SUMMARY REPORTS OF EXCHANGE SCIENTISTS

1) KIYOSHI TAKATSU,
Department of Oncogenesis, Institute for Cancer Research, Osaka University Medical School 1-1-50 Fukushima, Fukushima-ku, Osaka 553

Host Institution:
Prof. Ralph A. Reisfeld, Department of Molecular Immunology, Scripps Clinic & Research Foundation
Dr. Martin E. Dorf, Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School Prof. Christopher Henney, Immunology Branch, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Dates of Visit:
January 7 through January11, 1980, Dr. Dorf Harvard Medical School (Boston)
January 14 through January 26, 1980, Prof. Reisfeld, Scripps Clinic & Research Foundation (La Jolla) January 29 through February 5, 1980, Prof. Henney, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (Seattle)

Summary of Activities:

  1. Exchanging information and discussing about recent progress of tumor immunology and basic immunology with a lot of outstanding scientists was very valuable.
  2. I was given a chance to make a seminar at each institution. This encouraged me and will be helpful for my future work
  3. I have learned purification methods of tumor associated transplantation antigens (TSTA) including other surface protein.
  4. I have carried out isolation and characterization of tumor surface antigens.

Overall Assessment of the Program:

  1. The program assisted in achieving my research objectives.
    1. Learning basic methods how to handle membrane surface protein including TSTA.
    2. Exchanging informations.
    3. Very valuable alloantisera such as anti-Lyt, anti-Ia, anti-HLA and anti-Qa-1 antisera were given by Dr. Greene, Dr. Ferrone and Dr. Stanton, respectively.
  2. I plan to continue my collaborative work with several peoples; exchanging samples and discussing each other about results with respect to soluble mediators which is required for primary in vitro induction of killer T cells
  3. I think that my efforts have contributed to the progress of the NCI-Japan Cancer Program in the following points
    1. exchanged information concerned about applicability of immunotherapy model employing immunization of PPD-coated tumor cells to cancer patients.
    2. will make a collaborative work including sample exchange.


2) MASUO OBINATA,
Cancer Institute, Dept. of Viral Oncology 1-37-1 Kami-ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170, JAPAN

Host Institution:
Dr. Arthur W. Nienhuis, Chief, Clinical Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, Md 20014 U.S.A.
Dates of Visit: Feb. 11-14, San Diego, The 4th Annual Symposium on the Molecular Basis of Cell-Cell Interaction
Feb. 15-Mar. 7, Dr. A. W. Nienhuis, (N.I.H.)
Mar. 8, Dr. S. Sassa, (Rockefeller University)
Mar. 11, Dr. W. E. Hahn, (University of Colorado)
Mar. 12-14, Dr. B. J. McCarthy, (University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center)

Summary of Activities:
We have coordinated to examine the active and inactive conformation of specific genes in chromatin by means of selective digestion by deoxyribonuclease I.
This method can be applied to several differentiated and cancer cells to determine the characterization of cells.
In Dr. Nienhuis’ laboratory, it has been reported that DNase I selectively digested the actively transcribed adult !!!-globin genes as well as the potentially active fetal!!!-globin genes in chromatin from sheep erythroblast cells. In our laboratory in Japan, we have cloned mouse fetal y-globin gene and studied on the expression of this gene in cultured Friend leukemia cells, showing that y-globin gene does not express in this cell. We wanted to examine whether fetal y-globin gene is active in its chromatin conformation in Friend leukemia cells by DNase I digestion.
During my visit to Dr. Nienhuis’ laboratory, with collaboration with Dr. R. Croissant, we developed more sensitive method for the DNase I digestion of specific globin genes by Southern’s blotting technique.
In Japan, I will continue to apply this sensitive method to cultured Friend leukemia cells using y-globin gene probe.



3) YOSHIO NOGUCHI,
Information Sciences Division, Electrotechmical Laboratory, Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, M.I.T.I.
1-1-4, Umezono, Sakura-mura, Ibaraki-ken 305

Host Institution:
Judith M. S. Prewitt, Ph.D., Division of Computer Research and Technology National Institutes of Health
Dates of Visit: From November 11, 1979 till February 9, 1980 (91 days)