Rabbit Red Cells Research Articles

VLRs expression were significantly affected by complement C3 knockdown morphants in Lampetra morii

The complement component 3 of the lamprey, a jawless vertebrate, functions as an opsonin during the phagocytosis of rabbit red cells. Furthermore, lamprey C3 may be activated and cleaved into C3b, which is attached to the surface of target cells in the cytolytic process. However, the mechanism mediating the biological function of C3 in the lamprey is unknown. To our knowledge, this study is the first to show that variable lymphocyte receptors (VLRs) expression were significantly affected by complement C3 knockdown morphants in Lampetra morii. We identified the C3 gene in the lamprey genome based on its orthologs, conserved synteny, functional domains, phylogenetic tree, and conserved motifs. Additionally, we determined the optimal infection concentration of Aeromonas hydrophila to perform immune stimulation experiments in the lamprey larvae. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence analyses revealed that the expression of Lampetra morii C3 (lmC3) was significantly upregulated in the larvae infected with 107 CFU/mL of A. hydrophila. The lmC3 morphants (lmC3 MO) of lamprey larvae were generated by morpholino-mediated knockdown. The lmC3 MO larvae were highly susceptible to A. hydrophila infection, which indicated that lmC3 is critical in lamprey immune response. The expression of a selected panel of orthologous genes was comparatively analyzed in the infected wild type, infected lmC3 MO, infected control MO, uninfected wild type and uninfected lmC3 MO one-month-old ammocoete larvae. The knockdown of lmC3 strongly affected the expression of VLRA+/VLRB+/VLRC+-associated genes, which was also confirmed by immunohistochemical analysis. Thus, VLR expression were significantly affected by complement C3 knockdown morphants in Lampetra morii.

Two novel antimicrobial peptides from skin venoms of spadefoot toad Megophrys minor

Amphibian skin contains rich bioactive peptides. Especially, a large amount of antimicrobial peptides have been identified from amphibian skin secretions. Antimicrobial peptides display potent cytolytic activities against a range of pathogenic bacteria and fungi and play important defense roles. No antimicrobial peptides have been reported from toads belonging to the family of Pelobatidae. In this work, two novel antimicrobial peptides (Megin 1 and Megin 2) were purified and characterized from the skin venoms of spadefoot toad Megophrys minor (Pelobatidae, Anura, Amphibia). Megin 1 had an amino acid sequence of FLKGCWTKWYSLKPKCPF-NH2, which was composed of 18 amino acid residues and contained an intra-molecular disulfide bridge and an amidated C-terminus. Megin 2 had an amino acid sequence of FFVLKFLLKWAGKVGLEHLACKFKNWC, which was composed of 27 amino acid residues and contained an intra-molecular disulfide bridge. Both Megin 1 and Megin 2 showed potential antimicrobial abilities against bacteria and fungi. The MICs of Megin 1 against Escherichia coli, Bacillus dysenteriae, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and Candida albicans were 25, 3, 6.25, 3, and 50 μg·mL−1, respectively. The corresponding MICs for Megin 2 were 6.25, 1.5, 12.5, 1.5, and 12.5 μg·mL−1, respectively. They also exerted strong hemolytic activity against human and rabbit red cells. The results suggested that megin peptides in the toad skin of M. minor displayed toxic effects on both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. This was the first report of antimicrobial peptides from amphibians belonging to the family of Pelobatidae.

