We have observed that malignant melanoma cells produce a soluble protein factor(s), which down-regulates melanocyte lineage Melan-A/MART-1 Ag expression by melanoma cells with concomitant loss of recognition by Melan-A/MART-1-specific T cells. This down-modulation of Melan-A/MART-1 expression, which we refer to as “Ag silencing,” is mediated via its minimal promoter, whereas the promoter for the restricting Ag-presenting HLA-A2 molecule is not affected. Significantly, this Ag silencing is reversible, as removal of factor-containing supernatants from Melan-A/MART-1-expressing cells results in up-regulation of the promoter for the gene encoding this Ag, and renewed expression of the protein. We have evaluated over 20 known factors, none of which accounts for the Ag-silencing activity of the melanoma cell culture supernatants. The existence of this autocrine pathway provides an additional novel explanation for melanoma tumor progression in vivo in the presence of CTL specific for this melanocyte lineage Ag. These observations may have important implications for Melan-A/MART-1-specific CTL-mediated immunotherapy of melanoma tumors.

4Complexes containing lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and three outer membrane proteins (OMPs) are released by gram-negative bacteria incubated in human serum and into the circulation in an experimental model of sepsis. The same OMPs are bound by immunoglobulin G (IgG) in the cross-protective antiserum raised to Escherichia coli J5 (anti-J5 IgG). This study was performed to identify the three OMPs. The 35-kDa OMP was identified as outer membrane protein A (OmpA) by immunoblotting studies using OmpA-deficient bacteria and recombinant OmpA protein. The 18-kDa OMP was identified as peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein (PAL) based on peptide sequences from the purified protein and immunoblotting studies using PAL-deficient bacteria. The 5-to 9-kDa OMP was identified as murein lipoprotein (MLP) based on immunoblotting studies using MLPdeficient bacteria. The studies identify the OMPs released into human serum and into the circulation in an experimental model of sepsis as OmpA, PAL, and MLP.Bacterial cell wall components released into the bloodstream are believed to be important in the pathogenesis of gram-negative sepsis. Although prior investigators have reported that bacteria release lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into serum (62, 63) and into the circulation (4,18,56,66), the full composition of released bacterial products has not been established. Very little is known about release of non-LPS gramnegative outer membrane components such as outer membrane proteins (OMPs) in sepsis. Fragments containing LPS, OmpA, and another faintly staining protein, of 17 kDa, were affinity purified from filtrates of human serum incubated with Salmonella enterica serovar Abortus equi bacteria using Ochain-specific anti-LPS immunoglobulin G (IgG) (20). Similarly, we have affinity purified complexes containing LPS and at least three OMPs, with estimated molecular masses of 35, 18, and 5 to 9 kDa, from filtrates of normal human serum incubated with Escherichia coli bacteria, using O-chain-specific anti-LPS IgG (29,30).Previous studies indicated that passive and active immunity directed to rough mutant bacteria such as S. enterica serovar Minnesota Re595 and E. coli J5 protect in experimental and clinical gram-negative sepsis (1,5,11,42,43,68). Protection has been attributed to antibodies directed to conserved core components of LPS (lipid A and core oligosaccharide). However, it has been difficult to prove that antisera to rough strains of bacteria contain cross-reactive anti-lipid A or anti-core oligosaccharide IgGs (15, 57), and the exact mechanism of protection remains unclear and controversial.We have demonstrated that IgG in antiserum raised to heatkilled E. coli J5 (J5 antiserum) binds to the same three gramnegative bacterial OMPs that are released into serum in the OMP-LPS complexes described above (30). OMP-LPS complexes are also released into the bloodstream of burned rats with E. coli O18K ϩ sepsis (29). In addition, at least one OMP, with an estimated molecular mass of 18 kDa, is released from bacteria separately from the OMP-LPS comple...

Prior studies indicate that 3 bacterial outer-membrane proteins (OMPs) are released into serum associated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and are bound by IgG in antiserum to Escherichia coli J5 (anti-J5 IgG). The present studies analyzed the interaction of the OMPs with anti-J5 IgG and evaluated their release in an infected burn model of gram-negative sepsis. Affinity purification studies were performed on filtrates of bacteria incubated in human serum and plasma from rats with sepsis by use of O chain-specific anti-LPS IgG and anti-J5 IgG. All 3 OMPs were captured from septic rat blood by anti-LPS IgG. Release of OMPs into serum was highest for immature bacterial cultures and was increased by antibiotics in vitro and in vivo. Anti-J5 IgG selectively captured an 18-kDa OMP released into serum and into plasma from septic rats. The results raise the possibility that anti-J5 IgG may, in part, protect via anti-OMP antibodies.

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