Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.7.7.49 (reverse transcriptase)
31,746 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A new human monoclonal plasma cell line, designated UTMC-2, was established from the pleural effusion of a patient with immunoglobulin (Ig)A kappa-related multiple myeloma. The cultured cells were Epstein-Barr virus-negative and exhibited the morphological and ultrastructural features characteristic of plasma cells. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed the presence of cytoplasmic IgA kappa as well as the plasma cell-associated surface antigens CD38 and CD56. Other B-cell markers, including CD10, CD19, CD20, and HLA-DR, were absent. The UTMC-2 cells were interleukin (IL)-6 responsive: Co-culture with IL-6 increased IgA kappa synthesis and cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, an IL-6 antisense oligonucleotide had an opposite effect. Although the UTMC-2 cells expressed IL-6 mRNA (as demonstrated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)) and contained IL-6, the concentration of this cytokine in cell culture supernatants was less than that detectable by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) employed (i.e. <3 pg/ml). Further, cell growth was not inhibited by polyclonal or monoclonal anti-IL-6 antibodies. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that IL-6 receptors present on the surface of the UTMC-2 cells were not saturated with endogenous IL-6. Taken together, these results indicate that, in this human plasma cell line, IL-6 functions uniquely in an intracellular autocrine fashion to enhance Ig synthesis and cell growth. In this respect, the UTMC-2 cells represent a novel resource for further study of the role of IL-6 in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma.
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PMID:Characterization of a novel interleukin-6 autocrine-dependent human plasma cell line. 752 62

The relationship between clinical and molecular characteristics of 45 treated individuals with histologically-documented human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was examined to determine whether differences in molecular features of lymphoma were associated with differences in clinical outcome. Tissue specimens from these tumors were evaluated for evidence of Ig heavy-chain gene rearrangements using both Southern blot analysis and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Lymphomas were also evaluated for the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA sequences and c-myc gene rearrangements. Twenty-five lymphomas were characterized as polyclonal and 20 as monoclonal. PCR amplification of expressed Ig variable (V)-region genes confirmed polyclonality in three extensively studied polyclonal lymphomas. The median CD4 count was significantly higher in the group with polyclonal disease (277/microL) than in the group with monoclonal disease (123/microL), P = .04. The complete response rate to therapy was significantly higher in patients with polyclonal disease (78%) and CD4 greater than 200/microL (81%) than in those with monoclonal disease (31%) and CD4 less than 200/microL (33%). CD4 count, clonality, and presence of EBV DNA sequences were the most important predictors of survival. Both Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards analyses showed a markedly prolonged survival in those patients with both CD4 > or = 200/microL and polyclonal disease. Histologically the polyclonal lymphomas were high grade in appearance and contained prominent macrophages. All seven surviving patients were in this group. Median survival for those individuals whose tumors contained EBV sequences was only 3.2 months (range, 0.4 to 19.5), whereas those with EBV- tumors survived for a median of 9.0 months (range, 0.7 to 65.2), P = .0007. These data indicate that molecular features of HIV-associated lymphomas may be important predictors of clinical outcome. These characteristics define a distinct subset of patients with polyclonal EBV- tumors and CD4 counts greater than 200/microL that appear to have a less aggressive clinical course.
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PMID:Influence of molecular characteristics on clinical outcome in human immunodeficiency virus-associated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: identification of a subgroup with favorable clinical outcome. 753 86

The expression of the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) receptor in childhood Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cells, and the mitogenic effect of G-CSF on these cells, was studied in a panel of 13 Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) positive and negative BL cell lines derived from nine children. G-CSF receptor mRNA expression was investigated by Northern blot analysis and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Binding of G-CSF to BL cell lines was measured by chemical crosslinking of 125I-G-CSF, and proliferation by thymidine incorporation. Inducibility of the G-CSF receptor was studied by stimulation with interleukin-1 beta, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, Staphylococcus aureus Cowan A, anti-human IgM, phorbol myristate acetate, calcium ionophore A23187, and by infection in vitro by immortalizing and non-immortalizing strains of EBV. BL cell lines, unstimulated or stimulated by biological reagents or EBV infection, did not bind radioionated G-CSF in crosslinking experiments. No stimulation by recombinant human G-CSF was observed in 3H-thymidine incorporation assays. No G-CSF receptor mRNA was detected by Northern blot analysis or RT-PCR in BL cell lines. It is concluded that G-CSF plays no direct stimulatory role in the growth of these malignant B-cells, making a deleterious influence of G-CSF in the clinical treatment situation unlikely.
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PMID:Absence of G-CSF receptors and absent response to G-CSF in childhood Burkitt's lymphoma and B-ALL cells. 753 24

While Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-immortalized B cell lines have been shown to secrete interleukin (IL)-2 after stimulation with either teleocidin or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) and ionomycin, experimental conditions leading to IL-2 production by normal human B cells have not been reported. In the present study we investigated various B cell activating conditions, including--by analogy to EBV-immortalized B lymphocytes--stimulation of B cells that are already proliferating (in cultures with IL-4 and immobilized anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody; the anti-CD40 system). This approach showed that B lymphocytes secreted IL-2 in the culture medium, but only if they were first activated for more than 24 h in the anti-CD40 system before exposure to PMA plus ionomycin. The production rate of IL-2 by B lymphocytes reached a maximum after 6 days of priming in such cultures followed by 48 h of stimulation with PMA plus ionomycin, corresponding to 7% or 15% of that of fresh CD4+ T cells activated, respectively, with phytohemagglutinin plus PMA, or with PMA plus ionomycin for 48 h. This IL-2 production could not be attributed to T cell contamination nor to EBV-infected B cells according to flow cytometric and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis of cultured B cells. Lower IL-2 expression (detected only as mRNA synthesis) was also induced in the cultured B lymphocytes after incubation with cross-linking anti-IgM antibodies instead of PMA plus ionomycin. The appearance of IL-13 mRNA, but not IL-4 mRNA, was detected under the same stimulation conditions as for IL-2 mRNA. These results show that the production of IL-2 by normal B lymphocytes occurs as a late event relative to their activation and proliferation, and is in this respect subject to regulation different to that found in T lymphocytes.
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PMID:Interleukin-2 secretion by human B lymphocytes occurs as a late event and requires additional stimulation after CD40 cross-linking. 753 52

Persistent polyclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (PPBL) is a rare haematological disorder. It is characterized by activated and morphologically atypical B lymphocytes and polyclonal IgM production and has been associated with female sex, cigarette smoking, and HLA-DR7 expression. We report a case of PPBL with intermitting symptoms compatible with a chronic fatigue syndrome, recurrent erythema nodosum and multiforme. Serological findings suggested a chronic active Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Messenger RNA of EBV immediate early gene transactivation BZLF1 was detected in peripheral blood lymphocytes by reverse transcriptase PCR indicating a persistent replication of the virus. Over 2 years of observation we detected varying numbers of atypical lymphocytes. These cells hybridized with a probe specific for the EBV internal repeat region (BamHI W) which indicates a productive infection. Of interest, no reaction was observed with a probe specific for the latency-associated small RNAs (EBERs). The immunological phenotype of the polyclonal B cells was similar to B-cell lines immortalized by EBV in vitro, expressing a number of activation molecules (CD23, CD25, CD54) and the bcl-2 protein. In summary, our findings suggest that persistent EBV replication might be crucial in the development of lymphoproliferative disorders such as PPBL.
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PMID:Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus disease in a case of persistent polyclonal B-cell lymphocytosis. 764 89

