Antibodies reactive with human immunodeficiency virus gag-coded antigens (gag reactive only) are a major cause of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay reactivity in a blood donor population.

Normal blood donors were examined for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-reactive antibodies with both virus- and Escherichia coli-expressed env- and gag-coded antigens. The frequency of samples from normal (low-risk) donors that were repeatedly reactive with an HIV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay blood screening test (Du Pont Co.) was 0.6%. Two classes of HIV serological reactivity were identified: a minor env-reactive class (0.03 to 0.06% of donors) and the predominant env-nonreactive gag-reactive class (gag reactive only [GRO]) (0.4 to 0.5% of donors). Assignment of env reactivity was made by a synthetic (recombinant) env enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and virus immunoblot. Most GRO sera reacted with p15/p17 bands on HIV immunoblot. Antibody specificity in GRO sera was confirmed by competition-binding studies with viral gag and E. coli-expressed p55gag. This study provides independent verification that gag-specific antibodies are present in many env-nonreactive sera. More serological and virological studies of individuals with this antibody pattern should be pursued to determine the origin of these gag-reactive antibodies.

Analysis of human serum antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) using recombinant ENV and GAG antigens.

Recombinant proteins representing gag and env amino acid sequences of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (HTLV-IIIb) were produced in Escherichia coli and used to analyze sera for the presence of antibodies to HIV. ENV-9 is a protein representing the carboxy terminus of gp120 and part of gp41 which is highly immunoreactive. GAG-1 represents 83% and GAG-55 100% of the amino acids of the gag open reading frame. The purified proteins allow sensitive detection by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of antibodies directed against either env or gag of HIV. We have determined the reactivity of sera from several HIV exposed individuals, either form high risk populations or with clinically defined conditions, in the ENV-9, GAG-55, and GAG-1 assays and found that two major seropositive groups are observed. The quantitative analysis of sera with env and gag antigens by ELISA showed AIDS patients had very low gag reactivity while retaining high env reactivity. Results obtained with authentic p24 viral protein in both ELISA and radioimmunoassay correlated to those from the GAG-55 ELISA. This correlation and the analysis of sera with both the ENV and GAG ELISAs indicate that the antibodies reactive to gag are specifically affected relative to env reactivity and that different levels of antibodies to separate viral components in these sera may correlate with disease state.

Enhanced internal reflection from an exponential amplifying region.

The reflectance of a p-polarized wave from an interface between a transparent medium and an amplifying medium with an exponential gain profile is derived. Experimentally determined reflectance curves are in agreement with theory and show amplification in the vicinity of the critical angle.

Approaches to the measurement of intracellular adenine and the discrimination between adenine transport and metabolism in L1210 leukemia cells.

Incubation of L1210 leukemia cells with 10 microM [3H]adenine in the absence of energy substrate results in a very rapid accumulation of 3H within the cells. By 20 s intracellular adenine is near steady-state; beyond this the rate of accumulation of intracellular 3H reflects nucleotide synthesis, predominantly the rate of ATP accumulation within the cell as determined by liquid chromatography. Adenine incorporation into the nucleotides proceeds via adenine-phosphoribosyl transferase, which is rate-limiting to AMP formation and subsequently the formation of ADP and ATP. Acceleration of this pathway by the addition of glucose and phosphate decreases the intracellular adenine level far below equilibrium as metabolism is increased relative to transport. Assessment of methodology to evaluate intracellular adenine and its metabolites indicates that (i) a 4 degree C wash removes the major portion of intracellular adenine and (ii) at 4 degree C, transport of adenine remains rapid and while nucleotide synthesis is decreased, ATP still accumulates within the cell. Hence, measurement of cellular uptake of radioactive label at 4 degree C after cells are washed free of adenine cannot be used as a measurement of adenine surface binding since this radioactive label represents, at least in part, phosphorylated derivatives of adenine within the cell. Unlabeled adenine and structurally related compounds were found to inhibit [3H]adenine net uptake under conditions where metabolism of adenine was reduced, suggesting that base transport is mediated by a facilitated diffusion mechanism. This is consistent with other studies from this laboratory that demonstrate exchange diffusion between adenine and other bases.

Uptake of oxidized folates by rat liver mitochondria.

