The Architect Syphilis assay for antibodies to Treponema pallidum: an automated screening assay with high sensitivity in primary syphilis.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of the Architect Syphilis Chemiluminescence Assay (CLIA): a new highly automated screening test for syphilis. METHODS: To establish the sensitivity of the Architect Syphilis assay we tested 129 stored sera from serologically characterised cases of untreated syphilis. The sera were selected to contain a disproportionately high number of primary infections. There were 79 primary infections, 29 secondary infections, 9 early latent infections and 12 latent syphilis of unknown duration. To establish the specificity of the assay we tested 1107 sera that had been submitted for routine syphilis serology. RESULTS: The Architect CLIA and the Treponema pallidum particle agglutination test (TPPA) were in total agreement for all untreated infection with sensitivity of 98.4%. This was significantly higher than the sensitivity of the Murex immune capture enzyme (ICE) immunoassay (86%, p<0.001), the IgM enzyme immunoassay (EIA) (86.8%, p<0.001) and the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test (VDRL) (83.7%, p<0.001). The difference in the sensitivity of the Architect and ICE assays was entirely due to primary stage syphilis (97.5% vs 77.2%, p<0.001). Although the specificity of Architect CLIA was very high (99.1%, 1049/1059) it was significantly lower (p = 0.016) than that of the Murex ICE assay (99.9%). CONCLUSIONS: The Architect CLIA is significantly more sensitive than the Murex ICE screening assay in detecting primary syphilis but it is significantly less specific. Given the relatively high levels of early syphilis, we consider a small increase in the number of confirmatory tests required to exclude false-positive results is worthwhile to increase the detection of primary syphilis by 20%.

Identification of a novel antigen on the apical surface of rat alveolar epithelial type II and Clara cells.

Here we describe a monoclonal antibody (MMC4) that recognizes a novel antigen on the apical surface of rat alveolar epithelial type II and Clara cells in the lung, proximal tubule epithelial cells in the kidney, and villus epithelial cells in the small intestine. Biochemical analysis showed that the MMC4 antigen was sensitive to heating and proteinase K digestion and that it is distributed in the detergent-rich phase after Triton X-114 phase separation. These data suggest that the MMC4 antigen is an integral membrane protein. Glycerol gradient sedimentation identified two forms of the MMC4 antigen: one with a sedimentation coefficient of 10.1 and one with a sedimentation coefficient of 1.66, suggesting that the antigen may be part of a multiprotein complex. During rat development (fetal day 16 to adult), the MMC4 antigen increased 12-fold in the lung and 200-fold in the kidney. In the intestine, the MMC4 antigen increased 150-fold by neonatal day 1 and then decreased to adult values. Our data demonstrate that the MMC4 antigen is unlike known type II cell- and Clara cell-associated proteins. The MMC4 monoclonal antibody will be useful as a marker of epithelial cell phenotype in development and injury studies.

Temperature-dependent arrest of neutrophil apoptosis. Failure of Bax insertion into mitochondria at 15 degrees C prevents the release of cytochrome c.

Apoptosis is essential for the resolution of neutrophilic inflammation. To define the mechanisms triggering the execution phase of apoptosis we developed and utilized a model in which culture of human neutrophils at 15 degrees C for 20 h arrested apoptosis and subsequent warming to 37 degrees C triggered a synchronous burst of apoptosis. Treatment of 15 degrees C cultured neutrophils with the pan-caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk just before warming to 37 degrees C inhibited the morphological changes associated with apoptosis, but did not prevent the insertion of the proapoptotic protein Bax into mitochondria nor the inhibition of secretion and the externalization of phosphatidylserine, indices of neutrophil apoptosis. In both intact neutrophils and a cell-free extract, cytochrome c released from mitochondria induced proteolytic cleavage of procaspase-3. At 15 degrees C the binding of Bax to mitochondria was uncoupled from Bax insertion into the mitochondrial membrane required for the release of cytochrome c. Apoptosis was also inhibited by low pH during warming to 37 degrees C, suggesting that changes to the conformation of Bax, necessary for membrane insertion, were being inhibited. Bax insertion was only sensitive to zVAD-fmk when added at the start of the 15 degrees C culture period, suggesting that a cytoplasmic substrate of the effector caspases may mediate in the mechanism of Bax insertion into mitochondria.

NF-kappaB activation is a critical regulator of human granulocyte apoptosis in vitro.