BHRF1, one of many Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded proteins, shows strong functional homology to the human bcl-2 proto-oncogene product, a protein involved in the pathogenesis of a subset of B-cell lymphomas, ie, follicle center cell lymphomas (FCCL). We have investigated the presence of possible latent and lytic transcripts of BHRF1 using a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based assay in a group of EBV-associated B-cell lymphomas in patients with (N = 5) or without overt immunodeficiency (N = 4), in T-cell lymphomas (N = 9), and in cases of Hodgkin's disease (N = 6). BHRF1 transcription was found consistently in EBV-associated (ie, diffuse EBER 1/2-positive) B-cell lymphomas in patients with or without immune deficiency, whereas in EBV-associated T-cell lymphomas or in EBV-associated Hodgkin's disease, BHRF1 transcription was only detected in two T-cell lymphomas and one case of Hodgkin's disease, which also harbored EBER 1/2-positive reactive cells. Moreover, weak BHRF1 signals were found in two T-cell lymphomas where EBER 1/2 expression was detected mainly in sporadic reactive lymphocytes and in one reactive tonsil with sporadic EBER 1/2-positive lymphocytes. BHRF1 transcripts were found to be generated by the C or W promoter (associated with viral latency) and/or by the H promoter (associated with the virus lytic cycle). In all cases with H promoter-derived BHRF1 transcripts, transcripts encoding ZEBRA were also detected, suggesting a reactivation of the virus lytic cycle. Analysis of other EBV genes revealed transcription of BARFO in all tested EBV-harboring tissues. Transcription of EBNA1 and LMP1 was usually detected, whereas EBNA2 transcription was found exclusively in B-cell lymphomas in immunocompromised patients. These data demonstrate that BHRF1 transcripts are exclusively found in EBV-associated B-cell lymphomas. When BHRF1 transcripts are detected in T-cell lymphomas or in Hodgkin's disease, it is probably due to the presence of reactive EBER 1/2-positive lymphocytes. The consistent transcription of BHRF1 in EBV-associated B-cell lymphomas suggests a possible pathogenic role for this gene product in EBV-positive B-cell lymphomas analogous to bcl-2.
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PMID:BHRF1, the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) homologue of the BCL-2 protooncogene, is transcribed in EBV-associated B-cell lymphomas and in reactive lymphocytes. 765 18

Interleukin 10 (IL-10) is a strong B-cell-activating factor. Since murine Ly1-positive peritoneal or lymphoma B cells strongly express IL-10, we examined malignant cells from patients with acute and chronic leukemias by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the expression of IL-10 mRNA. High expression was found in three out of four samples from CD10+, CD5- common acute lymphoblastic leukemia (cALL) cells, whereas T-ALL samples generally did not contain IL-10 mRNA. In contrast to the murine system, only low levels of IL-10 expression were seen in 10 out of 11 samples from patients with CD5+ CLL. Myeloid derived cell lines were negative for IL-10. Epstein Barr virus (EBV) positive and negative Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cell lines showed heterogenous IL-10 expression: BL cell lines with a nonactivated germinal center phenotype (CD10+, CD77+, CD23-, CD30-, CDw70-) expressed little or no IL-10, whereas EBV-positive and negative BL cell lines with an activated phenotype (CD77-, CD23+, CD30+, CDw70+) expressed easily detectable amounts of IL-10 mRNA. The highest expression of IL-10 was found in EBV-immortalized lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL). Upon superinfection with non-defective EBV, the EBV-negative cell line BL 41 up-regulated IL-10 expression. Thus, in vivo IL-10 expression is not restricted to cells showing a specific (CD5+) phenotype. IL-10 may play an important role in c-ALL. The expression of IL-10 in BL cell lines is correlated to an activated phenotype in vitro and is independent of the EBV carrier status. EBV can induce IL-10 expression.
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PMID:Expression of interleukin 10 in B lymphocytes of different origin. 769 7

Nucleotide sequences of the heavy and light chain variable (VH and VL) regions of a human monoclonal antibody (4-35-7), which recognized HLA-A1, A23 and A24, were determined by means of the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. This antibody was generated by Epstein-Barr virus transformation of lymphocytes obtained from a multiparous donor, followed by fusion with mouse myeloma cells. The VH gene segment belonged to the VHIII gene family, and used the DXP4 and JH4 gene segments. This VH gene segment had 92.9% homology to the germline gene VH26, and contained 21 nucleotide substitutions. Fourteen of them generated the replacements of amino acids, while 7 failed to generate the replacement. The ratio of replacement to silent mutations in complementarity determining regions (CDRs) was 7.0. The VL gene segment belonged to the VkI gene family, and used Jk4. This VL gene segment showed 96.1% homology to the germline gene HK102, and contained 11 nucleotide substitutions. Seven of them generated the replacement of amino acids, while 4 failed to generate the replacement. The high ratio of replacement to silent mutations in CDRs of the VH gene segment suggested that the multiparity caused the processes of antigenic selection and somatic mutation, and generated this anti-HLA antibody.
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PMID:Nucleotide sequences of the variable regions of a human monoclonal antibody against HLA-A1, A23, and A24. 769 91

