concanavalin-a and Cadaver

We are participating in a multicenter trial testing the efficacy of a murine monoclonal antihuman peripheral T lymphocyte antibody (OKT3.PAN) as immunosuppressive therapy for the treatment of acute cadaveric renal allograft rejection. Although clinical data indicate that administration of this antibody clears the circulating lymphocyte pool of T3-positive cells, some in vitro studies have called into question whether the antibody is indeed lymphocytotoxic. Other in vitro data suggest that the antibody is a potent mitogen. To address these problems and investigate the effect of the antibody on T cell function, we have studied spontaneous blastogenesis, response to the lectins phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin A (ConA), and response to donor-specific and non-donor-specific alloantigen in a one-way MLC in 9 patients treated with anti-T3 for acute rejection and 9 steroid-treated controls. Patients cells were harvested with standard techniques and studied after transplantation, but prior to acute rejection, on days 3 and 12 of therapy and 1 week after cessation of therapy. All patients received baseline immunosuppression with azathioprine and steroids. Acute rejection was reversed with alpha T3 antibody (5 mg i.v./day-1 X 14 days) in 8 of 9 patients and in 6 of 9 steroid-treated controls. Spontaneous blastogenesis was not enhanced by anti-T3 nor did it rise during therapy. PHA and Con A responsiveness were dramatically and significantly depressed by therapy with anti-T3 or steroids on days 3 and 12. Although PHA responsiveness rebounded past baseline 1 week after monoclonal therapy, it was depressed compared with the steroid-treated patients. On the other hand, Con A responsiveness was still significantly depressed one week after monoclonal therapy compared with prerejection values or with controls. Response to donor-specific and to non-donor-specific alloantigen was significantly depressed with anti-T3 therapy compared with steroid controls, and it did not rise during therapy. Donor-specific responses tended to be slower in returning to pretreatment values in the OKT3 patients compared with steroid controls. In summary: (1) Anti-T3 antibody did not enhance spontaneous blastogenesis in patients treated for acute rejection; (2) Con A and PHA responses were dramatically depressed by anti-T3 therapy and returned to baseline following different time courses; (3) Non-donor-specific alloresponse and, more important, donor-specific alloresponse, was more depr

Topics: Antibodies, Monoclonal; Cadaver; Concanavalin A; DNA Replication; Graft Rejection; Humans; Kidney Transplantation; Lymphocyte Activation; Lymphocytes; Transplantation, Homologous

Human lung lavage proteins were fractionated by centrifugation and molecular sieving. An antiserum to the post-albumin fraction of the soluble proteins reacted with a 10 KD protein and this protein was isolated by conventional chromatography. The protein, which has a pI of 4.8, consists of two 5 KD polypeptides and is rich in glutamic acid, leucine, serine, and aspartic acid amino acids. The protein does not bind to concanavalin A, pancreatic elastase, leukocyte elastase, or trypsin, and lacks anti-protease activity. It constitutes about 0.15% of the soluble proteins in lung lavage. Antibodies to the 10 KD protein specifically and exclusively stain Clara cells in human, dog, and rat. Staining of granules of Clara cells was prominent in the distal bronchioles; however, the non-ciliated cells of respiratory bronchioles did not stain for the 10 KD protein. This 10 KD protein appears in fetal lungs at 21 weeks of gestation, and was present in about 10% of the primary pulmonary adenocarcinomas. As a specific marker for Clara cells, this protein could be useful in the study of development, regulation of secretion, and pathobiology of these cells.

Topics: Aged; Amino Acids; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; Cadaver; Chromatography, Gel; Concanavalin A; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Histocytochemistry; Humans; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Lung; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Molecular Weight; Pancreatic Elastase; Protease Inhibitors; Proteins; Tissue Distribution

Topics: Azathioprine; Cadaver; Concanavalin A; Cyclosporins; Graft Rejection; Humans; Immunosuppressive Agents; Kidney; Kidney Transplantation; Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors; Prednisone

Topics: Adult; Asphyxia; Asphyxia Neonatorum; Autopsy; Cadaver; Child; Child, Preschool; Concanavalin A; Death; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Male; Middle Aged; Phytohemagglutinins; T-Lymphocytes; Thymus Gland