. These antibodies have been used for diagnosis of porcine enterotoxigenic E. coli in a direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with sensitivity to 50 ng of pilus protein per ml.

Induction of tumor cytotoxic immune cells using a protein from the bitter melon (Momordica charantia).

The fruit and seeds of the bitter melon (Momordica charantia) have been reported to have anti-leukemic and antiviral activities. This anti-leukemic and antiviral action was associated with an activation of murine lymphocytes. A partially purified protein factor from the bitter melon caused an infiltration and activation of peritoneal exudate cells in C57B1/6J, C3H/HeJ, and C3H/HeN mice. When the extract was injected twice a week at 8 micrograms of protein per ip injection for 0-4 weeks, the peritoneal exudate cells from the treated mice were cytotoxic in a long-term (18-hr) 51Cr-release assay against a range of labeled targets: L1210, P388, and MOLT-4 tumor cells. Cytotoxicity was also observed against YAC-1 targets in a short-term (4-hr) assay. Fractionation of the cytotoxic immune cells implicated a nonadherent cell population which was capable of killing an NK-sensitive cell line in a 4-hr 51Cr-release assay. Unit gravity sedimentation studies indicated that the cytotoxicity was due to either a neutrophil or a large lymphocyte. Antibody depletion experiments using antibody to asialo GM1, an NK cell-specific antibody, depleted cytotoxicity observed in nonadherent, Ficoll/Hypaque-separated PEC. This suggests that at least part of the anti-leukemic activity of the bitter melon extract is due to the activation of NK cells in the host mouse.

Immune response to ultraviolet-induced tumors. III. Analysis of cloned lymphocyte populations exhibiting antitumor activity.

Previously, we hypothesized that natural killer lymphocytes could function as effector cells in the rejection of UV-induced tumors in tumor-immune animals. Immunization with progressor UV-tumor 2237 induced lymphocytes exhibiting natural cell-mediated cytotoxicity but failed to elicit tumor-specific cytolytic T lymphocytes. In the present investigation, T lymphocyte cloning technology provided a means of isolating homogeneous lymphocyte populations exhibiting CTL and NK activities. Clones with both CTL and NK activity were isolated from regressor-1316-immune mice, but NK-like clones only were isolated from progressor-2237-immune mice. An evaluation of the in situ anti-UV-tumor action of a representative NK lymphocyte clone revealed that these cells could in fact prevent tumor outgrowth, supporting our hypothesis that these cells could function as effector cells in UV-tumor rejection responses in tumor-immune animals.

Immune response to ultraviolet-induced tumors. II. Effector cells in tumor immunity.

Skin tumors induced in mice by chronic ultraviolet irradiation are highly antigenic and can induce a state of transplantation immunity in syngeneic hosts. In the present study, we compared the in vitro cytolytic activity of splenic lymphocytes from mice immunized with either a regressor or a progressor UV-tumor. The results of this comparison supported previous work implicating a role for tumor-specific cytolytic T lymphocytes in the rejection of regressor UV-tumors. The results also revealed that immunization with the progressor UV-tumor 2237 failed to elicit detectable levels of progressor tumor-specific CTL in animals capable of rejecting the immunizing tumor. Interestingly, following in vitro resensitization of both regressor and progressor immune spleen cells, we found a previously undetected lymphocyte population with anti-UV-tumor activity. Besides lysing UV-tumors in vitro, these lymphocytes also lysed a wide variety of additional tumor targets. This effector activity along with the analysis of cell surface markers indicated that these lymphocytes belong to that category of effector cells mediating natural-cell-mediated cytotoxicity (NCMC). As we had not detected cells with this activity in splenic lymphocyte preparations prior to in vitro resensitization, we examined lymphocytes from the local tumor environment during the course of progressor 2237 tumor rejection for either NCMC activity or tumor-specific CTL activity. This in situ analysis revealed lymphocytes exhibiting significant levels of cytolytic activity against several UV-tumors, thus implicating NK cells as effector cells in the rejection of progressor UV-tumors by immune animals. The mechanisms whereby NK cells with NCMC activity could be induced in immune animals are discussed in the context of class-II-restricted immune responses by helper/inducer T lymphocytes.

Predominance of the ac variant in K88-positive Escherichia coli isolates from swine.

Monoclonal antibodies to K88ac and K88ab were used in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays on Escherichia coli cultures known to produce K88 pili. A total of 415 K88-positive E. coli isolates from nine states were all found to be the K88ac variant. The cultures tested were isolated during the years 1976 to 1985.

Immune response to ultraviolet-induced tumors. I. Transplantation immunity developing in syngeneic mice in response to progressor ultraviolet-induced tumors.