Lectins of <i>Erythrina poeppigiana</i> and <i>Erythrina steyermarkii</i> (Leguminosae): charaderization and mitogenic effect

Las diferentes especies de Erythrina se encuentran ampliamente distribuidas en Costa Rica y se las conoce popularmente con el nombre de "poró". En el presente estudio, se seleccionaron dos especies: Erythrina poeppigiana y Erythrina steyermarkii. Se prepararon extractos de las semillas en solución tampón salina de fosfatos y se verificó la presencia de lectinas en ellos mediante la técnica de hemaglutinación, utilizando eritrocitos humanos. Se trató de demostrar un efecto selectivo de la hemaglutinación empleando eritrocitos de varias especies de mamíferos, específicamente de carnero, caballo y conejo. Solo los eritrocitos de conejo fueron aglutinados con la lectina de E. steyermarkii. El efecto hemaglutinante de las dos lectinas fue inhibido con los siguientes carbohidratos: D-galactosa, N-D-acetil galactosamina, D-Iactosa y Drafinosa. La lectina de E. steyermarkii también fue inhibida con L-rhamnosa. Las dos lectinas fueron aisladas por filtración en gel y cromatografia de afinidad, usando lactosa como ligando. Las fracciones que resultaron positivas se analizaron mediante la técnica de electroforesis en gel de poliacrilamida y duodecil sulfato de sodio (SDSPAGE). Con la filtración en gel y el SDS-PAGE, se comprobó que las dos lectinas tienen una masa molecular aparente de 50 kDa y. que están formadas por dos subunidades de 25 kDa, aproximadamente. Se buscó un efecto mitogénico en las dos lectÍnas y se encontró que sólo E. steyermarkii lo manifestaba sobre células mononucleares humanas aisladas de sangre periférica. Se determinó la estabilidad de las ¡eetinas en diferentes ámbitos de temperatura (4 a 100°C) y de pH (2 a 12 ). Las dos lectinas se mantuvieron estables en un rango de temperatura de 40 a 70°C y en un pH de 2 a 10.

A Novel Antimicrobial Peptide from Skin Secretions of the Tree FrogTheloderma kwangsiensis

Most of amphibians belonging to family Rhacophoridae live in arboreal habitats. A large number of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been identified from amphibian skins. No antimicrobial peptide from Rhacophoridae amphibians has been reported. In this study, we purified and characterized a novel antimicrobial peptide, pleurain-a1-thel from skin secretions of the tree frog, Theloderma kwangsiensis. Its amino acid sequence was determined as RILTMTKRVKMPQLYKQIVCRLFKTC by Edman degradation, mass spectrometry analysis and cDNA cloning. There are two cysteines, which form an intra-molecular disulfide bridge, in the sequence of pleurain-a1-thel. Pleurain-a1-thel exerted potential antimicrobial activities against wide spectrum of microorganisms, including Gram-negative and -positive bacteria and fungi. It exerted little hemolytic activity in human or rabbit red cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of antimicrobial peptide from Rhacophoridae amphibians.

A beta-defensin 1-like antimicrobial peptide from the tree shrew, Tupaia belangeri

A novel beta-defensin 1-like antimicrobial peptide (β-defensin 1TB) containing 36 amino acid residues was purified and characterized from the serum of the tree shrew, Tupaia belangeri. Its amino acid sequence was determined as DHYLCVKNEGICLYSSCPSYTKIEGTCYGGKAKCCK, by Edman degradation, mass spectrometry analysis, and cDNA cloning. Evolution analysis indicated that β-defensin 1TB showed maximal similarity to the β-defensin 1 identified from cotton-top tamarin, Saguinus oedipus. β-defensin 1TB exerted potential antimicrobial activities against wide spectrum of microorganisms including Gram-negative and -positive bacteria and fungi. It showed little hemolitic activity to human or rabbit red cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of antimicrobial peptide from Tupaiidae.

Two antimicrobial and nematicidal peptides derived from sequences encoded Picea sitchensis

Two antimicrobial peptides (piceain 1 and 2) derived from sequences encoded Picea sitchensis are identified. Their amino acid sequences are KSLRPRCWIKIKFRCKSLKF and RPRCWIKIKFRCKSLKF, respectively. One intra-molecular disulfide bridge is formed by these two half-cysteines in both piceain 1 and 2. Antimicrobial activities of synthesized piceains against several kinds of microorganisms were tested. They showed antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and fungus Candida albicans but little antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis. The results of nematicidal test showed they exerted strong nematicidal activities against Caenorhabditis elegans, following exposure for 5 h at concentrations as low as 10 µg/ml. They had weak hemolytic abilities against human and rabbit red cells. At the concentration of 250 µg/ml, they induced red cell hemolysis of less than 5%. Circular dichroism spectra of the two antimicrobial peptides were investigated in several solutions. Their main secondary structure components are β-sheet and random. The current work provides a novel family of antimicrobial and nematicidal peptides with unique disulfided loop containing nine amino acid residues.

