BACKGROUND:: Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a key cell surface receptor which recognizes lipopolysaccharide that leads to activation of innate immune system. Association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TLR4 gene with the inflammatory bowel disease is influenced by ethnicity of the study population. GOAL:: To study association of SNPs ...

: Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) plays a major role in the tissue-damaging immune response in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). The tissue concentration of TNF-α is related to the activity of "A Disintegrin And Metalloprotease" (ADAMs), enzymes that process membrane-bound TNF-α and liberate the TNF-α trimer into the extracellular environment. ...

Microglial nodules in the normal-appearing white matter have been suggested as the earliest stage(s) of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesion formation. Such nodules are characterized by an absence of leukocyte infiltration, astrogliosis or demyelination, and may develop into active demyelinating MS lesions. Although the etiology of MS is still not known, ...

Fanconi anemia (FA) patients have an increased risk of acute GVHD (aGVHD) after hematopoietic SCT, with hypersensitivity to DNA-cross-linking agents and defective DNA repair. MicroRNA-34 and p53 can induce apoptosis after DNA damage.Here we assessed epithelial cell apoptosis, and studied TP53 and miR-34a expression in the skin and gut biopsies ...

According to the recent 2012 Chapel Hill Consensus Conference, ANCA-associated vasculitis is classified in the group of small vessel vasculitis. Pauci-immune necrotizing crescentic glomerulonephritis is the morphological hallmark of ANCA-associated vasculitis. Crescentic damage of the glomerular tuft is characterized by macrophage accumulation through vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) activation. Macrophages ...

Idiopathic chronic diarrhea (ICD) is a leading cause of morbidity amongst rhesus monkeys kept in captivity. Here, we show that exposure of affected animals to the whipworm Trichuris trichiura led to clinical improvement in fecal consistency, accompanied by weight gain, in four out of the five treated monkeys. By flow ...

Vancomycin has been shown to affect tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) pathways as an immunomodulator; this is thought to be separate from its function as an antibiotic [1]. Previous studies have shown that oral vancomycin (OV) is an effective treatment for concomitant primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) ...

Acute rejection of a small-bowel transplant is often difficult to diagnose due to complicated immune responses. The present study aimed to elucidate the specific immune responses involved in intestinal transplant rejection. We correlated immunohistologic findings with an increase in crypt apoptosis, which has been commonly accepted as a criterion for ...

Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathies (IMNMs) are now well recognized among the so-called idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs), which also comprise dermatomyositis (DM), polymyositis (PM), sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) and non-specific myositis. All of these conditions are defined on the basis of distinct clinical symptoms, in combination with results derived from muscle ...

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic inflammatory cholangiopathy that results in fibrotic strictures and dilations of the intra- and extrahepatic bile ducts. PSC is uncommon, occurs predominantly in males and has a strong association with inflammatory bowel disease. While the pathogenesis of PSC has not been fully elucidated, emerging ...

The authors report a case of immune reconstitution uveitis induced by cytomegalovirus retinitis with subsequent development of vitreoretinal traction and a resultant retinal tear.

The pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has not been fully understood yet. Eosinophils (Eo) are one type of the major proinflammatory cells of the chronic inflammation in the intestine. CD98 is involved in the pathogenesis of a number of inflammations. This study aims to elucidate the role of CD98(+) ...

We showed previously that calcineurin B subunit (CnB) could inhibit S180 solid tumor growth in mice and prolong the survival of mice bearing H22 ascites tumors, but the underlying antitumor mechanism remained unclear. Here, we report that the calcineurin B subunit binds to CD11b on RAW264.7 macrophages and induces TRAIL ...

Toll like receptors (TLRs) function as pattern-reorganization receptors in mammals and play an essential role in innate immunity. After recognizing certain ligands, TLRs activate a cascade of signal pathways to establish a guard environment. Here for the first time, we report that in vitro treatment of recombinant calcineurin subunit B ...

BACKGROUND: The expression of the two types of ferritin subunits, the H-subunit and L-subunit, has been shown to be differentially regulated by cytokines. The primary aim of the present study was to quantitatively measure the expression of the H-subunit and L-subunit of ferritin in bone marrow macrophages and cells of ...

RSV (respiratory syncytial virus)-induced pneumonia and bronchiolitis may be associated with hyperresponsive conditions, including asthma. Eosinophilic proteins such as MBP (major basic protein) may also be associated with the pathophysiology of asthma. To elucidate the roles of RSV infection and MBP in the pathogenesis of pneumonia with hyperresponsiveness, we investigated ...

Malaria is a global tropical disease causing more than 1 million deaths and 300 million clinical cases every year. It is caused by parasites from the genus Plasmodium and is transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. Approximately 3 billion people live in malaria-endemic regions and a majority of them are infected. In ...

