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airway hyper-responsiveness 28 alkaline phosphatase (AP)
Possible AIDS vaccine.
Alanyl-tRNA synthetase antibodies.
airway hyper-responsiveness
Airway narrowing induced by nonspecific stimuli in an
asthmatic person.
airway remodeling
The removal of superior layers of bronchial epithelium and
thickening of the submucosae as a consequence of collagen
deposition beneath the basement membrane in an asthmatic
patient.
alanyl-tRNA synthetase antibodies
Autoantibodies against the synthetases (histidyl-, threonyl-,
alanyl-, isoleucyl-, and glycyl-tRNA synthetases) have been
detected in some patients with polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis
(DM). Histidyl-tRNA synthetase (Jo-1) antibodies
are the most common (20 to 30% of patients with PM/DM).
albumin agglutinating antibody
An antibody that does not agglutinate erythrocytes in physiological
saline solution but does cause their aggregation in
30% bovine serum albumin (BSA). Antibodies with this
property have long been known as “incomplete antibodies”
and are of interest in red blood cell typing.
albumin, serum
The principal protein of human blood serum that is soluble
in water and in 50% saturated sodium sulfate. At pH 7.0, it
is negatively charged and migrates toward the anode during
electrophoresis. It is important in regulating osmotic
pressure and in the binding of anions. Serum albumin
(e.g., bovine serum albumin, BSA) is commonly used as an
immunogen in experimental immunology.
alefacept
An immunosuppressive agent that interferes with lymphocyte
activation by binding specifically to CD2 lymphocyte antigen
and inhibiting leukocyte function-associated antigen-3
(LFA-3)/CD2 interaction. Used to treat patients with
moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis. T lymphocyte
activation involving the interaction between LFA-3 on antigen-presenting
cells and CD2 on T lymphocytes is important
in chronic plaque psoriasis. Most T lymphocytes in psoriatic
lesions are memory effector cells with the CD45RO markers
that express activation markers CD25, CD69 and release
inflammatory cytokines such as interferon γ. Alefacept
leads to a decrease in CD2 + T lymphocyte subsets, mainly
CD45RO + . Treatment with alefacept leads to a decrease in
circulating total CD4 + and CD8 + T lymphocytes.
alemtuzumab
A humanized IgG 1 that contains a κ light chain that binds
to CD52 present on normal and malignant B and T lymphocytes,
NK cells, monocytes, macrophages, and a minor
population of granulocytes. It is approved for treatment of B
cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients who have failed
standard treatment. It diminishes leukemic and normal cells
by direct antibody-dependent lysis, leading to lymphopenia,
and sometimes neutropenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia.
Aleutian mink disease
A parvovirus-induced disease of minks and ferrets
associated with a polyclonal proliferation of B cells and
a significant elevation of gamma globulin in the blood. It
bears similarity both clinically and pathologically to human
systemic lupus erythematosus and polyarteritis nodosa.
The viscera reveal lymphocytes and plasma cells, and renal
glomeruli trap immune complexes that are also present in
small- and medium-sized arteries of the kidney, brain, and
heart. The immune deposits lead to inflammation, resulting
in glomerulonephritis, hepatitis, and arteritis, in addition to
the hypergammaglobulinemia.
alexine (or alexin)
Historical synonym for complement. Hans Buchner
(1850–1902) found that the bactericidal property of cell-free
serum was destroyed by heat. He named the active principle
alexine (which in Greek means to ward off or protect). Jules
Bordet (1870–1961) studied this thermolabile and nonspecific
principle in blood serum which induces the lysis of cells (e.g.,
bacterial cells) sensitized with specific antibody. Bordet and
Gengou went on to discover the complement fixation reaction.
(Bordet received the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1919.)
ALG
Abbreviation for antilymphocyte globulin.
alkaline phosphatase (AP)
A Zn 2+ metalloenzyme present in many living organisms.
In humans, it consists of three tissue-specific
isozymes encoded by three separate genes. The separate
forms of AP are detectable in intestine, placenta, kidney,
bone, and liver. They are glycoproteins comprised