Department of microbiology and molecular genetics
Faculty profile
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Giuseppe A. Molinaro 11021 Campus Street |
- MD - Universita'di Napoli, Italy, 1960
- Assistant professor - department of microbiology, University of Illinois Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 1973-78
- Visiting investigator - Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, 1978-81
- Current research interests
- Recent publications
- Teaching
Termination of immune responses
Lately, my interest has focused on the termination of T cell responses. Some years ago, others and we found that anti-MHC monoclonal antibodies (mAb) inhibit the activation of T cells as effectively as polyclonal antibodies. Graduate Student Dean Lee* and I revisited and reinterpreted this finding. In summary, we treated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with mAb to MHC class II molecules. When tested for mitochondrial metabolism, the adherent cells from the mAb-treated PBMC showed a dose-dependent increase in activity that was not due to cell proliferation. When PBMC were cultured with an anti-CD3 mAb (OKT3) in two chambers separated by a membrane, and the PBMC in one chamber were treated with solid phase anti-class II mAb, the proliferation of PBMC in the other chamber was inhibited. PBMC treated with both mAb showed greater DNA fragmentation than untreated PBMC, when tested for apoptosis by agarose gel electrophoresis, When the double mAb-treated PBMC were examined by the TUNEL method and by electron microscopy, apoptotic T lymphocytes were found within multinucleated giant cells. Thus, ligation of MHC class II molecules stimulates monocytes to increase their mitochondrial activity, to induce apoptosis of activated T lymphocytes, and to phagocytize the apoptotic cells. A TCR-mediated ligation of MHC on APC may downregulate normal immune responses. Clinically, an antibody-mediated ligation of MHC on APC could downregulate autoimmune and allograft responses.
* On July 1, 2000, Dean A. Lee, a graduate of the MD-PhD program, will start a three-year fellowship in the hematology-oncology department of the Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor University, Houston, TX.
Click on the 
symbol beside the reference to read the corresponding abstract.
G. A. Molinaro and W. C. Eby. Epitope mapping by immunodiffusion. In Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 66: Epitope Mapping Protocols, Edited by: G.E. Morris. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ, pages 39-46, 1996.
Molinaro, G. A., Glotz, D. and Zanetti, M. Early ontogeny of rheumatoid factor antibodies. Characterization of a murine neonatal hybridoma autoantibody to IgG1 in BALB/c Mice. Autoimmunity, 4:9-19, 1989.
Bui, H. D., Molinaro, G. A., Kettering, J. D., Heiner, D. C., Imagawa, D. T. and St. Geme, J. W. Virus-specific IgE and IgG4 antibodies in serum of children infected with respiratory syncytial virus. J. Pediatrics 110:87-90, 1987.
Molinaro, G. A., Eby, W. C. and Reimer, C. A monoclonal antibody may show cross-reactivities in Ouchterlony assays but not in other assays. J. Immunol. Meth. 96:219-224, 1987.
Molinaro, G. A., Eby, W. C., Molinaro, C. A., Bartolomew, R. M. and David, G. Two monoclonal antibodies to two different epitopes of human growth hormone form a precipitin line when counterdiffused as soluble immune complexes. Molecular Immunology 21: 771-774, 1984.
Molinaro, G. A., and Eby, W. C. One antigen may form two precipitin lines and two spurs when tested with two monoclonal antibodies by gel diffusion assays. Molecular Immunology 21:181-184, 1984.
Molinaro, G. A., Eby, W. C. and Molinaro, C. A. The reverse plaque-forming cell assay. Methods in Enzymology 73:326-338, 1981.
Molinaro, G. A., Eby W. C. and Molinaro, C. A. Antigen quantitation by a reverse hemolytic assay. Methods in Enzymology 73:319-326, 1981.
Molinaro, G. A., Maron, E., Eby, W. C. and Dray, S. A general method for enumerating single cells secreting antigen: albumin-secreting hepatocytes detected as plaque-forming cells. Eur. J. Immunol. 5:771-774, 1975.
Molinaro, G. A., Maron, E. and Dray, S. Antigen secreting cells. Enumeration of immunoglobulin allotype secreting cells in nonimmunized rabbits using hybrid antibody-coated erythrocytes in a reverse hemolytic plaque assay. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci, USA 71:1229-1233, 1974.
Molinaro, G. A. and Dray, S. Antibody-coated erythrocytes as a manifold probe for antigens. Nature 248:515-517, 1974.
MICR 530 Introduction to graduate immunology, 4 units, lecturer
MICR 546 Advanced Immunology, 3 units, lecturer
MICR 604 Seminar in Microbiology, coordinator
MICR 511 Medical Microbiology Techniques for groups of medical students, facilitator
MABS Medical Applications of Basic Sciences for small groups of medical students, facilitator
School of Medicine - Graduate School - Loma Linda University
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