Most studies on E1-deleted adenovirus (Ad) vectors as vaccine carriers for antigens of HIV-1 have focused on induction of central immune responses, although stimulation of mucosal immunity at the genital tract (GT), the primary port of entry of HIV-1, would also be highly desirable. In this study, different immunization protocols ...

Filarial nematodes down-regulate the host immune response to establish infection by inducing IL-10-mediated T-cell suppression.Abundant larval transcript (ALT) proteins are of major interest as they are expressed abundantly in the L3 stage, implicated in protective immunity and may play a role in immune evasion. The T-cell epitopes of BmALT-2 and ...

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the primary cause of serious lower respiratory tract illness in infants and young children worldwide. The mechanism is largely unknown. RSV stimulates airway epithelial cells and resident leukocytes to release cytokines. Cytokines and chemokines involved in host response to RSV infection are thought to play ...

COVER IMAGE: The cover image of this issue shows a dendritic cell with an engaged T cell during homeostatic contact, as captured by confocal miscroscopy; the staining represents F-actin (green), the phosphotyrosine signal (blue) and CD3 (red). The image was kindly provided by Storim et al. (pp. 2741-2750) whose study ...

Most studies on E1-deleted adenovirus (Ad) vectors as vaccine carriers for antigens of HIV-1 have focused on induction of central immune responses, although stimulation of mucosal immunity at the genital tract (GT), the primary port of entry of HIV-1, would also be highly desirable. In this study, different immunization protocols ...

Severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection has long been associated with an increased risk for the development of childhood asthma and exacerbations of this disorder. Despite much research into the induction of Th2 responses by allergens and helminths, the factors associated with viral infection that predispose to Th2-regulated asthma remain ...

Heat shock proteins (Hsps) of the HSP60 and HSP70 family are highly conserved and essential to all living organisms. Hsps are immunodominant in numerous microbial infections and have been investigated for their vaccine potential. We investigated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of GroEL and DnaK of B. anthracis in murine ...

Intracranial (i.c.) lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection of mice results in T cell-driven anorexia and weight loss, which is diminished in males compared to females. We investigated sex-specific effects on antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and T cells after i.c. LCMV infection. Numbers of LCMV-specific T cells, APC activation, and levels of ...

Development of bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue has been suggested to enhance local antiviral immune responses; however, ectopic lymph node formation often corresponds to chronic inflammatory diseases. These studies investigated the role of ectopic pulmonary lymph nodes upon respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection using CCR7-deficient mice, which develop bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue early ...

ΔNp63, the N-terminal truncated isoform of p63, has been found to be overexpressed in several human epithelial cancers, including nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPCs), suggesting a function in carcinogenesis. Trans-resveratrol (RSV) has been shown to exert proapoptotic activities through a p53-dependent or p53-independent pathway in various cancer cells. However, the effects of ...

Indian rhesus macaques infected with the Rev-independent live-attenuated SIVmac239 strains control viremia to undetectable levels, have persistent but low cellular and humoral anti-SIV responses, and show no signs of immune deficiency. To analyze the immune mechanisms responsible for viral control, five macaques infected at day 1 after birth were subjected ...

The costimulatory receptor CD28 and IL-4Ralpha containing cytokine receptors play key roles in controlling the size and quality of pathogen-specific immune responses. Thus, CD28-mediated costimulation is needed for effective primary T-cell expansion and for the generation and activation of regulatory T-cells (Treg cells), which protect from immunopathology. Similarly, IL-4Ralpha signals ...

Nonintegrating lentiviral vectors are being developed as a efficient and safe delivery system for both gene therapy and vaccine purposes. Several reports have demonstrated that a single immunization with integration-defective lentiviral vectors (IDLVs) delivering viral or tumor model antigens in mice was able to elicit broad and long-lasting specific immune ...

T cells are likely to play an important role in the host defense against Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, the causative agent of typhoid fever. We have shown that HLA-E can function as a restriction element for S. Typhi-specific CD8(+) T cells. Because of the potential importance of HLA-E-restricted CD8(+) responses ...

The response to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), negative strand ssRNA virus, depends upon the ability to recognize specific pathogen-associated targets. In the current study, the role of TLR7 that recognizes ssRNA was examined. Using TLR7(-/-) mice, we found that the response to RSV infection in the lung was more pathogenic ...

Eimeria spp. are the causative agents of coccidiosis, a major disease affecting the poultry industry. A recombinant non-antibiotic Escherichia coli that expresses the Eimeria tenella SO7 gene was constructed and its protective efficacy against homologous infection in chickens was determined. The three-day-old chickens were orally immunized with the recombinant non-antibiotic ...