A novel antimicrobial peptide from skin secretions of the earthworm, Pheretima guillelmi (Michaelsen)

A novel lumbricin-like antimicrobial peptide named lumbricin-PG was isolated from skin secretions of the earthworm, Pheretima guillelmi (Michaelsen), using a procedure of one step Sephadex G-50 gel filtration and one step C 8 reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Its amino acid sequence was determined as FSRYARMRDSRPWSDRKNNYSGPQFTYPPEKAPPEKLIKWNN EGSPIFEMPAEGGHIEP by Edman degradation combined with cDNA cloning and mass spectrometry analysis. The cDNA encoding lumbricin-PG was cloned by cDNA library screening. The predicted protein from the cDNA sequence was composed of 73 amino acid residues including a mature lumbricin-PG and predicted signal peptide. It showed similarity with lumbricin antimicrobial peptide from the earthworm, Lumbricus rubellus by BLAST search. Purified lumbricin-PG exerted potential antimicrobial activities against bacteria and fungi; it showed weak hemolysis activity against human and rabbit red cells.

Determination of bioelectrochemical parameters of red cell using a piezoelectric crystal sensor

Based on the impedance behavior of red cell at high frequency, the frequency response of series piezoelectric crystal sensor in the red cell suspension was derived and verified experimentally. A method of using piezoelectric crystal sensor to determine the conductivity of the interior of the cell was proposed. The experimental results show that the mean conductivity of rabbit red cell cytoplasm was 0.269 S/m and the mean shape factor of red cell was 2.05.

Association of Lactobacillus acidophilus with mice Peyer's patches

Objective To clarify the adhesion mechanism of Lactobacillus acidophilus to Peyer's patches. Methods Adhesion of L. acidophilus FN001 to mice Peyer's patches was studied in vitro using a fluorescent quantization method. The nature of adhesion mediator was studied by the differing effects of physical, chemical, and enzymatic pre-treatments of the bacteria and the inhibitory effects of sugars on the adhesion. The presence of lectin-like proteins on the cell surface was determined by hemagglutination assay. The effect of L. acidophilus FN001 on the inhibition of adhesion of pathogens to Peyer's patches was also studied. Results The adhesion of L. acidophilus FN001 was strongly inhibited in the presence of D-mannose and methyl-α-D-mannoside. Pretreatment of L. acidophilus FN001 with pepsin and trypsin decreased the adhesive capacity indicating that some cell surface proteins might be involved in the adhesion. L. acidophilus FN001 showed agglutinating activity toward the rabbit red cells in a mannose specific manner, which was decreased after protease pretreatment, suggesting possible occurrence of mannose specific lectin(s) on the L. acidophilus FN001 surface. In adhesion inhibition assay, L. acidophilus NF001, when applied to Peyer's patches first or at the same time with pathogen, significantly inhibited adhesion of Escherichia coli ATCC25922 to Peyer's patches. Conclusion L. acidophilus FN001 contains some mannose-specific protein(s) on its surface that mediates its adhesion to the Peyer's patches. FN001 inhibits the adhesion of E. coli, which also contains mannose specific lectin.