Folate, dihydrofolate, and methotrexate are rapidly taken up by rat liver mitochondria. The apparent maximal matrix folate concentration is about 2.5-fold that of the suspending medium, whereas dihydrofolate and methotrexate equilibrate across the inner membrane. Fully reduced folates, including tetrahydrofolate, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, and 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate penetrate only the intermembrane space. Addition of dihydrofolate or methotrexate effects a rapid release of pre-loaded folate, and external methotrexate promotes the release of pre-loaded dihydrofolate. The extent of dihydrofolate uptake is enhanced by addition of folate. These results suggest that oxidized folates are transported to the matrix by a carrier-mediated mechanism.

K+-induced alterations of energetics and exchange diffusion in the carrier-mediated transport of the folic acid analog, methotrexate, in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells.

The bidirectional fluxes and energetics of methotrexate transport in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells were profoundly altered in a high [K+], low [Na+] buffer (K+ buffer). Incubation of cells for 30 min in K+ buffer reduced influx by 27% and the efflux rate constant by 53%. This asymmetrical inhibition of bidirectional fluxes increased the net exchangeable intracellular methotrexate level per cell, but the actual intracellular methotrexate concentration at the steady state was similar to that in Na+ buffer, since the high [K+] caused an increase in intracellular water. Because cells exposed to K+ buffer were depolarized, the apparent electrochemical potential difference for methotrexate was markedly reduced. However, the steady-state intracellular methotrexate level was still related to the extracellular concentration by an absorption isotherm, indicating asymmetry in the bidirectional fluxes similar to that observed in Na+ buffer and thus predicting that transmembrane gradients would be produced at very low extracellular methotrexate concentrations. Glucose, which had little effect on bidirectional fluxes and reduced the steady-state level of methotrexate in Na+ buffer, stimulated influx, inhibited efflux and rapidly increased the steady state in K+ buffer similar to the effects of glucose in the presence of glucose in the presence of iodoacetate in Na+ buffer. Finally, cells exposed to k+ buffer exhibited trans-stimulation of [3H]methotrexate influx when loaded with non-labeled methotrexate, a phenomenon not observed in Na+ buffer. The results indicate that although methotrexate transport is not affected by transient changes in the cationic composition of the extracellular compartment, prolonged exposure of cells to a high [K+], low [Na+] environment markedly alters the physical properties of the cells and the transport parameters for methotrexdate and reveals characteristics of the methotrexate carrier system that are not evident in other buffer systems.

Mitochondrial neutral amino acid transport: evidence for a carrier mediated mechanism.

Swelling of rat liver mitochondria induced by various neutral amino acids indicates that the L isomers of serine, alanine, methionine, valine, threonine, and leucine enter the mitochondrial matrix by a stereospecific process. Chemical modification of mitochondria with diazobenzenesulfonate or p-mercuribenzoate inhibited the rapid uptake of these compounds, as well as that of L-proline and glycine, to various extents. Diazobenzenesulfonate did not inhibit the transport of compounds that enter the mitochondrial matrix by simple diffusion, i.e., thiocyanate, nitrate, formate, bicarbonate, and acetate. Inhibition by p-mercuribenzoate was reversed by treatment with dithiothreitol. Inclusion of various neutral amino acids in the p-mercuribenzoate preincubation mixture substantially prevented inactivation of transport. Glycine, D- or L-serine, L-threonine, L-methionine, L-alanine, and L-valine all individually protected against the inactivation of glycine, L-serine, L-threonine, L-methionine, L-alanine, L-valine, L-proline, and beta-alanine transport, while L-proline, beta-alanine,

Intramitochondrial localization and proposed metabolic significance of serine transhydroxymethylase.

Serine transhydroxymethylase is a latent enzyme of intact rat liver mitochondria. The enzyme is neither solubilized by the selective removal of the outer membrane with digitonin, nor inactivated by concentrations of diazobenzenesulfonate that do not penetrate the inner membrane, but that do inhibit solubilized serine transhydroxymethylase. Swelling of mitochondria was studied in isoosmotic solutions of substrates under conditions that would define transport as neutral uniport, anion-hydroxyl exchange, anion-anion exchange, or electrophoretic. L-Serine and glycine appear to be rapidly taken up by a nonelectrophoretic uniport mechanism, while folate and tetrahydrofolate are not tranported. The results localize the enzyme in the matrix and indicate that the latent activity results from a lack of tetrahydrofolate transport across the inner membrane. Based on these results, the dual localization of serine transhydroxymethylase in the mitochondria and the cytosol is proposed to provide a one-carbon shuttle system to link one-carbon metabolism in the two-cellular compartments.