Bovine heart 67-kd protein (p67) was coisolated with calpactin I complex by cycles of Ca(2+)-dependent precipitation followed by solubilization with EGTA-containing buffer. Using affinity-purified anti-p67 antibody and anti-p36 (36-kd subunit of calpactin I) antibody, we examined the localization of the two proteins in secretory atrial myocytes and other endocrine tissues of adult rats. Immunof...

Background: Infection is now the most common cause of morbidity in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). There is lack of information regarding the specific antibody forma-tion in response to vaccines in young SLE patients. Objective: To determine the efficacy of anti-tetanus antibody response in young patients with SLE. Methods: Forty SLE pa-tients with mean age of 14.1 years (range: 7-21) and 6...

background and purpose: multiple sclerosis (ms) is believed to be an immune-mediated disorder that develops from an interaction of the individual's genetic and as yet unidentified environmental causes. the prevalence of auto-antibodies in multiple sclerosis patients and their clinical associations vary in various studies. the aim of this study was to determine serum auto antibodies in multiple ...

We describe a novel experimental system in mice for the study of ovarian autoimmune disease, a condition encountered in women with premature ovarian failure. The ovarian autoimmune disease is induced in B6AF1 mice by a 15-amino acid peptide (Cys-Ser-Asn-Ser-Ser-Ser-Ser-Gln-Phe-Gln-Ile-His-Gly-Pro-Arg) from mouse ZP3, the sperm-binding component of the zona pellucida that surrounds growing and m...

The mouse cyritestin gene is a member of the ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) gene family and codes for a membrane-anchored sperm protein. Recently, it was shown that cyritestin is critical for male fertility in the mouse. Spermatozoa of cyritestin-deficient mice are not able to bind to the zona pellucida of the oocyte and therefore unable to fertilize the egg. However, zona-free oocyte...

Bovine heart 67-kd protein (p67) was coisolated with calpactin I complex by cycles of Ca2'-dependent precipitation followed by solubilization with EGTA-containing buffer. Using affinity-purified anti-p67 antibody and anti-p36 (36-kd subunit of calpactin 1) antibody, we examined the localization of the two proteins in secretory atrial myocytes and other endocrine tissues of adult rats. Immunoflu...

A new solid-phase antigen immunoassay was developed for the detection of anti-zona pellucida-antibodies. The assay was validated in a double blind study with clinically defined sera. The new assay is easy to perform and large numbers of sera can be processed in one day. The antigen can be prepared in advance and stored until use. This represents an advantage over other methods, such as immunofl...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE A matricellular protein tenascin-C is implicated in early brain injury after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). This study first evaluated the role of another matricellular protein periostin and the relationships with tenascin-C in post-SAH early brain injury. METHODS Wild-type (n=226) and tenascin-C knockout (n=9) C57BL/6 male adult mice underwent sham or fila...

The monoclonal anti-phosphotyrosine antibody (PTA) recognized proteins related to relative molecular mass regions of 94,000 +/- 3000 and 46,000 +/- 3000 Mr on Western blots of detergent-solubilized non-capacitated human sperm extract (HSE). The pattern of phosphorylation at tyrosine residues depended upon the physiological state of the sperm cells. At least six protein bands corresponding to fo...

AIM To investigate the possible functions of human sperm membrane protein (hSMP-1) in the process of fertilization. METHODS A 576-bp cDNA fragment of HSD-1 gene coding for the extracellular domain of hSMP-1 was cloned and expressed. The localization of this protein on human and mouse sperm was determined by indirect immunofluorescent staining by using anti-recombinant hSMP-1 (anti-rhSMP-1) an...