Autologous bone marrow Th cells can support multiple myeloma cell proliferation in vitro and in xenografted mice.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy where MM cell growth is supported by the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment with poorly defined cellular and molecular mechanisms. MM cells express CD40, a receptor known to activate autocrine secretion of cytokines and elicit proliferation. Activated T helper (Th) cells express CD40 ligand (CD40L) and BM Th cells are significantly increased in MM patients. We hypothesized that activated BM Th cells could support MM cell growth. We here found that activated autologous BM Th cells supported MM cell growth in a contact- and CD40L-dependent manner in vitro. MM cells had retained the ability to activate Th cells that reciprocated and stimulated MM cell proliferation. Autologous BM Th cells supported MM cell growth in xenografted mice and were found in close contact with MM cells. MM cells secreted chemokines that attracted Th cells, secretion was augmented by CD40-stimulation. Within 14 days of culture of whole BM aspirates in autologous serum, MM cells and Th cells mutually stimulated each other, and MM cells required Th cells for further expansion in vitro and in mice. The results suggest that Th cells may support the expansion of MM cells in patients.

Vaccine-associated systemic Rhodococcus erythropolis infection in farmed atlantic salmon Salmo salar.

In 7 instances between 2000 and 2003, clinical investigation of populations of fresh- and seawater-reared, vaccinated, Atlantic salmon Salmo salar suffering total losses of between 0.1 and 35 % revealed infection with a Gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium. The isolations were geographically widespread, occurring in both Norway and Scotland. In all cases, a Gram-positive bacterium, subsequently identified as Rhodococcus erythropolis, was isolated in pure culture. Infections, although systemic, were focused within the peritoneal cavity. While initial attempts to reproduce the disease by intraperitoneal injection of unvaccinated Atlantic salmon failed, Koch's postulates were subsequently fulfilled in fish vaccinated with a commercially available oil-adjuvanted vaccine.

Cross-linked alpha s gamma t-chain hybrids in plasma clots studied by 1D- and 2D electrophoresis and western blotting.

Fibrinogen and fibrin related chains in reduced human plasma as well as the bonds interlinking partially cross-linked fibrin from plasma clots have been studied by means of 1D- and 2D electrophoresis and Western blotting. Immunovisualization of reduced plasma or partially cross-linked fibrin with monoclonal antibodies specific for the alpha-chains or the gamma-chains have shown that several bands represent material belonging to both chains. In order to decide whether these bands constitute alpha gamma-chain hybrids or superimposed alpha- and gamma-chain dimers, the cross-linked material was separated according to both isoelectric point (pI) and molecular weight (MW) using Pharmacia's Multiphor II system. Western blotting of the second dimension gels revealed that partially cross-linked fibrin contains alpha s gamma t-chain hybrids and gamma-polymers, in addition to the well-known gamma-dimers and alpha-polymers. The main alpha s gamma t-chain hybrid has a pI between that of the alpha- and the gamma-chains, a MW of about 200 kDa and contains A alpha-chains with intact fibrinopeptide A (FPA). It was also observed that soluble fibrinogen/fibrin complexes as well as partially cross-linked fibrin contain degraded alpha-dimers with MWs close to the gamma-dimers. These findings demonstrate that factor XIII-catalyzed cross-linking of fibrin is a more complex phenomenon than earlier recognized.

Characterization of fibrinogen/fibrin derivatives isolated from normal and fibrinaemic plasma and serum using paramagnetic particles coated with a monoclonal antibody (mAb) to D-dimer.

