Search results for "Allergy"

Neuronal nitric oxide synthase modulates maturation of human dendritic cells.

2010

AbstractDendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent APCs of the immune system. Understanding the intercellular and intracellular signaling processes that lead to DC maturation is critical for determining how these cells initiate T cell-mediated immune processes. NO synthesized by the inducible NO synthase (iNOS) is important for the function of murine DCs. In our study, we investigated the regulation of the arginine/NO-system in human monocyte-derived DCs. Maturation of DCs induced by inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF, IL-6, and PGE2) resulted in a pronounced expression of neuronal NOS (nNOS) but only minimal levels of iNOS and endothelial NOS were detected in human mature DCs. In addition, …

Mycoplasma fermentans-derived lipid inhibits class II major histocompatibility complex expression without mediation by interleukin-6, interleukin-10,…

1996

Mycoplasma cause several diseases in man and animals. Some strains can chronically infect humans, leading to fever or inflammatory syndromes such as arthritis, particularly in immunosuppressed patients. A set of pathogenicity factors shared by many mollicutes may be membrane components that activate macrophages to secrete cytokines and other inflammatory mediators. Mycoplasma-derived high molecular weight material (MDHM) is a macrophage-activating amphiphilic lipid which was purified from Mycoplasma fermentans. We studied the influence of MDHM on the expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules by mouse resident peritoneal macrophages with an ELISA. Highly purifie…

Immature, but not inactive: the tolerogenic function of immature dendritic cells.

2002

The induction of antigen-specific T cell tolerance and its maintenance in the periphery is critical for the prevention of autoimmunity. Recent evidence shows that dendritic cells (DC) not only initiate T cell responses, but are also involved in silencing of T cell immune responses. The functional activities of DC are mainly dependent on their state of activation and differentiation, that is, terminally differentiated mature DC can efficiently induce the development of T effector cells, whereas immature DC are involved in maintenance of peripheral tolerance. The means by which immature DC maintain peripheral tolerance are not entirely clear, however, their functions include the induction of …

Identification of HLA-A*0201-Restricted T Cell Epitopes Derived from the Novel Overexpressed Tumor Antigen Calcium-Activated Chloride Channel 2

2002

Abstract Vaccination against tumor Ags may become a promising treatment modality especially in cancer types where other therapeutic approaches fail. However, diversity of tumors requires that a multitude of Ags become available. Differential expression in normal vs cancerous tissues, both at the mRNA and the protein level, may identify Ag candidates. We have previously compared transcripts from squamous cell lung cancer and normal lung tissue using differential display analysis, and found a transcript that was overexpressed in malignant cells and was identical with the calcium-activated chloride channel 2 (CLCA2) gene. We have now selected HLA-A2-restricted peptides from CLCA2, and have gen…

Dendritic cells as a tool to induce anergic and regulatory T cells

2001

Abstract The induction of antigen-specific T-cell tolerance in the thymus and its maintenance in the periphery is crucial for the prevention of autoimmunity. As well as their stimulatory functions, there is growing evidence that dendritic cells, acting as professional antigen-presenting cells, also maintain and regulate T-cell tolerance in the periphery. This control function is exerted by certain maturation stages and subsets of different ontogeny, and can be influenced by immunomodulatory agents. What is the current state of knowledge of the ‘immunoregulatory' properties of dendritic cells and how might tolerance-inducing dendritic cells be relevant to therapeutic applications in humans?

Uptake of Leishmania major by dendritic cells is mediated by Fcγ receptors and facilitates acquisition of protective immunity

2006

Uptake of Leishmania major by dendritic cells (DCs) results in activation and interleukin (IL)-12 release. Infected DCs efficiently stimulate CD4- and CD8- T cells and vaccinate against leishmaniasis. In contrast, complement receptor 3-dependent phagocytosis of L. major by macrophages (MPhi) leads exclusively to MHC class II-restricted antigen presentation to primed, but not naive, T cells, and no IL-12 production. Herein, we demonstrate that uptake of L. major by DCs required parasite-reactive immunoglobulin (Ig)G and involved FcgammaRI and FcgammaRIII. In vivo, DC infiltration of L. major-infected skin lesions coincided with the appearance of antibodies in sera. Skin of infected B cell-de…

Immune ambivalence: The schizophrenic bleomycin.

2013

In addition to cytotoxic effects, anticancer agents can exert multiple immunomodulatory functions. We have recently described the molecular mechanisms whereby bleomycin can 1) promote endoplasmic reticulum stress, causing the immunogenic death of cancer cells and hence strengthening antitumor CD8+ T cell responses; and 2) induce the secretion of transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), which stimulates regulatory T cells. This suggests that bleomycin may be favorably combined with TGFβ-targeting strategies.

Sources and functional significance of IL-6 in shaping autoreactive T cell responses in the peripheral immune compartment and the CNS

2014

Quantitation of antigen-reactive T cells in peripheral blood by IFNgamma-ELISPOT assay and chromium-release assay: a four-centre comparative trial

2000

The ELISPOT assay is increasingly being used for the monitoring of the induction of antigen-reactive T cells in cancer vaccination trials. In order to evaluate the reliability of T cell frequency analysis with the ELISPOT assay, a comparative study was performed in four European laboratories. Six samples from healthy subjects were analyzed for the frequency of influenza-reactive CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by IFNgamma-ELISPOT assay. In addition, one laboratory determined cytotoxic T cell precursor (CTL) frequencies in these samples by limiting dilution chromium-release assay (LDA), and three laboratories performed a variant of the LDA, the multiple microculture…

Identification of T cell epitopes by the use of rapidly generated mRNA fragments.

2004

Abstract Although the number of defined T cell epitopes of clinically relevant antigens is constantly increasing, there is still an enormous need to identify further peptides, processed from new antigens or presented by rare HLA molecules, respectively. Here we introduce a novel two-step approach for the rapid identification of T cell epitopes. It was established in the CMV infection model. From the peripheral blood of healthy donors sharing HLA-A1 according to HLA serotyping we isolated CD8 + T lymphocytes and generated dendritic cells (DCs). DCs were electroporated with CMV pp65 mRNA and tested for recognition by autologous CD8 + T lymphocytes in IFN-γ ELISPOT assays. In all 10 CMV-seropo…