title: Spontaneous and drug induced concanavalin A capping of neutrophils from human infants and their mothers.
abstract: We investigated concanavalin A capping that occurred either spontaneously (neutrophils incubated only with buffer) or was drug induced (neutrophils with colchicine or diamide) using neutrophils obtained from the blood of newborn infants and their mothers. A greater proportion of infant and maternal neutrophils than controls formed caps spontaneously (P less than 0.01). The percent of capped neutrophils (mean +/- S.E.) for 24 infants and their mothers was 23 +/- 3 and 39 +/- 4, respectively, versus 13 +/- 2 for 26 controls. Spontaneous capping was significantly decreased when neutrophils were incubated with catalase and superoxide dismutase to suggest that it was related, at least in part, to oxidation. Drug-induced capping of infant and maternal neutrophils was decreased when compared to controls (P less than 0.05). Colchicine increased capping of control neutrophils 11.76-fold above the spontaneous value, whereas capping of infant and maternal cells was increased only 2.35- and 1.65-fold. Corresponding values for diamide were 11.94-, 2.27, and 2.49-fold for control, infant, and maternal neutrophils, respectively. Many cellular processes are involved in capping, and the mechanisms responsible for aberrant capping of infant neutrophils remain undefined. However, this is another property that distinguishes infant neutrophils from those of older individuals.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003078:Colchicine / Q000494:pharmacology; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000276:immunology; D003958:Diamide / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007152:Immunologic Capping / Q000187:drug effects; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D003958:Diamide; D003208:Concanavalin A; D003078:Colchicine