Impaired methylation as a novel mechanism for proteasome suppression in liver cells

The proteasome is a multi-catalytic protein degradation enzyme that is regulated by ethanol-induced oxidative stress; such suppression is attributed to CYP2E1-generated metabolites. However, under certain conditions, it appears that in addition to oxidative stress, other mechanisms are also involved in proteasome regulation. This study investigated whether impaired protein methylation that occurs during exposure of liver cells to ethanol, may contribute to suppression of proteasome activity. We measured the chymotrypsin-like proteasome activity in Huh7CYP cells, hepatocytes, liver cytosols and nuclear extracts or purified 20S proteasome under conditions that maintain or prevent protein methylation. Reduction of proteasome activity of hepatoma cell and hepatocytes by ethanol or tubercidin was prevented by simultaneous treatment with S-adenosylmethionine (SAM). Moreover, the tubercidin-induced decline in proteasome activity occurred in both nuclear and cytosolic fractions. In vitro exposure of cell cytosolic fractions or highly purified 20S proteasome to low SAM: S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) ratios in the buffer also suppressed proteasome function, indicating that one or more methyltransferase(s) may be associated with proteasomal subunits. Immunoblotting a purified 20S rabbit red cell proteasome preparation using methyl lysine-specific antibodies revealed a 25 kDa proteasome subunit that showed positive reactivity with anti-methyl lysine. This reactivity was modified when 20S proteasome was exposed to differential SAM:SAH ratios. We conclude that impaired methylation of proteasome subunits suppressed proteasome activity in liver cells indicating an additional, yet novel mechanism of proteasome activity regulation by ethanol.

Two novel antimicrobial peptides from centipede venoms

Centipede venoms are complex mixtures of biochemically and pharmacologically active components such as peptides and proteins. Very few are known about their pharmacological actions. The present work reports the structural and functional characterization of two antimicrobial peptides (scolopin 1 and -2) identified from centipede venoms of Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans by Sephadex gel filtration and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The amino acid sequences of scolopin 1 and -2 were FLPKMSTKLRVPYRRGTKDYH and GILKKFMLHRGTKVYKMRTLSKRSH determined by Edman degradation and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Both scolopin 1 and -2 showed strong antimicrobial activities against tested microorganisms including Gram-positive/negative bacteria and fungi. They also showed moderate hemolytic activity against both human and rabbit red cells. This is the first report of antimicrobial peptides from centipedes.

Study on adhesion of Lactobacillus acidophilus to mice Peyer's patches and inhibition of pathogen invasion

Objective To investigate the adhesion mechanism of Lactobacillus acidophilus FN001外to Peyer's patches. Methods Adhesion of L. acidophilus FN001 to mice Peyer's patches was studied in vitro using a fluorescent quantization method. The nature of adhesion mediator was studied by the effects of physical, chemical and enzymatic pre-treatments of the bacteria on their adhesion and effect of sugars on in- hibition of adhesion. The presence of lectin-like proteins in the cell surface was determined by hemagglutina- tion. Effect of L. acidophilus FN001 on inhibition of adhesion of pathogens to Peyer's patches was also stud- ied. Results The adhesion of L. acidophilus FN001 was strongly inhibited in the presence of D-mannose and methyl-ct-D-mannoside. Pretreatment of L. acidophilus FN001 with pepsin and trypsin decreased the ad- hesive capacity indicating that cell surface proteins are involved in adhesion to Peyer's patches. L. acidophi- lus FN001 could agglutinate rabbit red cell in mannose specific manner and protease pretreatment could de-crease hemagglutinin, suggesting that L. acidophilus FN001 has mannose specific lectin (s). In adherence inhibition assay, L. acidophilus NF001 could significantly inhibit adhesion of E. coli ATCC25922 to Peyer's patches when L. acidophilus NF001 were applied to Peyer's patches first or at the same time with pathogen. Conclusion It was concluded that a mannose-specific protein mediated adhesion of L. acidophilus FN001 to the Peyer's patches, and L. acidophilus FN001 could inhibit adhesion of pathogen with similar lectins speci- ficity to Peyer's patches. Key words: Lactobacillus; Peyer's patches; Mannose-specific adhesion; Adherence inhibition

