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Although a Chinese landrace of barley, Mokusekko 3, is completely resistant to all strains of Barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV) and Barley mild mosaic virus (BaMMV), and is known to have at least two resistant genes, rym1 and rym5, only rym5 has been utilized for BaYMV resistant barley breeding in Japan. In order to clarify the effect of rym1 on BaYMV and BaMMV, and to utilize the gene for resistant barley breeding, the susceptibilities of only rym1 carrying breeding lines against BaYMV and BaMMV were investigated. In the assessment of resistance to BaYMV-I, 341 F2 populations derived from a cross between the resistant line Y4 with only rym1 and the susceptible cv Haruna Nijo shows that the segregation loosely fits a 1R:3S ratio (0.05 > P > 0.01), suggesting that the resistance is controlled by a single recessive gene, rym1. Further, none of the F3 lines derived from the nine resistant F2 plants showed any disease symptoms in the field infected by BaYMV-I. The same nine F3 lines showed almost the same agronomic characters in the field infected by BaYMV-III as those in the uninfected field, apart from the symptom of showing numerous mosaics. This result indicates that the gene rym1 has an acceptable level of resistance to BaYMV-III. In the assessment of resistance to BaYMV-II, BaMMV-Ka1 and -Na1, an artificial infection method was adopted and the susceptibilities to those viruses were investigated. Although the control varieties, Ko A and Haruna Nijo, were infected with all of them, the rym1 gene carrying BC2F3 lines were completely resistant to all strains. In summary, rym1 is completely resistant to BaYMV-I, -II, BaMMV-Ka1 and -Na1, and has an acceptable level of resistance to BaYMV-III. This study concludes with a discussion of the reason why the important resistance gene rym1 was eliminated along with resistant cultivars during breeding for resistance to BaYMV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complete nucleotide sequence of RNA-2 from a Japanese isolate IP of broad bean wilt virus (BBWV) was determined. The sequence encodes a single large polyprotein, which contains a putative movement protein and two coat proteins (CPs). The 3′-terminal sequences of RNA-2 were also determined for three other Japanese isolates and two ATCC isolates (PV132 and PV176) of BBWV. The CPs of the four Japanese isolates share 86.8–98.0% amino acid sequences homology with one another and 88.3–96.5% with those reported for the isolate PV131 (BBWV-2). However, they have only 57.9–66.2% homology with those of PV132 and PV176 (BBWV-1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice necrosis mosaic virus (RNMV) has physico-chemical and biological properties typical of the Bymovirus genus. However, to date no sequence data has been reported for RNMV. In this paper we report the use of a PCR primer, designed from an area of high homology between bymoviruses and related macluraviruses within the NIb gene, which generated a 1.4kb fragment from the 3' terminal region of RNA 1 of RNMV. The sequence data generated from this region confirmed the classification of RNMV as a member of the Bymovirus genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complete sequences of wheat yellow mosaic bymovirus (WYMV) RNA1 and RNA2 were determined. RNA1 is 7 636 nucleotides long [excluding the 3′-poly(A)], and codes for a 269 kDa polyprotein of 2 404 amino acids which contains the capsid protein (CP) at the C terminus and seven putative non-structural proteins. RNA2 is 3 659 nucleotides long and codes for a polyprotein of 904 amino acids which contains a 28 kDa putative proteinase and a 73 kDa polypeptide. These functional proteins are arranged as in RNA1 and RNA2 of barley yellow mosaic bymovirus (BaYMV). Comparisons with the sequence reported for the 3′ half of RNA1 of wheat spindle streak mosaic bymovirus (WSSMV) from Southern France show that WYMV and WSSMV have a similar genetic organization. However, WYMV and WSSMV share only 77% amino acid sequence identity in their deduced CPs in spite of their close serological relationship, and 74% nucleotide sequence identity in their 3′ non-coding regions. Thus, the sequence data indicate that WYMV and WSSMV are not strains of the same virus, which has long been suggested, but are distinct virus species within the genus Bymovirus of the family Potyviridae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 5′-terminal half of RNA 1 and whole of RNA 2 of barley mild mosaic bymovirus Na1 strain (BaMMV-Na1) were sequenced to give together with the published data its complete genomic sequence. BaMMV-Na1 RNA 1 and RNA 2 consist of 7 263 and 3 516 nucleotides, excluding the 3′ poly A tails, respectively. RNA 1 encodes a single large polyprotein of 2 258 amino acids (M 256 K), containing eight putative functional proteins, and RNA 2 also encodes one polyprotein of 891 amino acids (M 98 K), containing two functional proteins. These functional proteins are arranged in the same manner as in RNA 1 and RNA 2 of barley yellow mosaic bymovirus (BaYMV), and significant amino acid sequence homology (25-58%) exists between the proteins of the two viruses. The BaMMV-Na1 proteins show less amino acid sequence homology (18-32%) with the corresponding proteins of potyviruses or rymoviruses than with those of Ba YMV. Comparisons of the BaMMV-Na1 proteins with the corresponding proteins of other partially sequenced BaMMV isolates show 87-98% amino acid sequence identity. There is 91-94% nucleotide sequence identity between the 3′ non-coding regions (NCRs) in RNA 1 or RNA 2 of BaMMV-Na1 and other