Calprotectin (MRP8/14 protein complex) release during mycobacterial infection in vitro and in vivo.

The calprotectin (MRP8/14) protein complex belongs to the S100 family of Ca2+ binding proteins and is expressed during myelomonocytic differentiation. MRP8/14 plasma levels were determined by ELISA in 35 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) showing mild (n = 12), moderate (n = 11) or severe (n = 12) disease, 13 patients with active pulmonary sarcoidosis (SR) and 21 healthy controls. TB patients had significantly increased plasma levels of MRP8/14 in comparison with SR and controls, which significantly depended on the volume of lung tissue involved in the inflammatory process. In TB patients, there was no correlation between plasma levels of MRP8/14 and total white blood cell (WBC) count, and blood polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) count. In SR patients, MRP8/14 plasma levels were twofold higher in comparison with controls, but were lower compared with mild TB, and correlated with PMN and WBC counts. Human monocytes infected and cultured for 7 days with Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin showed fivefold higher MRP8/14 levels in supernatants compared with unstimulated or purified protein derivative-stimulated cells. Human MRP8/14 significantly increased Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv growth in liquid medium in a dose- and time-dependent manner. These findings suggest that MRP8/14 plays an important role in the immunopathogenesis of tuberculosis.

Increased adhesion of lymphoid cells to glycated proteins.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The advanced glycation end-products are involved in the pathogenesis of vascular damages and other clinical complications in diabetic patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the adhesion of lymphoid cells to nonenzymatically glycated proteins in comparison with the unmodified substances. METHODS: Two cell lines (monocyte-macrophage line U937 and the T-cell line Jurkat) were used throughout the experiments. The cells were left to adhere to nonenzymatically glycated and native proteins coated on a 96-well flat-bottom plates and the cellular adhesion was registered as absorption at 550 nm following the method described by Ivanov and Kyurkchiev [G. Ivanov, S. Kyurkchiev, Effect of advanced glycosylation end-products on the activity of integrins expressed on U937 cells, Hum. Immunol. 59 (1998) 325-330.]. RESULTS: It was found that the monocytes had increased adhesion to nonenzymatically glycated proteins such as collagen, fibronectin and bovine serum albumin, whereas the T-cells had increased adhesion to the glycated collagen and bovine serum albumin but reduced adhesion to advanced glycated fibronectin. Experiments with different stimulating agents showed that phorbol-myriastate, acetate (A550 = 0.672 +/- 0.068, S.E.M., n = 40), glucose (A550 = 0.593 +/- 0.051, S.E.M., n = 40) and TNF-alpha (A550 = 0.580 +/- 0.042, S.E.M., n = 40) increased the adhesion of U937 cells to advanced glycated bovine serum albumin in comparison with the adhesion of the untreated cells (A550 = 0.260 +/- 0.046, S.E.M., n = 40). This is probably due to an upregulation of the expression or the activity of the receptors for the advanced glycation end-products. CONCLUSION: Based on the results obtained it is concluded that the receptors for nonenzymatically glycated proteins expressed on the surface of lymphoid cells could act also as cell adhesion molecules.

Enzymatic synthesis of the N-glycosidic bond by beta-aspartylation of glycosylamines.

Glycosylasparaginase (EC 3.5.1.26) is an amidase, which cleaves the N-glycosidic linkage during glycoprotein degradation leading to the liberation of L-aspartic acid from various glycoasparagines. In this work we demonstrate that glycosylasparaginase is also capable of catalyzing the synthesis of the N-glycosidic bond by N-beta-aspartylation of beta-glycosylamine using 1-amino-N-acetylglucosamine as the nucleophile and L-aspartic acid beta-methyl ester as the beta-aspartyl donor. Kinetic studies indicated that beta-glycosylamine has 1390-fold higher reactivity than water in the de-beta-aspartylation of the beta-aspartylenzyme, indicative of the presence of a beta-glycosylamine binding sub-site at the substrate binding site of glycosylasparaginase. The reaction can be applied to glycosylaparaginase-catalyzed biosynthesis of novel glycoasparagines.

[Several endocrine aspects of duodenal stasis in the process of therapeutic gymnastics]. / Nekotorye éndokrinnye aspekty duodenostaza v protsesse primeneniia lechebnoi gimnastiki.

The levels of TTH, T3, T4 and testosterone were studied in 65 female patients suffering from chronic duodenitis with concomitant hypertensive duodenal stasis, stages I and II. A significant increase in the content of the hormones under study was revealed. Subclinical hyperthyroidism was determined by the formation of the irritative autonomic (sympathicotonic) syndrome as a result of irritation of the sympathetic nerve fibers of the celiac plexus due to the presence of inflammation at the duodenojejunal junction. This condition was attended by the predominance of catabolic processes (thyroid hormones) and a compensatory rise of the secretion of the hormones from the anabolic group (testosterone). The use of a special program of exercises led to the lessening of the clinicofunctional symptoms of disease with the normalization of hormonal homeostasis.