During beneficial inflammation, potentially tissue-damaging granulocytes undergo apoptosis before being cleared by phagocytes in a non-phlogistic manner. Here we show that the rate of constitutive apoptosis in human neutrophils and eosinophils is greatly accelerated in both a rapid and concentration-dependent manner by the fungal metabolite gliotoxin, but not by its inactive analog methylthiogliotoxin. This induction of apoptosis was abolished by the caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk, correlated with the inhibition of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB), and was mimicked by a cell permeable inhibitory peptide of NF-kappaB, SN-50; other NF-kappaB inhibitors, curcumin and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate; and the proteasome inhibitor, MG-132. Gliotoxin also augmented dramatically the early (2-6 h) pro-apoptotic effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in neutrophils and unmasked the ability of TNF-alpha to induce eosinophil apoptosis. In neutrophils, TNF-alpha caused a gliotoxin-inhibitable activation of an inducible form of NF-kappaB, a response that may underlie the ability of TNF-alpha to delay apoptosis at later times (12-24 h) and limit its early killing effect. Furthermore, cycloheximide displayed a similar capacity to enhance TNF-alpha induced neutrophil apoptosis even at time points when cycloheximide alone had no pro-apoptotic effect, suggesting that NF-kappaB may regulate the production of protein(s) which protect neutrophils from the cytotoxic effects of TNF-alpha. These data shed light on the biochemical and molecular mechanisms regulating human granulocyte apoptosis and, in particular, indicate that the transcription factor NF-kappaB plays a crucial role in regulating the physiological cell death pathway in granulocytes.

Okadaic acid induces selective arrest of protein transport in the rough endoplasmic reticulum and prevents export into COPII-coated structures.

Quantitative immunoelectron microscopy and subcellular fractionation established the site of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-Golgi transport arrest induced by the phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid (OA). OA induced the disappearance of transitional element tubules and accumulation of the anterograde-transported Chandipura (CHP) virus G protein only in the rough ER (RER) and not at more distal sites. The block was specific to the early part of the anterograde pathway, because CHP virus G protein that accumulated in the intermediate compartment (IC) at 15 degrees C could gain access to Golgi stack enzymes. OA also induced RER accumulation of the IC protein p53/p58 via an IC-RER recycling pathway which was resistant to OA and inhibited by the G protein activator aluminium fluoride. The role of COPII coats in OA transport block was investigated by using immunofluorescence and cell fractionation. In untreated cells the COPII coat protein sec 13p colocalized with p53/p58 in Golgi-IC structures of the juxtanuclear region and peripheral cytoplasm. During OA treatment, p53/p58 accumulated in the RER but was excluded from sec 13p-containing membrane structures. Taken together our data indicate that OA induces an early defect in RER export which acts to prevent entry into COPII-coated structures of the IC region.

Constitutive neutrophil apoptosis in culture is modulated by cell density independently of beta2 integrin-mediated adhesion.

Although inflammatory mediators modulate the rate of constitutive neutrophil apoptosis in vitro the effects of micro-environmental conditions have not been fully investigated. In this study, we demonstrate that the rate of constitutive neutrophil apoptosis is affected by the number of cells per unit surface area, with enhanced survival at high cell density. Furthermore, the presence of protein or serum in the culture medium also enhances neutrophil survival. These effects were independent of beta2 integrin-mediated adhesion and were not influenced by specific adhesion to extracellular matrix components. Thus, the rate of neutrophil apoptosis is fundamentally influenced by microenvironmental conditions and indicates that factors such as cell density and extracellular protein concentration must be considered when investigating mechanisms regulating inflammatory cell apoptosis in vitro.

A group of integral membrane proteins of the rat liver Golgi contains a conserved protein of 100 kDa.

Rat liver Golgi membranes were washed with KCl and urea, and a polyclonal antiserum that stained the Golgi complex by immunofluorescence microscopy was raised. A group of proteins of apparent molecular mass 500 kDa, 200 kDa and 100 kDa were identified by immunoblotting with the antiserum, and were enriched in the Golgi membrane fraction. These proteins were also localised to the Golgi by immunofluorescence microscopy with affinity-purified antibodies. They are integral membrane proteins, and protease digestion experiments suggested that they are not exposed on the cytoplasmic face of the Golgi membrane. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed that staining of the Golgi complex by antibodies to the 100 kDa Golgi protein can be demonstrated among a wide range of mammalian species. This conservation may point to an important structural or functional role for the molecule. When the 100 kDa protein was reduced with dithiothreitol it was no longer recognised by the anti-Golgi antiserum. During phase separation in Triton X-114 the 100 kDa protein partitioned into the aqueous phase, rather than into the detergent phase, suggesting that it has a large luminal domain of hydrophilic amino acids.

