ABSTRACT
In a previous study it was shown that antibody formation after vaccination with a low-dose recombinant DNA (rDNA) hepatitis B vaccine was negatively influenced by psychological stress. The present study was designed to assess whether the same inverse relation between HBs-antibody levels and psychological stress could be observed, while administering the standard, and thus higher, dose of vaccine. Volunteers (n = 68) scoring extremely low or high on a combination of questionnaires measuring daily problems and psychoneurotic symptoms were selected for participation. Antibody levels were determined 2, 6, and 7 months after the first vaccination. Questionnaires were completed before entering the study and at month 6. In contrast to the previous study, psychological stress was not found to be related to the antibody levels at any timepoint. These results suggest that, under certain conditions, stress-induced immunomodulation in vivo might be dependent on antigen dose.
Subject(s)
Hepatitis B Antibodies/blood , Hepatitis B Vaccines/immunology , Stress, Psychological/complications , Vaccines, Synthetic/immunology , Adolescent , Adult , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Female , Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/immunology , Hepatitis B Vaccines/administration & dosage , Humans , Male , Personality Inventory , Psychoneuroimmunology , Stress, Psychological/immunology , Vaccines, Synthetic/administration & dosageABSTRACT
In this study, a respiration-deficient Chinese hamster cell line with a defect in succinate dehydrogenase activity is shown to result from a single base change in a codon in the coding sequence for the membrane anchor protein CII-3 (also referred to as QPs-1). A premature translation stop results in the truncation of 33 amino acids from the C terminus. Bovine cDNA encoding this peptide complements the mutation. There is about 82% identity between these two mammalian proteins. The gene for CII-3 was mapped on human chromosome 1, and because it is also found on minichromosomes characterized by our laboratory, we can localize it on the short arm within 1-2 megabases from the centromere.
Subject(s)
Chromosome Mapping , Electron Transport , Mitochondria/metabolism , Multienzyme Complexes/genetics , Multienzyme Complexes/metabolism , Oxidoreductases/genetics , Oxidoreductases/metabolism , Succinate Dehydrogenase/genetics , Succinate Dehydrogenase/metabolism , Amino Acid Sequence , Animals , Base Sequence , Cattle , Cell Line , Cell Membrane/enzymology , Centromere , Cloning, Molecular , Cricetinae , Cricetulus , DNA Primers , DNA, Complementary/metabolism , Electron Transport Complex II , Humans , Molecular Sequence Data , Multienzyme Complexes/chemistry , Mutation , Oxidoreductases/chemistry , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis , Recombinant Proteins/chemistry , Recombinant Proteins/metabolism , Restriction Mapping , Sequence Homology, Amino Acid , Succinate Dehydrogenase/chemistry , TransfectionABSTRACT
Physical exercise, mental stress, or infusion of beta-adrenergic agonists result in an increase in the number of natural killer (NK) cells in the peripheral circulation. In view of the specific migration pattern of NK cells in vivo, it has been suggested that these cells may be released from the marginating pool in blood vessels. In the present report, the in vitro effect of catecholamines on the adhesion of NK cells to unstimulated human endothelial cells (EC) was characterized. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were allowed to adhere to monolayers of EC, after which the adherent lymphocyte fraction was analyzed phenotypically by flow cytometry. NK cells were found to adhere preferentially to EC, a process that was reversed by the addition of various adrenergic agonists. Catecholamines selectively affected adhesion of NK cells and had no effect on T cell adhesion to EC, as was determined by the use of purified cell populations. Detachment of NK cells from EC could be achieved by short incubations (5 min) with epinephrine (EPI) and was concentration-dependent, with an ED50 of 2 x 10(-10)M. Using a panel of alpha- and beta-adrenergic agonists and antagonists, we show that the detachment of NK cells is mediated via beta 2-adrenergic receptors. In line with the lower affinity for beta 2-adrenergic receptors, norepinephrine was less effective than EPI in inducing detachment of NK cells from EC. Direct activation of adenylate-cyclase with forskolin gave similar results as observed with EPI, indicating that signaling through cAMP is necessary to induce detachment of NK cells from EC. The results of the present study lend support to the hypothesis that catecholamines, via beta 2-adrenergic receptors, can induce recruitment of NK cells from the marginating pool to the circulating pool, by changing the adhesive interactions between NK cells and EC.
Subject(s)
Endothelium, Vascular/physiology , Killer Cells, Natural/physiology , Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2/physiology , Adenylyl Cyclases/physiology , Cell Adhesion/drug effects , Cells, Cultured , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Endothelium, Vascular/cytology , Epinephrine/pharmacology , HumansABSTRACT
In the present study, the relationship between psychological variables and hydrocortisone (HC)-induced immunoglobulin (Ig) production in vitro was investigated. Ninety-five human volunteers were selected based on their extreme (low or high) scores on a daily hassles and a symptoms questionnaire. Four groups were composed: (1) few hassles, few symptoms; (2) many hassles, few symptoms; (3) few hassles, many symptoms; and (4) many hassles, many symptoms. Incubating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) for 2 weeks with HC (concentrations ranging from 10(-8) to 10(-6) M), resulted in a concentration-dependent rise in IgM and IgG secretion. In vitro IgM as well as IgG secretion were found to be related to plasma Ig levels. Plasma cortisol levels were positively associated with HC-induced IgG secretion. Furthermore, Ig secretion was found to depend on psychological profile, indicating a differential sensitivity of PBMC to HC for the four groups.
Subject(s)
Arousal/physiology , Hydrocortisone/blood , Immunoglobulin G/biosynthesis , Immunoglobulin M/biosynthesis , Monocytes/immunology , Adult , Arousal/drug effects , Cells, Cultured , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Female , Humans , Hydrocortisone/pharmacology , Male , Monocytes/drug effects , PsychoneuroimmunologyABSTRACT
The present report investigated whether percentages of circulating natural killer (NK) cells and NK cell activity (NKCA) are associated with psychological variables. Subjects (n = 95) were selected, based on a combination of low or high scores on questionnaires on daily hassles and self-reported symptoms, to create four extreme groups. NK cell percentages were different between two of the four groups, only when the analysis was not controlled for gender, life style and endocrine parameters. No evidence was found for a relationship between group membership and NKCA. NKCA, however, was found to differ between men and women and to be associated with percentages of NK cells and intracellular levels of cAMP. Furthermore, the hypothesis was tested, that hormone-induced changes in NKCA in vitro are dependent on the individual's current stress profile. To investigate this issue, NKCA was measured after cells had been incubated with hydrocortisone (10(-6) or 10(-7) M) or the beta-adrenergic agonist isoprenaline (10(-5) or 10(-7) M) in vitro. Changes in NKCA were found to be related to plasma adrenaline levels, but no evidence was found for involvement of psychological variables. It is concluded that, in the current setting, there is no association between the combination of scores on the two psychological questionnaires, and NKCA or hormone-induced changes therein.