Isolation and characterization of a dual function protein from Allium sativum bulbs which exhibits proteolytic and hemagglutinating activities

A dual function protein was isolated from Allium sativum bulbs and was characterized. The protein had a molecular mass of 25–26 kDa under non-reducing conditions, whereas two polypeptide chains of 12.5 ± 0.5 kDa were observed under reducing conditions. E-64 and leupeptin inhibited the proteolytic activity of the protein, which exhibited characteristics similar to cysteine peptidase. The enzyme exhibited substrate specificity and hydrolyzed natural substrates such as α-casein ( K m: 23.0 μM), azocasein, haemoglobin and gelatin. It also showed a high affinity for synthetic peptides such as Cbz-Ala-Arg-Arg-OMe-β-Nam ( K m: 55.24 μM, k cat: 0.92 s −1). The cysteine peptidase activity showed a remarkable stability after incubation at moderate temperatures (40–50 °C) over a pH range of 5.5–6.5. The N-terminus of the protein displayed a 100% sequence similarity to the sequences of a mannose-binding lectin isolated from garlic bulbs. Moreover, the purified protein was retained in the chromatographic column when Con-A Sepharose affinity chromatography was performed and the protein was able to agglutinate trypsin-treated rabbit red cells. Therefore, our results indicate the presence of an additional cysteine peptidase activity on a lectin previously described.

Intratumoral Injection of α-gal Glycolipids Induces Xenograft-Like Destruction and Conversion of Lesions into Endogenous Vaccines

This study describes a novel cancer immunotherapy treatment that exploits the natural anti-Gal Ab to destroy tumor lesions and convert them into an endogenous vaccine targeted to APC via FcgammaR. Anti-Gal constitutes 1% of immunoglobulins in humans and interacts specifically with alpha-gal epitopes (Galalpha1-3Galbeta1-4GlcNAc-R). The binding of anti-Gal to alpha-gal epitopes on pig cells mediates xenograft rejection. The proposed method uses glycolipid micelles with multiple alpha-gal epitopes (alpha-gal glycolipids). These glycolipids are extracted from rabbit red cell membranes and are comprised of ceramides with carbohydrate chains containing 5-25 carbohydrates, all capped with alpha-gal epitopes. Efficacy of this treatment was demonstrated in alpha1,3-galactosyltransferase knockout mice producing anti-Gal and bearing B16 melanoma or B16/OVA producing OVA as a surrogate tumor Ag. These mice are unique among nonprimate mammals in that, similar to humans, they lack alpha-gal epitopes and can produce the anti-Gal Ab. Intratumoral injection of alpha-gal glycolipids results in local inflammation mediated by anti-Gal binding to the multiple alpha-gal epitopes and activation of complement. These glycolipids spontaneously insert into tumor cell membranes. The binding of anti-Gal to alpha-gal expressing tumor cells induces the destruction of treated lesions as in anti-Gal-mediated xenograft rejection. Anti-Gal further opsonizes tumor cells within the lesion and, thus, targets them for effective uptake by APC that transport the tumor Ags to draining lymph nodes. APC further cross-present immunogenic tumor Ag peptides and elicit a systemic anti-tumor immune response. Similar intratumoral injection of alpha-gal glycolipids in humans is likely to induce the destruction of treated lesions and elicit a protective immune response against micrometastases.