Engineered deletion of the unique N-terminal domain of the cyclic AMP-specific phosphodiesterase RD1 prevents plasma membrane association and the attainment of enhanced thermostability without altering its sensitivity to inhibition by rolipram.

Full-length cDNA for the rat brain rolipram-sensitive cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase (PDE), RD1 was introduced into the expression vector pSVL. COS cells transfected with the recombinant vector pSVL-RD1 exhibited a 30-55% increase in homogenate PDE activity, which was abolished by rolipram (10 microM). Removal of the first 67 nucleotides of the RD1 cDNA yielded a truncated enzyme called Met26-RD1 which lacked the N-terminal first 25 amino acids. Whereas approx. 75% of RD1 activity was membrane-associated, Met26-RD1 activity was found exclusively in the cytosol fraction. Expression of RD1 nearly doubled membrane-associated PDE activity, while expression of Met26-RD1 increased cytosolic activity by approx. 30%. Membrane RD1 activity was found to be primarily associated with the plasma membrane, was not released by either high concentrations of NaCl or by a 'hypotonic shock' treatment, but was solubilized with low concentrations of Triton X-100. Phase separation of membrane components with Triton X-114 showed partition of RD1 into both the aqueous and detergent-rich phases, whereas Met26-RD1 partitioned exclusively into the aqueous phase. Both RD1 and Met26-RD1 specifically hydrolysed cyclic AMP; were unaffected by either Ca2+/calmodulin or by low cyclic GMP concentrations; exhibited linear Lineweaver-Burke plots with similar Km values for cyclic AMP (4 microM); both were potently and similarly inhibited by rolipram (Ki approx. 0.5 microM) and were similarly inhibited by cilostamide and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. Thermal inactivation, at 50 degrees C, showed that while the cytosolic-located fraction of RD1 (t0.5 approx. 3 min) and Met26-RD1 (t0.5 approx 3 min) were similarly thermolabile, membrane-bound RD1 was considerably more thermostable (t0.5 approx. 11 min). Treatment of both cytosolic RD1 and Met26-RD1 with Triton X-100 did not affect their thermostability, but solubilization of membrane RD1 activity with Triton X-100 markedly decreased its thermostability (t0.5 approx. 5 min). The N-terminal domain of RD1 appears not to influence either the substrate specificity or inhibitor sensitivity of this enzyme, but it does contain information which can allow RD1 to become plasma membrane-associated and thereby adopt a conformation which has enhanced thermostability.

Okadaic acid induces Golgi apparatus fragmentation and arrest of intracellular transport.

The specific phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid (OA) induced fragmentation of the Golgi apparatus in interphase HeLa cells. Immunoelectron microscopy for galactosyltransferase identified a major Golgi fragment composed of a cluster of vesicles and tubules that was morphologically indistinguishable from the 'Golgi cluster' previously described in mitotic cells. The presence of homogeneous immunofluorescence staining for galactosyltransferase in OA-treated cells also suggested that isolated Golgi vesicles, previously found in mitotic cells, existed along with the clusters. After removal of OA, both clusters and vesicles appeared to participate in a reassembly pathway that strongly resembled that occurring during telophase. OA also induced inhibition of intracellular transport, another feature of mitotic cells. OA treatment prevented newly synthesised G protein of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) from acquiring resistance to endoglycosidase H and from arriving at the cell surface. In addition, fluid phase endocytosis of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was reduced to less than 10% of control values. All these effects were dose-dependent and reversible. OA should be a useful tool to study the Golgi division and membrane traffic.

Toxoplasmosis: effectiveness of enzyme immunoassay screening.

The effectiveness of IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays as serological screening tests for Toxoplasma gondii infection was investigated in three Scottish hospital laboratories. Three assays--two commercial and one produced by the Scottish Toxoplasma Reference Laboratory--were investigated. There was little difference in the sensitivity of the three tests (86-91%), but one of the commercial tests was markedly less specific. The performance of the more specific assays was improved by adjustment to an eight international unit per ml threshold.

A mitotic form of the Golgi apparatus in HeLa cells.

