ACT-5 is an essential Caenorhabditis elegans actin required for intestinal microvilli formation.

Investigation of Caenorhabditis elegans act-5 gene function revealed that intestinal microvillus formation requires a specific actin isoform. ACT-5 is the most diverged of the five C. elegans actins, sharing only 93% identity with the other four.

[The content of interleukin-1 beta in the blood serum of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis].

The enzyme immunoassay determined serum levels of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) in 35 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 18 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. In high activity of both SLE and RA as well as in the presence of fever, anemia, marked skin vasculitis IL-1 beta rose high, still higher levels being reported in patients with erosive joints compared to those in RA patients with initial stage of RA. Lower IL-1 beta content often marked nephropathy in both the diseases.

Interleukin-1 and tumour necrosis factor production by human monocytoid cells: study on a single cell level.

Human IL-1 beta and TNF alpha production by normal and transformed monocytoid cells was studied using biological assays, cytokine specific ELISA and by immunocytochemical methods on a single cell level. Quiescent human blood monocytes and cultured in vitro transformed human monocytoid cell lines U-937, THP-1 and HL-60 did not contain IL-1 beta and TNF alpha in their cytoplasm. IL-1 beta synthesis and secretion was induced by LPS stimulation in nearly 90% monocytes, 15-20% U-937, 3-5% THP-1 and in no HL-60 cells.

Purification and characterization of the immunostimulatory properties of recombinant human interleukin-1 beta.

In this study we have used a new method for human recombinant IL-1 beta (rIL-1 beta) purification and investigated its immunostimulatory biological activity. The IL-1 beta gene was cloned using a novel mRNA preparation from activated human blood monocytes. The purification protocol consists of extraction and two chromatographic steps using the new Soloza cation exchange resin.

[Interleukin-1-like factor from human B-lymphocytes transformed by the Epstein-Barr virus].

The NC-37, EBV-transformed human B-lymphoblastoid cell line spontaneously produces interleukin (IL)-1-like factor, which is able to stimulate proliferation of mouse thymocytes and human fibroblasts. The IL-1-like factor production can be enhanced by prodigiozan and by the conditioned medium of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The NC-37 cells have a membrane-associated form of IL-1-like factor also.