The defective membrane expression of the adhesive protein family (LFA-1, Mo1 and p150,93) on leukocytes from certain patients with recurrent bacterial infections was shown to be secondary to the absence of synthesis of mature beta chain that is common to all three antigens (Springer et al., 1984, Lisowska-Grospierre et al., 1986). In all patients, studies of beta-chain biosynthesis that lead to this conclusion were performed using the monoclonal anti-beta chain antibody to isolate the beta subunit. Since this antibody detects the mature form of beta chain only, the potential presence of a precursor or of an abnormal beta chain in the patient's cells could not be tested. The availability of the polyclonal antibody to the purified beta subunit allowed us to re-examine the biosynthesis of the LFA-1 subunits in 3 affected children. In all 3 patients, the absence of membrane expression of the LFA-1, CR3 and p150,95 proteins was confirmed. The LFA-1 alpha-chain precursor of 170 kDa was detected in the lysates of PHA blasts of two children, but was not detected in the third. The beta-chain precursor of 85 kDa was isolated by the polyclonal anti-beta chain antiserum from the cytoplasm of phytohemagglutinin and Epstein-Barr virus-induced blasts of one patient. The same antibody precipitated some peptides of smaller mol. wt. from the cell lysates of 2 other patients. These results suggest that in this disorder the membrane nonexpression of the adhesive proteins is probably due to the structural abnormality of beta chain which, although synthesized, is rapidly degradated.

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