Administration in vivo of recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL-2) to mice induces a polyclonal IgM response. When co-administered with a specific antigen, rIL-2 can enhance concentrations of murine IgM antibodies specific for the antigen by fivefold within 7 d of initial treatment. IgM antibodies that are induced after injection of rIL-2 include antibodies specific for J5, a cell wall core lipopolysa...

The relationship between hantaviruses and their reservoir hosts is not well understood. We successfully passaged a mouse-adapted strain of Sin Nombre virus from deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) by i.m. inoculation of 4- to 6-wk-old deer mouse pups. After inoculation with 5 ID(50), antibodies to the nucleocapsid (N) antigen first became detectable at 14 d whereas neutralizing antibodies were d...

Intact erythrocytes of different Rh genotypes were subjected to various enzyme treatments, the effects of which were monitored by separating the membrane proteins by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and performing Western blotting using an antibody preparation that recognizes only Rh-related polypeptides. We found that treatment of intact cells with either phospholipase...

The simian virus 40 (SV40) T antigen is a potent oncogene able to transform many cell types and has been implicated in leukemia and lymphoma. In this report, we have achieved sporadic SV40 T-antigen expression in mature B cells in mice, by insertion of a SV40 T antigen gene in opposite transcriptional orientation in the immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy (H) chain locus between the D and J(H) segments. ...

Background: Protein C (PC) deficiency has been reported in sickle cell disease (SCD) and postulated to contribute to the pathogenesis as well as clinical manifestations of SCD. However there is paucity of data on PC in Nigerian patients with SCD. Objectives: This study was aimed at evaluating the levels of Protein C (PC) antigen and activity in SCD subjects; the prevalent type of PC deficiency ...

Vertebrates are able to mount specific immune responses because they possess a vast array of antigen-specific B and T cells. In B cells, the antigen receptor is a membranebound form of immunoglobulin, whereas in T cells the antigen-specific component of the T cell receptor (TCR) is composed of a heterodimer of either TCR c1 and j3 gene products or TCR y and 61 gene products. In the germline, th...