Profiling terminal N-acetyllactosamines of glycans on mammalian cells by an immuno-enzymatic assay

Profiling of carbohydrate structures on cell membranes has been difficult to perform because of the complexity and the variations of such structures on cell surface glycans. This study presents a novel method for rapid profiling of cell surface glycans for terminal N-acetyllactosamines (Galbeta1-(3)4GlcNAc-R) that are uncapped, capped with sialic acid as SA-Galbeta1-(3)4GlcNAc-R, or with alpha1,3galactosyls as the alpha-gal epitope- Galalpha1-3Galbeta1-(3)4GlcNAc-R. This method includes two enzymatic reactions: (1) Terminal sialic acid is removed by neuraminidase, and (2) alpha-gal epitopes are synthesized on the exposed N-acetyllactosamines by alpha1,3galactosyltransferase. Existing and de novo synthesized alpha-gal epitopes on cells are quantified by a modification of radioimmunoassay designated as "ELISA inhibition assay," which measures binding of the monoclonal anti-Gal antibody M86 to alpha-gal epitopes. This binding is proportional to the number of cell surface alpha-gal epitopes. The amount of free M86 antibody molecules remaining in the solution is determined by ELISA using synthetic alpha-gal epitopes linked to albumin as solid phase antigen. The number of alpha-gal epitopes on cells is estimated by comparing binding curves of M86 incubated with the assayed cells, at various concentrations of the cells, with the binding of M86 to rabbit red cells expressing 2 x 10(6) alpha-gal epitopes/cell. We could demonstrate large variations in the number of sialic acid capped N-acetyllactosamines, alpha-gal epitopes and uncapped N-acetyllactosamines on different mammalian red blood cells, and on nucleated cells originating from a given tissue in various species. This method may be useful for rapid identification of changes in glycosylation patterns in cells subjected to various treatments, or in various states of differentiation.

Genetic, phytochemical and biochemical analyses as tools for biodiversity evaluation of wild accessions of Solanum commersonii

Genetic fingerprint profiles, the type and content of glycoalkaloids (GAs) and hemagglutination (HAG) activity against red cells were analysed in accessions of Solanum commersonii, collected from different locations in the south of Uruguay. Thirty-nine accessions from 21 geographically distinct areas were studied. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis revealed a high degree of genetic diversity among the accessions used in the study and effectively discriminated among all of the accessions analysed. There was a very high diversity in the type as well as the concentration of GAs in the samples. Strong HAG activity against rabbit red cells was detected in all the S. commersonii tuber extracts analysed. Such activity was specifically inhibited by N, N′-diacetylchitobiose and N, N′, N″-triacetylchitotriose. Differences in the levels of specific HAG activities were found in the different extracts, which might indicate different levels of the lectin specific for N-acetylglucosamine (Glc-NAc) and its oligomers, in the tubers. It is shown that the three different approaches used in this work successfully discriminate between the accessions of this species and thus, they constitute interesting tools to analyse biodiversity within one species. In addition, they allow selection of those accessions with potential to be used in crop programs.

Screening for carbohydrate-binding proteins in extracts of Uruguayan plants.

The presence of carbohydrate-binding proteins, namely lectins, -galactosidases and amylases, was determined in aqueous extracts of plants collected in Uruguay. Twenty-six extracts were prepared from 15 Uruguayan plants belonging to 12 Phanerogam families. Among them, 18 extracts caused hemagglutination (HAG) that was inhibited by mono- and disaccharides in 13 cases, indicating the presence of lectins. The other 8 extracts did not cause any HAG with the four systems used to detect HAG activity (rabbit and mouse red cells, trypsin-treated rabbit and mouse red cells). For the extracts prepared from Solanum commersonii, HAG activity and HAG inhibition were similar for those prepared from tubers, leaves and fruits, with the chitocompounds being responsible for all the inhibitions. Purification of the S. commersonii tuber lectin was carried out by affinity chromatography on asialofetuin-Sepharose, and SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions gave a single band of Mr of approximately 80 kDa. The monomer N-acetylglucosamine did not inhibit HAG induced by the purified lectin, but chitobiose inhibited HAG at 24 mM and chitotriose inhibited it at 1 mM. -Galactosidase activity was detected in leaves and stems of Cayaponia martiana, and in seeds from Datura ferox. Only traces of amylase activity were detected in some of the extracts analyzed. The present screening increases knowledge about the occurrence of carbohydrate-binding proteins present in regional plants.