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II deficiency is an inherited autosomal recessive combined immunodeficiency. The disease is known as bare lymphocyte syndrome (BLS). BLS is characterized by a lack of constitutive MHC class II expression on macrophages and B cells as well as a lack of induced MHC class II expression on cells other than professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) due to the absence of mRNA and protein of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II molecules, designated HLA-DR, -DQ, and -DP. The defect in gene expression is located at the transcriptional level and affects all class II genes simultaneously. Here we have analyzed transcription and protein expression of class II antigens in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed B lymphoblastoid cell lines and mononuclear cells (MNCs) of twin brothers. Whereas flow cytometric analysis failed to detect class II antigens on the cell surface of the patients' EBV-B cells and MNCs, examination of the genes coding for HLA-DR, -DQ, -DP, and the invariant chain (Ii) by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction amplification resulted in an unusual mRNA pattern in the B cell lines of the patients (HLA-DR alpha +, -DR beta, -DQ alpha +, -DQ beta -, -DP alpha -; -DP beta +, Ii+). In accordance with these findings no HLA-DR beta-specific protein was detected by immunoblotting, whereas low levels of HLA-DR alpha and normal levels of Ii were present. In contrast to EBV-B cells, the MNCs of both patients displayed a residual HLA-DR beta, -DQ beta, and -DP alpha mRNA signal. Furthermore, HLA-DR beta-specific protein was found in addition to HLA-DR alpha by immunoblotting of cell lysates, even though it was clearly decreased as compared with controls. Our results indicate that the defect in class II antigen expression is not necessarily present to the same extent in B cells and cells of other lineages. mRNA levels of HLA-DR beta were found to be enriched in adherent cells within the MNC fraction. Further investigations indicated that the MHC class II expressed is functional in antigen presentation, as the two boys' CD4+ T cells became activated and expressed interleukin-2R after stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures with recall antigen (tetanus toxoid). Furthermore, T cells tested in one of the two patients responded to both MHC class I and II allostimulation, and this response was inhibited by monoclonal antibodies of the respective specificity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Molecular characterization of major histocompatibility complex class II gene expression and demonstration of antigen-specific T cell response indicate a new phenotype in class II-deficient patients. 769 27

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is present in up to 40% of Hodgkin's disease (HD). The viral genomes remain latent within Reed-Sternberg cells (RS cells), but the recent detection of Zebra protein in rare neoplastic cells of a few EBV+ HD cases, suggests an activation of EBV replication. We have studied fifty HD cases containing EBV genomes and expressing LMP1 protein (including five AIDS-related cases), by immunohistochemistry with anti-Zebra antibodies. Four of these cases (all HIV-) showed Zebra+ tumor cells. One of these four cases showed numerous Zebra+ neoplastic cells (approximately 1% of tumor cells) and positive staining for EA-R protein, thus indicating early gene expression. In situ hybridization with biotinylated BamHI W probe revealed in this case, a signal of unusual strength within some Reed-Sternberg cells, probably related to increased number of EBV genomes, thus suggesting EBV replication. Viral replication was finally confirmed in this case, by the detection of BLLF1 transcripts (encoding for the membrane antigen gp 350/220) using reverse transcriptase and polymerase chain reaction. Thus, a very few Zebra+ neoplastic cells are concerned by viral replication, most of them harboring EBV involved in an abortive, instead of a full lytic cycle. EBV replication in RS cells remains an exceptional event, but may provide clues to immunologic mechanisms of control of viral latency. Clinical implications need further investigations.
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PMID:[Epstein-Barr virus replication in Hodgkin disease]. 789 16


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