The cancer-testis antigen, NY-ESO-1, has been engineered into a bacterial expression plasmid which incorporates a His6-tag. The plasmid was transfected into E. coli strain BL21 and Master and Working cell banks generated from this expression system. Three 15-litre fermentations were performed under cGMP (code of Good Manufacturing Practice) conditions and the crude NY-ESO-1 tagged protein isolated as solubilised inclusion bodies. A three-step cGMP chromatography process (immobilised metal affinity, anion exchange, and hydrophobic interaction) was utilised to purify the protein. The purified NY-ESO-1 is being used in early stage human cancer vaccine trials in Australia and the U.S.A.

Circulating T-lymphocyte subpopulations were enumerated in 65 patients with histoplasmosis and correlated with the different clinical manifestations of the disease. Acute pulmonary histoplasmosis, rheumatologic, disseminated, and chronic inflammatory manifestations of histoplasmosis were all associated with a significant elevation above normal of OKT8+ (suppressor-cytotoxic) lymphocytes and a significantly lower than normal OKT4+ (helper-inducer)-lymphocyte to OKT8+-lymphocyte ratio. In contrast, cavitary disease was associated with an increase in OKT4+ lymphocytes, a decrease in OKT8+ lymphocytes, and a higher than normal OKT4/OKT8 ratio. Clinical recovery was associated with normalization of these values. Functional activity determined by coculture techniques correlated closely with T-lymphocyte subset measurements. These distinct subset abnormalities may help monitor immunological aspects of disease activity.

Combined with current advances in microprocessor-controlled flow cytometers, monoclonal antibodies provide a rapid means of phenotyping individual cell surface markers for a large number of clinical samples accurately and reproducibly, which may provide useful information in diagnosing disease and monitoring patients. We have developed a one-step flow-cytometric immunofluorescence procedure for enumerating E-rosette lymphocytes from whole blood by using the monoclonal antibody OKT11. This antibody recognizes the sheep erythrocyte receptor on the lymphocyte surface and can block sheep E-rosette formation. The flow cytometer we use, an Ortho Spectrum III, distinguishes lymphocytes from other leukocytes by measuring the narrow forward and right-angle light-scattering properties of the cells. The instrument further differentiates T lymphocytes frm non-T lymphocytes by measuring the green fluorescence signal of the OKT11-positive lymphocytes. In a typical sample, 1500--2500 lymphocytes are counted in 25 s. In a study of 158 patient samples, ranging from 1% to greater than 90% E-rosette-positive lymphocytes, the correlation coefficient between the manual E-rosette count and the flow immunofluorescence measurement is 0.943.

Lymphocyte proliferative responses to mitogens and herpes virus antigens are diminished during cytomegalovirus (CMV) mononucleosis. We analyzed peripheral blood T lymphocytes from patients in the acute and convalescent phases of CMV mononucleosis using monoclonal antibodies directed against the T helper and the T cytotoxic-suppressor cell subsets. Acute CMV infection is associated with a reversal in the normal ratio of helper to suppressor T lymphocytes with relative and absolute decreases in T helper cells and corresponding increases in T suppressor cells. These alterations in T lymphocyte subsets are accompanied by diminished lymphocyte responses to the mitogen concanavalin A (Con A). During convalescence, helper T lymphocytes increase, suppressor T lymphocytes decrease, and Con A responses return to normal.

Monoclonal antibody OKT11 was found to compete with sheep red blood cells for binding sites on human lymphocytes. Preincubation of lymphocytes with OKT11 eliminated E-rosette formation. In a study of 142 peripheral blood samples ranging from 1% to over 90% E-rosette- positive cells, comparison to the percent OKT11-positive cells yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.93. In normal donors, subsets of OKT11+ cells were identified using two-color immunofluorescent staining methods with OKT3, OKT4, and OKT8. On the average, approximately 13% of OKT11+ lymphocytes were OKT3- and 13% of OKT11+ lymphocytes were OKT4- and OKT8-. Based on our double antibody fluorescence intensity data, low antigen density OKT11+ lymphocytes were OKT3-. OKT4+ and OKT8+ lymphocytes in normal peripheral lymphocytes have similar OKT11 antigen density.