Search results for "major histocompatibility complex"
showing 10 items of 263 documents
Gene transfer of the Co-stimulatory molecules B7-1 and B7-2 enhances the immunogenicity of human renal cell carcinoma to a different extent.
1999
Stimulation of a specific antitumour immune response with recruitment and induction of T-cell effector functions represents an attractive concept in human cancer therapy. Different cytokines and the B7 co-stimulatory molecules are both able to provide proliferation and activation signals for T cells. In the present study, we first demonstrated the absence of both B7-1 and B7-2 expression in human renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell lines. The lack of B7 expression was associated with a low or absent proliferative response of allogeneic and autologous T cells upon stimulation with tumour cells. In order to investigate the role of B7-1 and B7-2, the human RCC cell line, MZ1257RC, which expresses …
Mechanical Regulation of the Cytotoxic Activity of Natural Killer Cells
2020
AbstractMechanosensing has been recently explored for T cells and B cells and is believed to be part of their activation mechanism. Here, we explore the mechanosensing of the third type of lymphocytes – Natural Killer (NK) cells, by showing that they modulate their immune activity in response to changes in the stiffness of a stimulating surface. Interestingly, we found that this immune response is bell-shaped, and peaks for a stiffness of a few hundreds of kPa. This bell-shape behavior was observed only for surfaces functionalized with the activating ligand MHC class I polypeptide-related sequence A (MICA), but not for control surfaces lacking immunoactive functionalities. We found that sti…
Editorial: Activation, functions, and generation of immunological memory in γδ T lymphocytes: lessons from nonhuman primates
2014
T cells constitute an unconventional lymphocyte population with distinct functions complementary to those of CD4 and CD8 T cells. As such, they have both adaptive features, such as expression of the TCR, and innate-like functions reminiscent of NK cells, with whom they share extensive repertoires of activating and inhibitory receptors [1, 2]. Although most antigens recognized by murine T cells remain obscure, advances have been made in identifying ligands for human T cells. The majority of circulating human T lymphocytes expresses a TCR formed by the preferentially-paired V 9 and V 2 chains (here and thereafter, called V 9V 2 T cells). Instead of binding peptides associated with molecules b…
Whole genome sequencing of the black grouse (Tetrao tetrix): reference guided assembly suggests faster-Z and MHC evolution
2014
Background The different regions of a genome do not evolve at the same rate. For example, comparative genomic studies have suggested that the sex chromosomes and the regions harbouring the immune defence genes in the Major Histocompatability Complex (MHC) may evolve faster than other genomic regions. The advent of the next generation sequencing technologies has made it possible to study which genomic regions are evolutionary liable to change and which are static, as well as enabling an increasing number of genome studies of non-model species. However, de novo sequencing of the whole genome of an organism remains non-trivial. In this study, we present the draft genome of the black grouse, wh…
CD8 T Cells Control Cytomegalovirus Latency by Epitope-Specific Sensing of Transcriptional Reactivation
2006
ABSTRACT During murine cytomegalovirus (mCMV) latency in the lungs, most of the viral genomes are transcriptionally silent at the major immediate-early locus, but rare and stochastic episodes of desilencing lead to the expression of IE1 transcripts. This low-frequency but perpetual expression is accompanied by an activation of lung-resident effector-memory CD8 T cells specific for the antigenic peptide 168-YPHFMPTNL-176, which is derivedfrom the IE1 protein. These molecular and immunological findings were combined in the “silencing/desilencing and immune sensing hypothesis” of cytomegalovirus latency and reactivation. This hypothesis proposes that IE1 gene expression proceeds to cell surfac…
Signals of major histocompatibility complex overdominance in a wild salmonid population
2009
The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) contains the most variable genes in vertebrates, but despite extensive research, the mechanisms maintaining this polymorphism are still unresolved. One hypothesis is that MHC polymorphism is a result of balancing selection operating by overdominance, but convincing evidence for overdominant selection in natural populations has been lacking. We present strong evidence consistent with MHC-specific overdominance in a free-living population of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) in northernmost Europe. In this population, where just two MHC alleles were observed, MHC heterozygous fish had a lower parasite load, were in better condition (as estimated by a…
Heat shock protein-peptide complexes for use in vaccines
1996
Abstract The heat shock proteins gp96, HSP70, and HSP90 are complexed to a diverse array of cellular proteins and peptides as a consequence of their chaperone functions. There is good experimental evidence that vaccination with these heat shock protein-peptide complexes elicit immune responses against chaperoned peptide antigens. As shown with gp96, this requires internalization of the heat shock protein-peptide complexes by macrophages and processing of the chaperoned peptides for class I restricted presentation. Via this process, primarily CD8+ antigen-specific T cells are primed by gp96 vaccination. This might represent a general mechanism for priming of MHC-class I restricted T cells by…
Initiation of adaptive immune responses by transcutaneous immunization.
2007
The development of new, effective, easy-to-use and lower-cost vaccination approaches for the combat against malignant and infectious diseases is a pre-eminent need: cancer is a leading cause of morbidity in the Western World; there are numerous pathogenic diseases for which we still have no protective or therapeutic cure; and the financial limitations of developing countries to fight these diseases. In this mini-review we focus on transcutaneous immunization (TCI), a relatively new route for antigen delivery. TCI protocols appear to be particularly promising by gaining access to skin resident APC, which are highly efficient for the initiation of humoral and/or cellular immune responses. Con…
OP0204 Autophagy and Unfolded Protein Response: A Fine Balance that can Influence the Pathogenesis of Ankylosing Spondylitis and Inflammatory Bowel D…
2015
Background We have shown an increase in the unfolded protein response (UPR) with decreased ERAP1 or ERAP2 function in an in vitro system. Similarly UPR has been demonstrated to correlate with onset of disease in the HLA-B27 rat model. UPR has been difficult to demonstrate in the gut of AS patients but autophagy is upregulated. ERAP2 is associated with both AS and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Objectives Here we explore the moderating effect of autophagy on UPR. Specifically we study the impact of suppressing autophagy on UPR. Methods Lamina Propria Mononuclear cells (LPMC) were isolated from terminal ileal biopsies of 10 AS patients. Autophagy was suppressed with 2 agents anisomycin and…
Distinct bhaplotype structure at the innate immune receptor Toll-like receptor 2 across bank vole populations and lineages in Europe
2015
Abstract: Parasite-mediated selection may contribute to the maintenance of genetic variation at host immune genes over long time scales. To date, the best evidence for the long-term maintenance of immunogenetic variation in natural populations comes from studies on the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes, whereas evidence for such processes from other immune genes remains scarce. In the present study, we show that, despite pronounced population differentiation and the occurrence of numerous private alleles within populations, the innate immune gene Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) displays a distinct haplotype structure in 21 bank vole (Myodes glareolus) populations across Europe. Haplo…