Ultraviolet-light-induced murine skin tumors were analyzed for the ability to induce transplantation immunity and cytotoxic lymphocytes in syngeneic mice. A correlation was found between tumor regression and the induction of cytotoxic T cells with specificity for a unique tumor-associated antigen. Processing tumors possessed tumor-associated transplantation antigens (TATA), which could be demonstrated by transplantation in hyperimmunized mice. Progression correlated with a lack of splenic cytotoxic T cell reactivity. High levels of in situ cytotoxic reactivity could be induced by presenting the tumor-specific antigen on nongrowing tumor cells. Tumor-bearer hosts were shown to be sensitized to TATA because cultured tumor-bearer T cells adoptively transferred protection against tumor outgrowth. Mechanisms of the in vivo suppression of antitumor immunity are discussed.

In vivo antitumor activity of the bitter melon (Momordica charantia).

The in vivo antitumor activity of a crude extract from the bitter melon (Momordica charantia) was determined. The extract inhibited tumor formation in CBA/H mice which had been given i.p. injections of 1.0 X 10(5) CBA/Dl tumor cells (77% of the untreated mice with tumors versus 33% of the treated mice with tumors after 6 weeks). The extract also inhibited tumor formation in DBA/2 mice which had been given i.p. injections of either 1 X 10(5) P388 tumor cells (0% of untreated mice survived after 30 days versus 40% survival of the treated mice) or 1 X 10(5) L1210 tumor cells (0% survival of untreated mice versus 100% of treated mice after 30 days). The in vivo antitumor effect required both the prior exposure of tumor cells to the extract (2 hr) in vitro and i.p., biweekly injections of the extract into the mice. The optimum dose for tumor inhibition (8 micrograms protein, biweekly, i.p.) was not toxic to mice for at least 45 days of treatment. This same treatment caused a marked enhancement of C3H mouse thymic cell response to concanavalin A in vitro. When compared to the untreated control mice, the bitter melon-injected animals exhibited a 4-fold-higher incorporation of tritiated thymidine into trichloroacetic acid-precipitable material after 48 hr of exposure to 50 micrograms of concanavalin A. Nylon wool-purified spleen cells from these same bitter melon-treated mice exhibited an enhanced mixed lymphocyte reaction when exposed to irradiated P388 stimulator cells (186% of the untreated control mice). These data indicate that in vivo enhancement of immune functions may contribute to the antitumor effects of the bitter melon extract.

Identification of tumor-associated antigens on ultraviolet light-induced tumors using antitumor antibodies developed in ascites fluid.

A method is described which leads to the production of large amounts of ascites containing antitumor antibody in small numbers of mice. The antibody was then used to identify and characterize tumor-associated antigens on an ultraviolet light-induced murine skin fibrosarcoma. The antibody showed specific complement-dependent cytotoxicity to the homologous tumor and to an allogeneic tumor line which displayed a glycoprotein viral determinant with a molecular weight of 70,000 on its surface. Absorption of the immune ascites with other tumor cell lines removed the cytotoxicity in relation to the presence of the glycoprotein. Isolation of the tumor cell surface components binding antibody revealed two components with molecular weights of approximately 70,000 and 60,000. The Mr 70,000 component was identified as viral gp70 by peptide mapping.

Identification and cytotoxic reactivity of inflammatory cells recovered from progressing or regressing syngeneic UV-induced murine tumors.

Most tumors induced in C3H mice by ultraviolet (UV) light are immunologically rejected by normal syngeneic recipients, but will grow progressively in immunosuppressed mice and in mice treated with UV light. In this study we compared the composition and cytotoxic activity of the inflammatory cell infiltrate from tumors transplanted into syngeneic UV-irradiated or unirradiated mice. Tumor fragments were implanted in either normal (regressor) or UV-treated (progressor) mice, and removed on various days after implantation and mechanically dissociated. The cells were examined by immunofluorescence for theta and immunoglobulin markers, stained for morphologic examination, and tested for cytotoxicity against the tumor. No significant differences were noted in numbers of macrophages, granulocytes, or B cells recovered from progressing or regressing tumors on day 6, the time of greatest activity. However, the numbers of T cells recovered from tumor fragments implanted in normal mice was approximately 3-fold that recovered from tumor fragments implanted in UV-treated mice. Lymphocytes recovered from regressing tumor fragments were specifically cytotoxic for that tumor in a microcytotoxicity test; those from progressing tumor fragments were not cytotoxic.

In vitro reactivity of splenic lymphocytes from normal and UV-irradiated mice against syngeneic UV-induced tumors.