BaMMV isolates, but only 68-72% identity between the 5′ NCRs in RNA 2 of BaMMV-Na1 and other BaMMV isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The DNA complementary to the 3′-terminal 1 404 nucleotides [excluding the poly(A) tail] of papaya leaf-distortion mosaic potyvirus (PLDMV) RNA was cloned and sequenced. The sequence starts within a long open reading frame (ORF) of 1 195 nucleotides and is followed by a 3′ non-coding region of 209 nucleotides. Capsid protein (CP) is encoded at the 3′ terminus of the ORF. The CP contains 293 residues and has a M of 33 277. The CP of PLDMV exhibits 49 to 59% sequence similarity at the amino acid level to the CPs of papaya ringspot potyvirus (PRSV) and other potyviruses. This result is consistent with the absence of a serological relationship between PLDMV and PRSV or other potyviruses. The results support the assignment of PLDMV as a distinct member of the genus Potyvirus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective was to study the significance and the mechanism of action of elastase from polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN elastase) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The experiments conducted consisted of two phases. Firstly, articular cartilage and synovia from 8 patients with RA undergoing total knee replacement were obtained, and the gelatinolytic enzyme activity was extracted with 2M guanidine hydrochloride. The gelatinolytic activity of each tissue was measured to confirm that the activity was due to PMN elastase by using an antihuman leukocyte elastase antibody. Secondly, the levels of PMN elastase-α1 proteinase inhibitor complex (EIC) in the blood and synovial fluid of 170 patients with RA were measured by immunoassay. The results were as follows: 1. Gelatinolitic activity was shown to be mainly due to PMN elastase, and found to be highest in cartilage and synovia in RA joints. 2. The EIC levels in plasma of RA patients were significantly higher than those in gout and osteoarthritis (OA), and the EIC levels increased according to the stage of articular cartilage destruction. Moreover, the EIC levels in synovial fluid of RA patients were higher compared to those of OA patients. The activity of PMN elastase was elevated in destructive joints of RA. With the progression of articular cartilage destruction, EIC levels in plasma of RA patients increased as well. We suggest that PMN elastase may play a significant role in RA disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expression of a series of adhesion molecules (the integrin family, the immunoglobulin superfamily, CD44 and the selection family) on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from RA patients was investigated by flow-cytometry. L-Selectin (CD62L) in the selectin family was more significantly expressed on PBMC from RA patients as compared to those from normal controls. Further, RA patients exhibited a slight but significant increase of VLA-α2 (CDw49b), p150,95 (CD11c), and VNR-β (CD61) in the integrin family. The enhanced expression of L-selectin was positively correlated with disease activity. An increase in the proportion of L-selectinCD4 cells in PBMC from patients with RA and its clinical significance is reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both interleukin 1α (IL-1α) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) stimulated the production of interleukin 8 (IL-8) by synovial cells in time and dose dependent manners. Enhanced chemotactic activity of polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) in culture supernatants of synovial cells was neutralized with anti-IL-8 antibody, thus showing synovial cells to be capable of secreting IL-8 which may contribute to PMN accumulation in rheumatoid inflamed joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In peripheral blood and synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), increased levels of Ia antigen-positive (Ia+) T cells have been demonstrated. Therefore, we examined these Ia+ T cells in vitro to identify their role in the production of rheumatoid factor (RF) and to study the immunologic abnormalities of RA. When Ia+ T cells from peripheral blood of RA patients were added to pokeweed mitogen (PWM)-non-stimulated autologous B cells, the amount of IgM-RF production was 25.8±6.4 (mean±SE) ( p<0.001) as compared to 16.0±4.6 ng/ml (mean±SE) in the presence of Ia T cells. When Ia OKT4+ cell fractions, obtained by excluding Ia+ T cells from OKT4+ cells, were added to B cells, the increase in IgM-RF production was markedly lower than that obtained with the OKT4+ cell fraction. These results indicate that the helper T cells which induce the production of IgM-RF may derive from the Ia+ OKT4+ cell fraction. B cells from rheumatoid synovial fluid produced IgM-RF levels as high as 102.7±19.2 ng/ml (mean±SE) even without stimulation. When T cells from autologous synovial fluid were added, IgM-RF production was not increased. These data suggest that B cells from RA synovial fluid had already been activated. When synovial fluid T cells were added to B cells from autologous peripheral blood, larger amounts of IgM-RF were produced as compared to experiments in which T cells from peripheral blood were added, suggesting that T cells from synovial fluid induce an enhanced IgM-RF production by B cells. The presence or absence of Ia antigen on the surface of synovial fluid T cells did not affect the level of IgM-RF production. Our results indicate that Ia+ T cells from the peripheral blood of RA patients induce the production of IgM-RF by autologous B cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]