Subdominant H60 antigen-specific CD8 T-cell response precedes dominant H4 antigen-specific response during the initial phase of allogenic skin graft rejection

In allogeneic transplantation, including the B6 anti-BALB.B settings, H60 and H4 are two representative dominant minor histocompatibility antigens that induce strong CD8 T-cell responses. With different distribution patterns, H60 expression is restricted to hematopoietic cells, whereas H4 is ubiquitously expressed. H60-specific CD8 T-cell response has been known to be dominant in most cases of B6 anti-BALB.B allo-responses, except in the case of skin transplantation. To understand the mechanism underlying the subdominance of H60 during allogeneic skin transplantation, we investigated the dynamics of the H60-specific CD8 T cells in B6 mice transplanted with allogeneic BALB.B tail skin. Unexpectedly, longitudinal bioluminescence imaging and flow cytometric analyses revealed that H60-specific CD8 T cells were not always subdominant to H4-specific cells but instead showed a brief dominance before the H4 response became predominant. H60-specific CD8 T cells could expand in the draining lymph node and migrate to the BALB.B allografts, indicating their active participation in the anti-BALB.B allo-response. Enhancing the frequencies of H60-reactive CD8 T cells prior to skin transplantation reversed the immune hierarchy between H60 and H4. Additionally, H60 became predominant when antigen presentation was limited to the direct pathway. However, when antigen presentation was restricted to the indirect pathway, the expansion of H60-specific CD8 T cells was limited, whereas H4-specific CD8 T cells expanded significantly, suggesting that the temporary immunodominance and eventual subdominance of H60 could be due to their reliance on the direct antigen presentation pathway. These results enhance our understanding of the immunodominance phenomenon following allogeneic tissue transplantation.     

Association between the microbiomes of tonsil and saliva samples isolated from pediatric patients subjected to tonsillectomy for the treatment of tonsillar hyperplasia

Oral microbes have the capacity to spread throughout the gastrointestinal system and are strongly associated with multiple diseases. Given that tonsils are located between the oral cavity and the laryngopharynx at the gateway of the alimentary and respiratory tracts, tonsillar tissue may also be affected by microbiota from both the oral cavity (saliva) and the alimentary tract. Here, we analyzed the distribution and association of the microbial communities in the saliva and tonsils of Korean children subjected to tonsillectomy because of tonsil hyperplasia (n = 29). The microbiome profiles of saliva and tonsils were established via 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Based on the alpha diversity indices, the microbial communities of the two groups showed high similarities. According to Spearman’s ranking correlation analysis, the distribution of Treponema, the causative bacterium of periodontitis, in saliva and tonsils was found to have a significant positive correlation. Two representative microbes, Prevotella in saliva and Alloprevotella in tonsils, were negatively correlated, while Treponema 2 showed a strong positive correlation between saliva and tonsils. Taken together, strong similarities in the microbial communities of the tonsils and saliva are evident in terms of diversity and composition. The saliva microbiome is expected to significantly affect the tonsil microbiome. Furthermore, we suggest that our study creates an opportunity for tonsillar microbiome research to facilitate the development of novel microbiome-based therapeutic strategies.Subject terms: Comparative genomics, Metagenomics     

Efficient microwave induced direct α-halogenation of carbonyl compounds

A novel and direct method for the synthesis of α-halocarbonyl compounds using sequential treatment of carbonyl compounds with [hydroxy(tosyloxy)iodo]benzene followed by magnesium halides under solvent-free microwave irradiation conditions is described.     

WKB Wave Function of the General Time-Dependent Quadratic Hamiltonian System

We derived the WKB wave function for the general time-dependent quadratic Hamiltonian system using a unitary transformation method. We applied our research to sinusodially drived Caldirola–Kanai oscillator and confirmed that the time evolution of our approximated WKB wave function is similar to that of the exact one. This wave function can be used to analyze the interference between the probability amplitudes contributed by the area of overlap in phase space of quantum states.     

Development in Synthesis,Electrochemistry, LB Moieties of Phenothiazine Based Units

A convenient and higher yielding synthetic route to N‐alkyl‐bis(thiophene)phenothiazine derivatives is reported and their aggregation, electrochemical properties and polymerization are characterized. The key step in the synthesis of this group of compounds has been the Stille type coupling reaction between the N‐alkyldibromophenothiazine and tin derivatives of thiophene as the best way for preparation of conjugated N‐alkylphenothiazine derivatives. For this group of compounds we also present an electrochemical polymerization effect and widely adopted approach to prepare structurally ordered thin, electroconducting films by Langmuir–Blodgett technique.     

Temperature coefficient of NH chemical shifts of thioamides and amides in relation to structure

NH chemical shift temperature coefficients have been measured in a large series of N-substituted-3-piperidinethiopropionamides in which the NN distances are short but of varied length, as well as in a couple of the corresponding amides and in some simpler amides and thioamides. Geometries are calculated by means of ab initio DFT methods. The N-substituted-3-piperidinethiopropionamides show in most cases strong intramolecular N–HN hydrogen bonds according to IR spectra and ab initio calculations. For compounds with rather short NN distances the S=C–N–H moiety is non-planar. Dihedral angles as small as 160° are found. The NH chemical shift coefficients measured in non-polar solvents in all the N-substituted-3-piperidinethiopropionamides are more negative (−8 to −17 ppb/K) than in non-hydrogen bonded thioamides. For the latter in non-polar solvents like CDCl₃ and toluene the temperature coefficients are as small as −1 to −4 ppb/K. The large negative effects can be related not only to the non-planarity of the thioamide group in a way that the more pronounced the non-planarity the more negative the temperature coefficients, but also to strong hydrogen bonding and the fact that the acceptor is a nitrogen. For similar amides with non-planar amide groups and nitrogen acceptor large negative temperature coefficients are likewise seen. In polar solvents like DMF the effects in simple thioamides are uniform and close to −6 ppb/K, whereas in the more complex compound like 4p(t) the temperature coefficient is close to 0. An essential feature of measuring temperature coefficients of compounds without strong intramolecular hydrogen bonds in non-polar solvents and at low temperatures is to keep the concentration low enough to avoid dimerisation.     

Preparation and characterization of acrylic‐based black particles of poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) by dispersion polymerization for electrophoretic displays

Ultrafine black particles, ranging in diameter from 1 to 3 μm, were prepared by dispersion polymerization in a methanol/water mixture with vinyl monomers, nonpolymerizable Sudan black B dyes, and fluorescein isothiocyanate labeled charge control additives. Both the ratio of the methanol to the water dispersion medium and the polymeric stabilizer concentration had significant effects on the particle size. The important role of the stabilizer concentration lay in the particle formation step, during which it determined the particle stability and final particle size. These could affect the extent of the aggregation of nuclei by changing the adsorption rate of the stabilizer and the viscosity of the dispersion medium, resulting in smaller particles. The fluorescent‐labeled charge control additives strongly affected the electrophoretic mobility. A small concentration of fluorescent‐labeled charge control additives increased the electrophoretic mobility. However, a further addition reduced the electrophoretic mobility of the polymer particles. The concentration dependence of the fluorescent‐labeled charge control additives on the deposition behavior in the polymer particles was successfully imaged and thereafter quantified by image analysis. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5608–5616, 2004