Paramagnetic particles coated with a monoclonal antibody to D-dimer (mAb S4) were used to isolate and concentrate D-dimer and D-dimer-containing complexes in plasma and serum. Antibody-captured material was eluted with SDS-urea buffer and examined by either SDS-polyacrylamide or submerged SDS-agarose gel electrophoresis followed by Western blotting. The protein pattern was visualized by either polyclonal antibodies to human fibrinogen or monoclonal antibodies specific for fibrinogen derivatives containing fibrinopeptide A (FpA; mAb Y18), the N-terminus of the beta-chain in fibrin (mAb 59D8) or the gamma-chains (mAb J88B). The results obtained show that paramagnetic particles coated with mAb S4 catch intact D-dimer as well as a variety of cross-linked fibrin molecules of high-molecular-weight (HMW) in plasma. The existence of HMW derivatives in fibrinaemic serum indicates that some of the HMW fibrin related material in such plasma is not clottable. Fibrinogen/fibrin monomers and some of the fibrinogen/fibrin related derivatives found in the eluates were probably non-covalently bound to the complexes caught by mAb S4 coated particles. The present technique combines the selective concentrating power of immunoparticles and the sensitivity of immunovisualization and allows rapid and direct identification of minute amounts of circulating immunoreactive fibrinogen/fibrin derivatives.

Early cross-linked fibrin in human plasma contains alpha-polymers with intact fibrinopeptide A.

alpha-polymer formation, as opposed to gamma-chain dimerization has been considered a relatively late event in factor XIII-induced fibrin stabilization. Recently it has been shown, however, that plasma from healthy individuals and from patients with fibrinaemia contains small amounts of soluble fibrin/fibrinogen oligomers interlinked through dimerized gamma-chains as well as cross-linked alpha-chains. The present work was carried out to see if these early alpha-chain polymers also arise during coagulation of plasma in vitro. Plasma samples from healthy individuals, prepared by immediate centrifugation of blood collected without anticoagulant, were allowed to clot spontaneously for varying periods. The plasma clots were solubilized in SDS-urea-mercaptoethanol and samples were subjected to SDS-PAGE and Western blotting using polyclonal antibodies to human fibrinogen, or monoclonal antibodies specific either for A alpha/alpha-chains, for fibrinopeptide A-containing chains, for the N-terminus of the fibrin beta-chain or for the gamma-chains. Fibrin/fibrinogen oligomers were seen to form long before visible gelation of plasma. These oligomers were cross-linked through gamma-chain dimerization, but also through A alpha- or alpha-chain polymerization. The number and amount of alpha-polymers containing A alpha-chains increased immediately after clot formation, but these disappeared about 20 min later, due to complete removal of fibrinopeptide A (FPA) by thrombin. It is concluded that alpha-polymer formation is a very early event during plasma coagulation in vitro, and that both A alpha- and alpha-chains are involved.

Soluble, cross-linked fibrin(ogen) hybrid oligomers do not stimulate t-PA conversion of plasminogen.

Cross-linked hybrid oligomers of fibrinogen and fibrin are found in plasma from fibrinaemic patients and normal individuals as well as in preparations of purified human fibrinogen. The present study was undertaken to see if such hybrid oligomers have the same stimulatory effect on tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) conversion of plasminogen as do polymeric and monomeric fibrin. Hybrid oligomeric fibrin(ogen) material was provided by subjecting purified human fibrinogen to gel filtration in urea-containing buffer at pH 5.6. Well separated fractions of hybrid oligomeric material and monomeric fibrinogen were thus obtained. Some of this material was converted to soluble polymeric or monomeric fibrin using insolubilized thrombin. Hybrid polymeric fibrin, polymeric fibrin or monomeric fibrin were then added to citrated, normal plasma to 2.5 or 5 per cent of the plasma fibrinogen concentration. The added material was kept in solution by plasma fibrinogen. The "COA-SET Fibrin Monomer Test" (Kabi,Stocholm,Sweden), based on the ability of fibrin monomers to enhance t-PA mediated plasminogen-plasmin conversion, was used to compare the potential stimulatory effect of the preparations above. The results led to the following conclusions: 1) Cross-linked, soluble fibrin(ogen) hybrid polymers in a concentration of 5 per cent of plasma fibrinogen concentration (w/w) do not stimulate t-PA. 2) Thrombin conversion of the fibrin-fibrinogen hybrid material resulted in an increase in the rate of t-PA mediated plasminogen conversion, corresponding to the one observed with equivalent (w/w) amounts of fibrin monomers. Compared on a mole to mole basis, fibrin oligomers are more powerful than fibrin monomers as stimulators of t-PA activity.

