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Infection with schistosomes results in a CD4 T cell-mediated inflammatory reaction against parasite eggs that varies greatly in magnitude both in humans as well as in mice. In the murine disease, the severe form of immunopathology correlates with high levels of IL-17. We now report that live schistosome eggs stimulate dendritic cells from high pathology-prone CBA mice to produce IL-12p40, IL-6, and TGF-beta, whereas those from low pathology-prone BL/6 mice only make TGF-beta. Moreover, egg-stimulated dendritic cells plus naive CD4 T cells from CBA mice resulted in increased levels of IL-6, IL-23, IL-1beta, as well as IL-17 and the chemokines CXCL1, CXCL2, and CCL2, whereas similarly treated BL/6 cell cocultures instead expressed higher IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, and the transcription factor Foxp3. Neutralization of IL-23 and IL-1, but not of IL-6 or IL-21, profoundly inhibited egg-induced IL-17 production in the CBA cocultures. Conversely, stimulation with schistosome eggs in the presence of exogenous IL-23 and IL-1beta induced BL/6 cells to make IL-17. These findings identify IL-23 and IL-1 as critical host factors that drive IL-17 production, and suggest that parasite recognition followed by a genetically determined innate proinflammatory response induces the development of Th17 cells and thus controls the outcome of immunopathology in schistosomiasis.

Structural analysis of purified IgG kappa h and IgG kappa n molecules of DA myeloma paraproteins indicated that the two IgG had different electrophoretic mobility and that L-kappa h had an unusually heavy m.w. (30,000). Peptide mapping showed the existence of additional peptides in the L-kappa h map when compared to the L-kappa n map. Total amino acid analysis showed that L-kappa h contained two additional cysteine residues and certain other amino acids than L-kappa n contained. Sequence of the first 25 NH2-terminal amino acids showed differences at positions 4, 5, 15, 18, and 21, but both L-kappa h and L-kappa n belong to the same V kappa IV subgroup. IgG kappa n but not IgG kappa h reacted with anti-gamma 1 antiserum, indicating that H chains of these two paraproteins were also different. Sera from rabbits immunized with IgG kappa n or IgG kappa h, and rendered specific for idiotypic determinants by appropriate absorption, were used for idiotype characterization of these components. Immunodiffusion, immunoelectrophoresis, and direct hemagglutination demonstrated that IgG kappa h and IgG kappa n cross-reacted partially. Inhibition tests disclosed that the main anti-idiotypic antibody was directed against a conformation structure of the complete IgG kappa h molecule, whereas cross-reaction was due to partial idiotypic similarity between H chains of the IgG kappa h and IgG kappa n. In addition, each of these paraproteins seemed also to bear private idiotypes on their H and L chains.

Two apparently homogeneous electrophoretic bands were found in the serum of a patient (DA) with multiple myeloma. These M-components were identified as IgA-lambda and IgG-kappa paraproteins bearing different idiotypic determinants. Further analysis of the L chains showed that the lambda-chain was homogeneous but the kappa-chain could be separated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis into two different bands. Both of them were associated with gamma-chains but one (termed kappa n) had normal m.w. (24,500) whereas the other (termed kappa h) was larger (m.w. 30,000). Sugar content of the two DA IgG, as determined by anthrone reaction, was similar in DA IgG kappa n (0.73%) and in DA IgG kappa h (1.1%), clearly demonstrating that the difference in m.w. was not due to a large sugar chain. Furthermore, the peptide map of the kappa h chain included nine peptides absent in those of four other control kappa-chains. Sequence analysis showed that the first 25 N-terminal amino acids of the kappa n differed from those of the kappa h chain at positions 4, 5, 15, 18, and 21. Thus the two kappa-chains had different framework regions.