Difference in antigen presentation pathways between cortical and medullary thymic epithelial cells

Antigen presentation by thymic epithelial cells (TEC) to T cells that undergo maturation is one of the major events in the selection of the T cell repertoire. We have already reported that medullary TEC lines (mTEC) established from newborn C57BL/6 (H-2b) mice are able to present a soluble antigen, ovalbumin (OVA), to OVA-specific, I-Ab restricted helper T cell lines but cortical TEC (cTEC) lines are not (Mizuochi, T. et al., J. Exp. Med. 1992. 175: 1601). In this report, to clarify the cause of this difference, we analyzed the biochemical nature as well as the distribution of both major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules and invariant chains (Ii) in both TEC by immunoprecipitation and laser confocal scanning microscopic analysis, as well as the expression of mRNA encoding H-2Ma or H-2Mb. Our results demonstrate that cTEC and mTEC are both able to present peptide antigens to peptide-specific, I-Ab-restricted helper T cell hybridoma and are able to present class II MHC alloantigens to an I-Ab-specific T cell line, that mRNA for H-2Ma and H-2Mb are expressed in both TEC, that cTEC and mTEC apparently incorporate tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate-labeled OVA in the same manner, and that the SDS-stable MHC class II molecules, onto which peptides were loaded, are formed in both cTEC and mTEC. However, these molecules were more rapidly degraded in mTEC than in cTEC. In addition, two Ii-derived polypeptides of approximately 21 kDa and 10 kDa were precipitated by the anti-class II monoclonal antibody Y3P; 10-kDa polypeptides were detected in the both TEC, while 21-kDa polypeptides were detected only in cTEC. Finally, beta chains of MHC class II with less sialylated oligosaccharides were precipitated from the cell surface of cTEC. Taken together, these results suggest that there are substantial differences in the antigen-presenting pathways of cTEC and mTEC, and these difference might be responsible for T cell selection events in the thymus.     

An epitope on Ki antigen recognized by autoantibodies from lupus patients shows homology with the SV40 large T antigen nuclear localization signal

OBJECTIVE: Epitopes on Ki antigen were analyzed using synthetic peptides, including KILT, a 16-mer peptide with an amino acid sequence homologous to the SV40 large T antigen nuclear localization signal (SV40 T NLS). METHODS: In addition to KILT, 4 synthetic peptides, all potential epitopes on Ki antigen according to computer analysis, were prepared and tested for reactivity with 49 anti-Ki-positive lupus sera by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Eighteen sera reacted with KILT, but not with other peptides. The reaction of anit-Ki sera with KILT was specifically inhibited by recombinant Ki antigen. Eight of 49 anti-Ki sera reacted with a 7-mer synthetic peptide of SV40 T NLS, and the reaction was specifically inhibited by KILT. CONCLUSION: The 16-mer Ki peptide containing the sequence homologous to the SV40 T NLS is one of the antigenic epitopes recognized by anti-Ki antibodies in lupus sera.     

Calculation of external aperture admittance and radiation patternof a narrow slot cut across an edge of a sectoral cylinder in terms of aspectrum of two-dimensional solutions

A slotted triangular cylinder is a candidate for a base station antenna in mobile communications. This paper presents an analysis of the external aperture admittance and the radiation pattern of a transverse narrow slot cut across one of the wedges of a sectoral cylinder, the cross section of which approximates the actual triangular shape. Thereby, the external region can be described in terms of two canonical shapes, for which the dyadic Green's functions are obtained analytically. The aperture admittance of the slot is expressed in terms of the integrals of magnetic current over the slot aperture and the infinitely extended interface of the canonical regions. These integrals are evaluated in the spacial and spectral domains, respectively. This hybrid analysis provides good convergence of the results. The dependence of the 3-dB beamwidth and the front to back ratio of the transverse radiation pattern from the slot upon the size and the sector angle of the cylinder are also presented     

Single-layer feed waveguide consisting of posts for plane TEM waveexcitation in parallel plates

The authors propose a novel feed structure to excite a plane TEM wave in a parallel-plate waveguide. The feed waveguide is composed of densely arrayed posts on the same layer as the parallel plate. The posts can be easily fabricated at low cost by making metalized via holes in a grounded dielectric substrate. Such a procedure results in a quite simple fabrication of the antenna. The feed waveguide is designed to obtain a uniform division, which is confirmed by measurements on a 40-GHz band model     

Roscovitine,a Cyclin-Dependent Kinase-5 Inhibitor,Decreases Phosphorylated Tau Formation and Death of Retinal Ganglion Cells of Rats after Optic Nerve Crush

Tauopathies are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by abnormal metabolism of misfolded tau proteins and are progressive. Pathological phosphorylation of tau occurs in the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) after optic nerve injuries. Cyclin-dependent kinase-5 (Cdk5) causes hyperphosphorylation of tau. To determine the roles played by Cdk5 in retinal degeneration, roscovitine, a Cdk5 inhibitor, was injected intravitreally after optic nerve crush (ONC). The neuroprotective effect of roscovitine was determined by the number of Tuj-1-stained RGCs on day 7. The change in the levels of phosphorylated tau, calpain-1, and cleaved α-fodrin was determined by immunoblots on day 3. The expression of P35/P25, a Cdk5 activator, in the RGCs was determined by immunohistochemistry. The results showed that roscovitine reduced the level of phosphorylated tau by 3.5- to 1.6-fold. Calpain-1 (2.1-fold) and cleaved α-fodrin (1.5-fold) were increased on day 3, suggesting that the calpain signaling pathway was activated. P35/P25 was accumulated in the RGCs that were poorly stained by Tuj-1. Calpain inhibition also reduced the increase in phosphorylated tau. The number of RGCs decreased from 2191 ± 178 (sham) to 1216 ± 122 cells/mm² on day 7, and roscovitine preserved the level at 1622 ± 130 cells/mm². We conclude that the calpain-mediated activation of Cdk5 is associated with the pathologic phosphorylation of tau.     

Antiplatelet adhesion behavior of hyperbranched poly(l-lactide)s containing glutamic acid terminal groups

The surface properties and antiplatelet adhesion behavior of terminally functionalized hyperbranched poly(l -lactide)s (HB PLLAn-Glu, n = 5, 10, 20) were examined. Contact angle changes and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic measurements indicated that the hydrated glutamic acid units in HB PLLAn-Glu films migrated to the surface during immersing in water and unique microdomains were observed from the HB PLLA10-Glu film after water immersion. HB PLLA10-Glu and HB PLLA5-Glu prevented platelet adhesion, but HB PLLA20-Glu showed the typical platelet adhesion response for a hydrophobic surface. Both the high hydrophilicity and microdomain formation of HB PLLAn-Glu contributed to the efficient antiplatelet adhesion behavior. The glutamic acid-terminated HB PLLA10-Glu films were more effective at preventing platelet adhesion than the 2-methoxyethoxy-terminated HB PLLA10 films. This study is the first example of platelet adhesion properties being controlled by the terminal functional groups and branching density of hyperbranched polymers. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 46910.