Observations on the cell biology of tissue factor in endothelial cells.

Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) are inducible for tissue factor (TF) activity in culture. Based on experiments using ECGF (4-20 micrograms/ml) with heparin (90 micrograms/ml), we obtained the following results: 1) In confluent HUVEC cultures, ECGF had essentially no influence on the levels of inducible TF. 2) In growing HUVEC cultures, ECGF reduced the TF response shortly after seeding but full response was regained when cells were kept confluent for 2-3 days. 3) Although secondary cultures responded best to TF induction in the absence of ECGF, the response was essentially equal over at least 8 passages in the presence of ECGF. 4) Of total cellular TF induced in HUVEC, about 25% was available on the surface, and less than 4% was released with the shed plasma membrane vesicles. The proportion of total TF activity available on the surface of intact cells was not influenced by the presence of ECGF. 5) T1/2 for the decay of TF activity induced was 8.3-9.5 h, whereas in HUVEC when protein synthesis was blocked after TF induction a T1/2 of about 30 h was found.

Allogenic induction of thromboplastin synthesis in monocytes and endothelial cells. Biphasic effect of cyclosporin A.

Monocytes and endothelial cells were stimulated in co-culture with allogeneic lymphocytes to produce thromboplastin (TPL). The induction was biphasic, an early response (8-24 h) was greatly augmented by cyclosporin A (CS) (0.5-5 micrograms/ml) whereas the late response (day 3-4) was inhibited. Prednisolone inhibited both responses. Both drugs inhibited lymphocyte proliferation. Interferon-gamma decreased MLC TPL activity but increased thymidine incorporation. CD4+ cells were instrumental in inducing the early TPL peak in monocytes, whereas CD8+ cells decreased the TPL effect. With endothelial cells both T cell classes were equally effective. Conditioned medium from MLC as well as from co-cultures of endothelial cells and lymphocytes induced early TPL synthesis in endothelial cells. Upon allogeneic stimulation monocytes, but not endothelial cells, produced a significant amount of F-VII, most of which was apparently undercarboxylated.

Platelet glycocalicin. Its membrane association and solubilization in aqueous media.

Glycocalicin has been extracted from human platelets by 3 M KCl and purified using affinity chromatography on columns of Sepharose-coupled wheat germ agglutinin as the most efficient step. Rabbit antiserum to the purified protein agglutinated human platelets and inhibited the agglutination induced by bovine Factor VIII-related protein. Crossed immunoelectrophoresis of Triton X-100 extracts of platelets in Triton X-100-containing agarose revealed the presence of two glycocalicin-related components of different electrophoretic mobilities giving a continuous double-peak immunoprecipitate with this antiserum. The fast-moving component, which represented the minor peak of the immunoprecipitate, corresponded to purified soluble glycocalicin. Crossed hydrophobic interaction immunoelectrophoresis did not demonstrate binding of the purified glycocalicin or the fast-moving component to phenyl-Sepharose CL-4B as hydrophobic matrix. The slow-moving component, which represented the major peak of the immunoprecipitate, showed a strong binding to the hydrophobic matrix. Immunoelectrophoretic quantitation of glycocalicin present in the aqueous media demonstrated that the presence of EDTA, N-ethylmaleimide and iodoacetamide during lysis of platelets significantly reduced the solubilization of glycocalicin. At the same concentrations these inhibitors strongly inhibited the calcium-activated protease of platelet sonicates. Sialic acid determination after acid hydrolysis of aliquots from the soluble fractions showed that their content of sialic acid was considerably higher when lysis was performed in the absence, rather than in the presence, of EDTA and that glycocalicin contributes significantly to the total platelet sialic acid.