A radioimmunoassay procedure is described for the detection of cholera toxin and its component polypeptide chains. Cholera toxin, A subunit, B subunit, a chain, and y chain were iodinated by the chloramine T procedure. Radiolabeling did not significantly alter the polyacrylamide electrophoretic migration patterns of the toxin or its components. Moreover, radiolabeled toxin, B subunit, and a chain preparations retained substantial ability to bind to intestinal mucosal homogenates. The minimal amount of antitoxin detectable with radiolabeled toxin was 0.04 antitoxin units/ml. Substitution of radiolabeled B subunit, A subunit, and a chain for radiolabeled toxin decreased the sensitivity of the test. Radiolabeled y chain did not bind to the antitoxin preparation. Competitive inhibition studies, with titrated anti-choleragen serum and radiolabeled toxin or components, indicated that the minimum concentration of toxin detectable was the reaction between antitoxin with the toxin and/or its component polypeptide chains. Preliminary reports of immunological studies assumed the A and B subunits were antigenically 621 on July 31, 2020 by guest http://iai.asm.org/ Downloaded from

Selected rabbit antisera to cholera toxin antigens and convalescent cholera patient sera were analyzed using the permeability factor neutralization test and two sensitive in vitro serological assays specific for cholera toxin, cholera toxin A subunit, and cholera toxin B subunit. The results indicated that antisera to cholera toxin contained toxin-neutralizing activity as well as antibodies specific for both the A subunit and B subunit. It was clearly established that antisera to B subunit, devoid of significant anti-A subunit activity, neutralized the vascular permeability activity of cholera toxin. Antisera to A subunit contained neutralizing antibodies and antibodies to both A and B subunits. Absorption with B subunit removed both the toxin-neutralizing and anti-B subunit activities, while the anti-A activity was unaffected. Neutralizing antibody titers of rabbits immunized with B subunit were also observed to be significantly higher than neutralizing antibody titers of sera from A subunit-immunized rabbits, despite the overall similarity in anti-B subunit titers as determined by passive hemagglutination and radioimmunoassay of sera from the two groups of rabbits. Anti-α chain sera neither neutralized cholera toxin nor possessed significant antitoxin or anti-B subunit titers as determined by passive hemagglutination and radioimmunoassay. The anti-α chain sera contained high levels of antibody specific for A subunit, which is consistent with the hypothesis that the α chain is part of the A subunit structure. In contrast, the γ chain was not shown to be antigenic. Sera from convalescent cholera patients possessed toxin-neutralizing antibody as well as passive hemagglutination and radioimmunoassay antibody against both A and B subunits.

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We have studied the effect of exogenous porcine pancreatic polypeptide (PP; 0.8 and 2.1 microgram/kg . h, iv) on endogenously stimulated pancreatic exocrine secretion in five pancreatic-fistula dogs. Plasma levels of cholecystokinin (CCK), secretin, and PP were measured in addition to pancreatic secretion of water, bicarbonate, and protein. Intraduodenal infusions of acid and a mixture of phenylalanine and tryptophan were used to stimulate hormone release. PP caused a dose-dependent inhibition of endogenously stimulated pancreatic secretion, whereas the release of CCK and secretin was not affected. Duodenal acidification and intraduodenal infusion of phenylalanine and tryptophan caused a significant release of PP. This study shows that: 1) PP suppresses pancreatic secretion by means of a mechanism that is probably direct; this effect is not mediated through inhibition of release of CCK or secretin, and 2) phenylalanine and tryptophan, both strong stimulants of CCK release, cause a substantial rise in PP in peripheral blood. The mechanism of PP release may involve CCK (in previous studies, we have shown a rise in circulating PP levels after iv CCK infusion).

Concentrations of pancreatic polypeptide (PP) in peripheral blood were measured before, during, and after infusions of graded doses of synthetic human gastrin I (SHG-I), cholecystokinin 99% pure (CCK-99%), CCK octapeptide (CCK-OP), and pure natural porcine secretin in six dogs with gastric and duodenal fistulas. Studies were repeated after truncal vagotomy. Significant increases in concentrations of PP were found with 1 microgram . kg-1 . h-1 of SHG-I, 0.25 and 1.0 microgram . kg-1 . h-1 of CCK-99%, and 0.06 and 0.25 micrograms . kg-1 . h-1 of CCK-OP. Significant increases persisted after vagotomy, except at the lower dose of CCK-OP. Postvagotomy responses were significantly less than prevagotomy, except at the higher doses of CCK-99% and CCK-OP. Pure secretin did not change concentrations of PP in blood before or after vagotomy. The most potent stimulant for PP release on a molar basis was CCI-99%, followed by CCK-OP and SHG-I. The results suggest that cholinergic and humoral agents of the gastrin-cholecystokinin family interact in the normal physiological response of PP to food and that, in dogs, CCK-like peptides are more potent than gastrin.