Fyn is a Src family protein-tyrosine kinase functionally associated with the T-cell antigen receptor (TcR)/ CD3 receptor complex. We have demonstrated earlier that the TcR/CD3-induced activation of Fyn results in tyrosine phosphorylation of several Fyn-associated proteins, including a protein of 116 kDa. In this report, we identify the Fyn-associated 116-kDa phosphoprotein (p116) as c-Cbl. The identity of p116 has been demonstrated by its specific reactivity with anti-Cbl and similarity of phosphopeptides generated by V8 proteolysis of phospho-Cbl and p116. We demonstrate here that the association of Fyn and c-Cbl is direct and does not require the presence of other proteins. We also demonstrate that Fyn is the Src family kinase that preferentially interacts with c-Cbl in T cells. The fraction of c-Cbl capable of coprecipitating with Fyn is increased by TcR/ CD3 ligation. This increase is likely due to the involvement of Fyn SH2 in the interactions between Fyn and tyrosine-phosphorylated c-Cbl.

We describe a simple and convenient enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of apoptosis in tissue culture. An early event in apoptosis is DNA fragmentation followed by release of nucleosomes into the cytoplasm. Our sandwich assay uses a pair of monoclonal antibodies specific for two nucleosomal epitopes to capture and detect cytoplasmic nucleosomes onto the ELISA plate. Our assay is about 500 times more sensitive than the detection of apoptotic DNA ladder by agarose electrophoresis and is especially suited for the testing of large numbers of samples.

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A significant proportion of brain tissue specimens from children with AIDS show evidence of vascular inflammation in the form of transmural and/or perivascular mononuclear-cell infiltrates at autopsy. Previous studies have shown that in contrast to inflammatory lesions observed in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) encephalitis, in which monocytes/macrophages are the prevailing mononuclear cells, these infiltrates consist mostly of lymphocytes. Perivascular mononuclear-cell infiltrates were found in brain tissue specimens collected at autopsy from five of six children with AIDS and consisted of CD3+ T cells and equal or greater proportions of CD68+ monocytes/macrophages. Transmural (including endothelial) mononuclear-cell infiltrates were evident in one patient and comprised predominantly CD3+ T cells and small or, in certain vessels, approximately equal proportions of CD68+monocytes/macrophages. There was a clear preponderance of CD3+ CD8+ T cells on the endothelial side of transmural infiltrates. In active lesions of transmural vasculitis, CD3+ T-cell infiltrates exhibited a distinctive zonal distribution. The majority of CD3+ cells were also CD8+ and CD45RO+. Scattered perivascular monocytes/macrophages in foci of florid vasculitis were immunoreactive for the p24 core protein. In contrast to the perivascular space, the intervening brain neuropil was dominated by monocytes/macrophages, microglia, and reactive astrocytes, containing only scant CD3+ CD8+ cells. Five of six patients showed evidence of calcific vasculopathy, but only two exhibited HIV-1 encephalitis. One patient had multiple subacute cerebral and brainstem infarcts associated with a widespread, fulminant mononuclear-cell vasculitis. A second patient had an old brain infarct associated with fibrointimal thickening of large leptomeningeal vessels. These infiltrating CD3+ T cells may be responsible for HIV-1-associated CNS vasculitis and vasculopathy and for endothelial-cell injury and the opening of the blood-brain barrier in children with AIDS.