Red cell agglutination: the first description by Creite (1869) and further observations made by Landois (1875) and Landsteiner (1901).

Red cell agglutination: the first description by Creite (1869) and further observations made by Landois (1875) and Landsteiner (1901).

The cleavage site of C5 from man and animals as a common target for neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies: in vitro and in vivo studies.

The isolation of an anti-C5 single-chain fragment variable (scFv) antibody, TS-A12/22, from a human phage display library, is described. This antibody inhibits the activation of C5 and the assembly of the terminal complement complex implicated in cell and tissue damage. Using antibody-sensitized sheep erythrocytes and rabbit red cells as target cells in hemolytic assays, we found that TS-A12/22 inhibited the activation of C5 by the convertases of both classical and alternative pathways. Western blot analysis and competition experiments with synthetic peptides showed that TS-A12/22 reacted with the alpha chain of C5 and recognized the cleavage site of this complement component by the C5 convertase. As a result, the antibody prevented splitting of C5 and inhibited the generation of C5a and of the terminal complement complex. The identification of the TS-A12/22 recognition site as a conserved sequence in man, mouse, rat and rabbit enabled the demonstration of in vitro inhibition of complement activity in these species. The scFv TS-A12/22 was tested in a rat model of antigen-induced arthritis and proved to be effective in preventing influx of polymorphonuclear cells into the knee joint and C9 deposition on synovial tissue.

Genes coding for anti-Gal in knock-out mice for the α1,3Galactosyltransferase gene: analysis by hybridomas

THE interaction between the natural anti-Gal antibody and the a-gal epitope (Gala1-3Galb1-4GlcNAc-R) on xenograft cells results in rejection of the xenograft. Moreover, activity of anti-Gal increases by manyfold in xenograft recipients as a result of immune response to a-gal epitopes on the graft. This elicited anti-Gal greatly exacerbates xenograft rejection. A potential method for prevention of anti-Gal production in xenograft recipients is the treatment of such patients with anti-idiotype antibodies for anti-Gal. Such antibodies may neutralize anti-Gal and destroy cells capable of producing this antibody. To determine the possible diversity of such anti-idiotypes, the anti-Gal Ig genes have to be analyzed. As a first step, we studied the diversity of the immunoglobulin genes coding for this antibody in a1,3galactosyltransferase (a1,3GT) knock-out (KO) mice. These mice lack a-gal epitopes and are capable of producing large amounts of anti-Gal, upon immunization with xenograft cell membranes that express a-gal epitopes. Anti-Gal hybridomas were produced by fusion of splenocytes from KO mice, immunized with rabbit red cell membranes, with the mouse myeloma fusion partner X63.Ag.653. Hybridomas from several mice were screened for secretion of anti-Gal in ELISA with synthetic a-gal epitopes linked to BSA, as solid-phase antigen, as previously described. The specificity of these monoclonal antibodies was confirmed by demonstrating their specific binding to glycoproteins that express the a-gal epitope, such as mouse laminin and bovine thyroglobulin. Three hybridomas producing anti-Gal IgM were isolated, each from a different mouse. The Ig genes in these hybridomas were cloned and sequenced. All three anti-Gal clones contained heavy chain (VH) genes derived from the germline Ig gene VH22.1 and light chain (VL) genes derived from the germline Ig gene K5.1 (Table 1). These anti-Gal coding genes contained various somatic mutations in CDR1 and CDR2 regions. Some mutations were also found in frame work (FR) 2 and 3 regions. In addition, the CDR 3 regions differed significantly from one clone to the other. Interestingly, the sequences of the VL genes were much more conserved than those of the VH genes. Analysis of replacement (R) versus silent (S) mutations demonstrated a much higher proportion of R mutations in the CDR regions than in the FR regions (Table 1). Overall, these findings indicated that the Ig gene repertoire for anti-Gal is highly restricted in KO mice, and it consists primarily of one light and one heavy chain Ig genes. This limited repertoire is likely to reflect the structural