Skin tumors induced in mice by chronic ultraviolet (UV) irradiation are highly antigenic and are frequently immunologically rejected upon transplantation to normal syngeneic recipients. In this study we characterized this immune response with an in vitro microcytotoxicity test. Cytotoxic activity was present in the spleen cells of mice given a single injection of syngeneic UV-induced fibrosarcoma cells. After removal of adherent spleen cells, the remaining splenic lymphocytes were specifically cytotoxic for the immunizing tumor and showed no cross-reactivity with other syngeneic UV-induced or methylcholanthrene-induced tumors of similar histologic type. The level of cell-mediated reactivity against UV-induced tumors was quite high compared to that obtained with syngeneic tumors induced by methylcholanthrene, and the cytotoxicity was attributable to a population of theta antigen-bearing lymphocytes. With this in vitro test, we compared the response of normal mice, which reject a syngeneic tumor challenge, with that of UV-irradiated mice, in which the syngeneic UV-induced tumors grow progressively. After tumor cell inoculation, lymphocytes form the unirradiated (regressor) mice showed a high degree of cytotoxicity that reached a maximum level 8 days after injection. In contrast, no reactivity could be detected in the spleens of tumor-challenged UV-irradiated (progressor) mice.

Immune response to a syngeneic mammary adenocarcinoma. I. Comparison of kinetics of tumor cell growth and cytotoxic responses in syngeneic and allogeneic rats.

The rat mammary adenocarcinoma 13762A is weakly immunogenic in syngeneic hosts. Transplantation immunity is not developed after injection of irradiated tumor cells. Two cell types were isolated from the tumor: one grew slowly forming solid implants; the second grew rapidly in ascites form, even in allogeneic hosts. Spleen cells cytotoxic for a tissue culture derivative of the tumor were produced in animals after injection of either cell type indicating a common antigen. The kinetics of tumor growth and production of cytotoxic spleen cells were compared in syngeneic and allogeneic animals. In vivo rejection of the tumor in allogeneic hosts did not correlate with the in vitro assay of spleen lymphocyte cytotoxicity. Futhermore, the cytotoxic response of spleen cells from syngeneic tumor-bearing hosts parallels that found in allogeneic hosts.

Immune response to a syngeneic mammary adenocarcinoma. II. In vitro generation of cytotoxic lymphocytes.

A method is described for the consistent in vitro generation cytotoxic cells by incubating Fischer 344 rat spleen cells on monolayers of a syngeneic mammary adenocarcinoma. Significant cytotoxicity by in vitro culture is generated as early as 3 days after initiation and effector cells are cytolytic only toward target cells of the sensitizing monolayer. Reciprocal sensitization with allogeneic fibroblasts as the immunizing monolayer yielded effector cells cytolytic for the fibroblasts but without effect on the mammary tumor. The consistency in the generation of cytotoxic cells by in vitro culture should permit its standardized use in following other related immune phenomena such as blocking by serologic factors and suppression, recritment of memory for cytotoxic function.

Immune response to a syngeneic mammary adenocarcinoma. III. Development of memory and suppressor functions modulating cellular cytotoxicity.

Measurement of the development of cytolytic activity by mammary tumor primed or unprimed syngeneic spleen cells on in vitro monolayers of the 13762 rat mammary tumor operationally defined several subpopulations of lymphoid cells involved in the cytotoxic response. In vitro sensitization of cells from Fischer 344 animals injected 2 to 10 days earlier with 2 x 10(7) viable tumor cells always resulted in a higher and earlier lytic response than cells from non-inoculated animals. Adoptive transfer of the same in vivo primed cells for 5 days in irradiated syngeneic hosts removed any cytotoxic cells originally present but subsequent in vitro sensitization still resulted in a higher and earlier cytolytic response. We defined such cells as "memory" cells for cytotoxicity. Memory cells were radiosensitive and specific for the immunizing target cell. In contrast to cells from animals inoculated for 3 to 10 days, cells obtained 11 and 12 days after immunization had a lower response than unprimed cells on vitro sensitization. The anamnestic response could be restored either by culturing 12-day primed cells in vitro for 2 days without antigen or by adoptive transfer for 5 days into irradiated syngeneic rats. This suggests that another population of cells is present in spleen and suppresses the conversion of memory to cytotoxic cells. A more direct measurement of suppressor cell function was obtained by coincubating tumor-primed and unprimed cells on monolayers during in vitro sensitization. Cells from animals bearing tumors for 5 to 10 days always caused an increase in the response of the mixed lymphocyte groups, whereas 11- to 13-day tumor primed cells always caused a marked decrease in the cytolytic response. These results suggest the following interpretation of the kinetics of cell-mediated cytotoxicity to syngeneic tumor inoculation. Cytotoxic cells appear about 6 days after immunization, reach peak levels 2 days later, and then decrease rapidly. Memory cells are generated at a faster rate, reach peak levels before maximum cytolytic activity, but are then functionally inhibited from converting into differentiated cytotoxic cells by a new population of suppressor cells which reach peak activity about 12 days after immunization.