To determine whether cytokines and T-cell subsets other than Th1 cells contribute to secondary immune responses against Francisella species, we investigated production of Th17-associated cytokines IL-17 and IL-22 in a recall response to Francisella tularensis. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from volunteers previously immunized with the F. tularensis live vaccine ...

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) causes varicella (chicken pox) and establishes latency in ganglia, from where it reactivates to cause herpes zoster (shingles), which is often followed by postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), causing severe neuropathic pain that can last for years after the rash. Despite the major impact of herpes zoster and PHN ...

Regulatory CD4(+) T cells have been shown to be important in limiting immune responses, but their role in respiratory viral infections has received little attention. Here we observed that following respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, CD4(+) Foxp3(+) CD25(+) natural regulatory T-cell numbers increased in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, lung, mediastinal ...

Immune responses and the components of protective immunity following norovirus infection in humans are poorly understood. Although antibody responses following norovirus infection have been partially characterized, T cell responses in humans remain largely undefined. In contrast, T cells have been shown to be essential for viral clearance of mouse norovirus ...

The number of memory CD8 T cells generated by infection or vaccination correlates strongly with the degree of protection observed in infection and tumor models. Therefore, rapid induction of protective numbers of effector and memory CD8 T cells may be crucial in the case of malignancy, pandemic infection, or bioterrorism. ...

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is a rare disease of the larynx caused by infection with human papillomaviruses (HPV) -6 or -11, associated with significant morbidity and on occasion mortality. Here we summarize our current understanding of the permissive adaptive and innate responses made by patients with RRP that support chronic ...

Targeting of proteins to APCs is an attractive strategy for eliciting adaptive immune responses. However, the relationship between the choice of the targeted receptor and the quality and quantity of responses remains poorly understood. We describe a strategy for expression of Ags including hydrophobic proteins as soluble fusion proteins that ...

Development of inhibitory antibodies to factor VIII (FVIII) provides a major complication of replacement therapy in patients with haemophilia A. The risk of inhibitor formation is influenced by the underlying FVIII gene defect. Moreover, genetic determinants in the promoter region of IL-10 and TNFalpha have been linked to an increased ...

Interleukin (IL)-21, a cytokine mostly produced by activated CD4+ T cells, has been reported to play an important role in the tissue-damaging immune response in various organs. This pathogenic effect is strictly linked to the ability of IL-21 to control the functional activities of multiple immune and non-immune cells. For ...

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a ubiquitous respiratory virus that causes serious lower respiratory tract disease in infants and young children worldwide. Studies have shown that RSV infection modulates chemokine expression patterns, suggesting that particular cytokine expression profiles may be indicators of disease severity. In this study, we show ...

Black flies are known to be vectors of pathogens including Onchocerca volvulus, which causes human onchocerciasis, and Vesicular Stomatitis Virus. Their salivary secretion has been shown to contain a complex cocktail of anti-haemostatic factors and immunomodulatory activities, which may contribute to efficient transmission of the pathogens. Black fly salivary gland ...

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of childhood viral bronchiolitis and lung injury. Inflammatory responses significantly contribute to lung pathologies during RSV infections and bronchiolitis but the exact mechanisms have not been completely defined. The double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR) functions to inhibit viral replication and participates ...

Chemokines are important mediators of the immune response to pathogens, but can also promote chronic inflammatory states. Chemokine receptor 6 (CCR6) is found on immature DC and effector/memory T cells, and binds a single ligand, CCL20, with high affinity. Here, we investigated the role of CCL20 and CCR6 in a ...

Although mucosal CD8(+) T-cell responses are important in combating mucosal infections, the generation of such immune responses by vaccination remains problematic. In the present study, we evaluated the ability of plasmid DNA to induce local and systemic antigen-specific CD8(+) T-cell responses after pulmonary administration. We show that the pulmonary delivery ...

A CD8(+) T-cell response is critical for protection against Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection. However, the factors responsible for the generation of CD8(+) T-cell immunity during E. cuniculi infection and the cytokines involved in this process have not been identified. In the present study, we demonstrated that p40-deficient animals, which are unable ...

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the main cause of bronchiolitis, the major cause of hospitalization of infants. An ideal RSV vaccine would be effective for neonates, but the immune responses of infants differ markedly from those of adults, often showing a bias toward T-helper 2 (Th2) responses and reduced gamma ...

We previously demonstrated that a single dose of nonadjuvanted intranasal gamma-irradiated influenza A virus can provide robust protection in mice against both homologous and heterosubtypic challenges, including challenge with an H5N1 avian virus strain. We investigated the mechanism behind the observed cross-protection to define which arms of the adaptive immune ...