Galactosyltransferase, a marker for trans-Golgi cisternae in interphase cells, was localized in mitotic HeLa cells embedded in Lowicryl K4M by immunoelectron microscopy. Specific labeling was found only over multivesicular structures that we term Golgi clusters. Unlike Golgi stacks in interphase cells, these clusters lacked elongated cisternae and ordered stacking of their components but did comprise two distinct regions, one containing electron-lucent vesicles and the other, smaller, vesiculo-tubular structures. Labeling for galactosyltransferase was found predominantly over the latter region. Both structures were embedded in a dense matrix that excluded ribosomes and the cluster was often bounded by cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum, sometimes on all sides. Clusters were present at all stages of mitosis examined, which included prometaphase, metaphase, and telophase. They were also identified in conventionally processed mitotic cells and shown to contain another trans-Golgi marker, thiamine pyrophosphatase. Serial sectioning showed that clusters were discrete and globular and multiple copies appeared to be dispersed in the cytoplasm. Their possible role in the division of the Golgi apparatus is discussed.

Fractionation of membrane proteins by temperature-induced phase separation in Triton X-114. Application to subcellular fractions of the adrenal medulla.

After solubilization with the detergent Triton X-114, membrane proteins may be separated into three groups: if the membrane is sufficiently lipid-rich, one family of hydrophobic constituents separates spontaneously at low temperature; warming at 30 degrees C leads to separation of a detergent-rich phase and an aqueous phase. Using the chromaffin-granule membrane as a model, we found that many intrinsic membrane glycoproteins are found in the latter phase, probably maintained in solution by adherent detergent. They precipitate, however, when this is removed by dialysis, leaving in solution those truly hydrophilic proteins that were originally adhering to the membranes. We have used this method with mitochondria, and with Golgi- and rough-endoplasmic-reticulum-enriched microsomal fractions: it has proved to be a rapid and convenient method for effecting a partial separation of proteins from a variety of different membranes.

Isolation of ATPase I, the proton pump of chromaffin-granule membranes.

Chromaffin-granule membranes contain two ATPases, which can be separated by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation after solubilization with detergents, or by phase segregation in Triton X-114. ATPase I (Mr 400000) is inhibited by trialkyltin, quercetin and alkylating agents, and hydrolyses both ATP and ITP. It contains up to five types of subunit, including a low-Mr hydrophobic polypeptide that reacts with dicyclohexylcarbodi-imide; these subunits are unrelated to those of mitochondrial F1F0-ATPase, as judged by size and reaction with antibodies. ATPase II (Mr 140000) is inhibited by vanadate, and is specific for ATP; it has not been extensively purified. Proton translocation by resealed chromaffin-granule 'ghosts', measured by uptake of methylamine or by quenching of the fluorescence of 9-amino-6-chloro-2-methoxyacridine, is supported by the hydrolysis of ATP or ITP, and inhibited by quercetin or alkylating agents, but not by vanadate. ATPase I must therefore be the proton translocator involved in the uptake of catecholamines and possibly of other components of the chromaffin-granule matrix, whereas ATPase II does not translocate protons.

Glycoproteins of the chromaffin granule membrane: separation by two-dimensional electrophoresis and identification by lectin binding.

The proteins of highly purified chromaffin-granule membranes were separated by one- or two-dimensional electrophoresis, then transferred to nitrocellulose sheets; glycosylation was investigated by binding of several different radioiodinated lectins. Over 20 different glycosylated components were identified; comparison with mitochondrial and microsomal fractions suggested that most of the major glycoproteins are genuine components of the chromaffin granule membrane, rather than contaminants originating in other organelles. Two-dimensional electrophoresis revealed heterogeneity within several of the glycoproteins, and this is ascribed to differences in the state of glycosylation, on the basis of shifts in electrophoretic mobility produced by treatment with neuraminidase. Neuraminidase treatment of chromaffin granule membranes also enhances the binding of many lectins. The identities of the lectin-binding bands are discussed: neither cytochrome b561 nor the F1-like ATPase appears to be glycosylated. Chromogranin A, although a glycoprotein, does not bind any of the lectins tested, but a number of concanavalin-A binding proteins, as well as dopamine beta-hydroxylase, are present in the chromaffin granule lysate.

Characterization of detergent-solubilized adenosine triphosphatase of chromaffin granule membranes.

Purified bovine chromaffin granule membranes contain approximately 24 pmol/mg protein (16 copies per granule) of an F1-like adenosine 5'-triphosphatase, and 340 pmol/mg protein (200 copies per granule) of a low-molecular weight protein which reacts covalently with dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. These co-purify on electrofocusing and exclusion chromatography and are apparently components of a proton-translocating adenosine triphosphatase complex, that is involved in maintaining the high concentration of catecholamines in the granules. The membranes contain another adenosine 5'-triphosphatase, of lower molecular weight, which is sensitive to inhibition by vanadate but relatively insensitive to dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. The function of this enzyme is unknown.