Search results for "Unity"

Interferon-beta: a therapeutic for autoimmune lupus in MRL-Faslpr mice.

2005

Type I interferons are associated with lupus. Genes that are regulated by IFN-alpha are upregulated in pediatric lupus patients. Gene deletion of the IFN-alpha/beta receptor in experimental lupus-like NZB mice results in reduced disease activity. Conversely, IFN-beta is a well-established treatment in multiple sclerosis, another autoimmune disease. For determining whether IFN-beta treatment is harmful or beneficial in lupus, MRL-Fas(lpr) mice were injected with this type I IFN. Treatment was initiated in MRL-Fas(lpr) mice with mild and advanced disease. IFN-beta was highly effective in prolonging survival and ameliorating the clinical (renal function, proteinuria, splenomegaly, and skin les…

Immune Modulating Effects of NKT Cells in a Physiologically Low Dose Leishmania major Infection Model after αGalCer Analog PBS57 Stimulation

2014

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection affecting ∼12 million people worldwide, mostly in developing countries. Treatment options are limited and no effective vaccines exist to date. Natural Killer T (NKT) cells are a conserved innate-like lymphocyte population with immunomodulating effects in various settings. A number of reports state a role of NKT cells in different models of Leishmania infection. Here, we investigated the effect of NKT cells in a physiologically relevant, intradermal low dose infection model. After inoculation of 103 infectious-stage L. major, comparable numbers of skin-immigrating NKT cells in both susceptible BALB/c mice and resistant C57BL/6 mice were noted. Compared …

A protective role for interleukin 18 in interferon γ-mediated innate immunity to Cryptosporidium parvum that is independent of natural killer cells.

2012

Innate immunity against some intracellular parasitic protozoa involves interleukin 18 (IL-18)-mediated interferon γ (IFN-γ) production by natural killer (NK) cells, but the role of IL-18 in innate resistance to Cryptosporidium infection is unknown. Adult Rag2(-/-)γc(-/-) mice that lack NK cells, T cells, and B cells demonstrated resistance to Cryptosporidium parvum infection that was IFN-γ dependent. Treatment with anti-IL-18-neutralizing antibodies resulted in loss of resistance correlating with reduced intestinal IFN-γ expression. Intestinal mature IL-18 expression increased in vivo during infection and also in the intestinal epithelial cell line CMT-93 following combined IFN-γ treatment/…

2014

TGF- β is a highly pleiotropic cytokine and a well-known suppressor of inflammatory T cells. Dysregulation in TGF- β function is associated with multiple pathological phenomenons including tumor cell growth, fibrosis and autoimmunity. GARP (glycoprotein A repetitions predominant) is an activation maker on human regulatory T cells (Treg) which is known to modulate the bioavailability of TGF- β . To address the cell-independent regulatory capacity of GARP we generated a soluble GARP protein (sGARP). Interestingly, T cells cultured in presence of sGARP showed SMAD2/3 phosphorylation similar to TGF- β treated T cells. In addition, sGARP function was inhibited by blockade of TGF- β -signaling, s…

T cell–mediated response to SARS‐CoV‐2 in liver transplant recipients with prior COVID‐19

2021

Abstract Whether immunosuppression impairs severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2‐specific T‐cell‐mediated immunity (SARS‐CoV‐2‐CMI) after liver transplantation (LT) remains unknown. We included 31 LT recipients in whom SARS‐CoV‐2‐CMI was assessed by intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) and interferon (IFN)‐γ FluoroSpot assay after a median of 103 days from COVID‐19 diagnosis. Serum SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG antibodies were measured by ELISA. A control group of non‐transplant immunocompetent patients were matched (1:1 ratio) by age and time from diagnosis. Post‐transplant SARS‐CoV‐2‐CMI was detected by ICS in 90.3% (28/31) of recipients, with higher proportions for IFN‐γ‐producing CD4+ than …

Characterization of the Adjuvant Effect of IL-12 and Efficacy of IL-12 Inhibitors in Type II Collagen-Induced Arthritis

1996

A destructive joint disease can be induced in susceptible DBA/1 mice by immunization with type II collagen emulsified with oil and either killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis or IL-12 as adjuvant. Cellular and humoral anti-collagen immune mechanisms appear to be involved in the pathogenesis of arthritis. We have characterized the adjuvant effect or IL-12 in more detail and addressed the question whether mycobacteria might act via the induction of endogenous IL-12. Injections of IL-12 into collagen-immunized DBA/1 mice promoted the development of IFN-gamma-producing CD4+ T cells and strongly upregulated the production of complement-fixing IgG2a and IgG2b antibodies resulting in severe arthritis…

Bacteriophage Adherence to Mucus Mediates Preventive Protection against Pathogenic Bacteria

2019

The mucosal surfaces of animals are habitat for microbes, including viruses. Bacteriophages—viruses that infect bacteria—were shown to be able to bind to mucus. This may result in a symbiotic relationship in which phages find bacterial hosts to infect, protecting the mucus-producing animal from bacterial infections in the process. Here, we studied phage binding on mucus and the effect of mucin on phage-bacterium interactions. The significance of our research is in showing that phage adhesion to mucus results in preventive protection against bacterial infections, which will serve as basis for the development of prophylactic phage therapy approaches. Besides, we also reveal that exposure to m…

Distribution patterns of phytoplankton functional groups in connected/isolated reservoirs in an urban drinking water system

2015

Eighteen reservoirs belonging to an urban drinking water system (Zhuhai city, South China) were investigated in the dry and flood seasons of 2013 to evaluate how hydrological connectivity may affect the specie richness and functional composition of phytoplankton. Eleven among the studied water bodies are connected through pipelines and seven are isolated. Twenty one phytoplankton functional groups were identified in the studied reservoirs. Cluster analysis showed that phytoplankton similarity is higher among connected reservoirs than among isolated ones. The average α-diversity is high in the connected reservoirs, but the average β-diversity is much higher in the isolated reservoirs. The hi…

Microbiome: pro-inflammatory Prevotella?

2013

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a prevalent systemic autoimmune disease, caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Animal models suggest a role for intestinal bacteria in supporting the systemic immune response required for joint inflammation. Here we performed 16S sequencing on 114 stool samples from rheumatoid arthritis patients and controls, and shotgun sequencing on a subset of 44 such samples. We identified the presence of Prevotella copri as strongly correlated with disease in new-onset untreated rheumatoid arthritis (NORA) patients. Increases in Prevotella abundance correlated with a reduction in Bacteroides and a loss of reportedly beneficial microbes in NORA subjec…

Initial pH Conditions Shape the Microbial Community Structure of Sewage Sludge in Batch Fermentations for the Improvement of Volatile Fatty Acid Prod…

2022

Conversion of wastewater treatment plants into biorefineries is a sustainable alternative for obtaining valuable compounds, thus reducing pollutants and costs and protecting the environment and human health. Under specific operating conditions, microbial fermentative products of sewage sludge are volatile fatty acids (VFA) that can be precursors of polyhydroxyalkanoate thermoplastic polyesters. The role of various operating parameters in VFA production has yet to be elucidated. This study aimed to correlate the levels of VFA yields with prokaryotic microbiota structures of sewage sludge in two sets of batch fermentations with an initial pH of 8 and 10. The sewage sludge used to inoculate th…