Search results for "pathogen"

Predominant role of NF-kappa B p65 in the pathogenesis of chronic intestinal inflammation.

1998

NF-kappa B is a key transcription factor of lymphocytes and macrophages with important regulatory functions in the immune system and inflammatory processes. These functions are at least partially based on its ability to regulate the promoters of a variety of genes whose products, such as cytokines, adhesion molecules and acute phase proteins, are critical for inflammatory processes. In the present study, we describe a method to treat established intestinal inflammation by local or systemic application of antisense phosphorothioate oligonucleotides targeting the translation start site of the p65 subunit of NF-kappa B. Specific downregulation of p65 by administration of antisense phosphorothi…

Myxoma virus Leukemia-associated protein is responsible for major histocompatibility complex class I and Fas-CD95 down-regulation and defines scrapin…

2002

ABSTRACTDown-modulation of major histocompatibility class I (MHC-I) molecules is a viral strategy for survival in the host.Myxoma virus, a member of thePoxviridaefamily responsible for rabbit myxomatosis, can down-modulate the expression of MHC-I molecules, but the viral factor(s) has not been described. We cloned and characterized a gene coding for an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident protein containing an atypical zinc finger and two transmembrane domains, which we called myxoma virus leukemia-associated protein (MV-LAP). MV-LAP down-regulated surface MHC-I and Fas-CD95 molecules upon transfection; the mechanism probably involves an exacerbation of endocytosis and was lost when the ER r…

Isolation and characterization of a pigmentless-conidium mutant of Aspergillus fumigatus with altered conidial surface and reduced virulence.

1997

Aspergillus fumigatus is an important pathogen of immunocompromised hosts, causing pneumonia and invasive disseminated disease with high mortality. The factors contributing to the predominance of A. fumigatus as an opportunistic pathogen are largely unknown. Since the survival of conidia in the host is a prerequisite for establishing disease, we have been attempting to identify factors which are associated with conidia and, simultaneously, important for infection. Therefore, an A. fumigatus mutant strain (white [W]) lacking conidial pigmentation was isolated. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that conidia of the W mutant also differed in their surface morphology from those of the wild t…

Murine model of interstitial cytomegalovirus pneumonia in syngeneic bone marrow transplantation: persistence of protective pulmonary CD8-T-cell infil…

2000

ABSTRACTInterstitial pneumonia (IP) is a severe organ manifestation of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in the immunocompromised host, in particular in recipients of bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Diagnostic criteria for the definition of CMV-IP include clinical evidence of pneumonia together with CMV detected in bronchoalveolar lavage or lung biopsy. We have used the model of syngeneic BMT and simultaneous infection of BALB/c mice with murine CMV for studying the pathogenesis of CMV-IP by controlled longitudinal analysis. A disseminated cytopathic infection of the lungs with fatal outcome was observed only when reconstituting CD8 T cells were depleted. Neither CD8 nor CD4 T cells mediated…

Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms in atopy

2021

Abstract Background The occurrence of allergic conditions, for example allergic asthma, rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis, is rising worldwide. These allergic conditions are associated with poor life quality. Vitamin D is proposed to be linked with increased risk and severe forms of allergic diseases. Aims This review article aimed to evaluate the vitamin D level role and polymorphisms of vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) in atopy. Methods & Materials We analyzed publications that were focusing on levels of vitamin D and/or polymorphism analysis of vitamin D receptor gene in allergic asthma, rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis patients. Results We noticed that levels of vitamin D are extensively stud…

1,2,4-Oxadiazole topsentin analogs as staphylococcal biofilm inhibitors targeting the bacterial transpeptidase sortase A

2020

The inhibition or prevention of biofilm formation represents an emerging strategy in the war against antibiotic resistance, interfering with key players in bacterial virulence. This approach includes the inhibition of the catalytic activity of transpeptidase sortase A (Srt A), a membrane enzyme responsible for covalently attaching a wide variety of adhesive matrix molecules to the peptidoglycan cell wall in Gram-positive strains. A new series of seventeen 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives was efficiently synthesized and screened as potential new anti-virulence agents. The ability of inhibiting biofilm formation was evaluated against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. Remarkably, all…

Survival and infectivity of Hypoderaeum conoideum and Euparyphium albuferensis cercariae under laboratory conditions.

1999

The survival characteristics of the cercariae of Hypoderaeumconoideum and Euparyphiumalbuferensis (Trematoda: Echinostomatidae) at 20°C and 30°C are described, and the age dependency of their infectivity at 20°C is studied to determine their respective transmission efficiencies. Cercarial survival was found to be age-dependent and was higher at 20°C. For both cercariae, the maximum life-span was 26 h at 20°C and 16 h at 30°C, and their respective times to 50% mortality were similar at each temperature. Both cercariae seem to be well adapted to transmission in their natural habitat, though cercarial infectivity of H. conoideum was higher than that of E. albuferensis, this being correlated wi…

Infertility in adults with polycystic kidney disease.

2002

Updated insights into the mechanism of action and clinical profile of the immunoadjuvant QS-21: A review

2019

Background Vaccine adjuvants are compounds that significantly enhance/prolong the immune response to a co-administered antigen. The limitations of the use of aluminium salts that are unable to elicite cell responses against intracellular pathogens such as those causing malaria, tuberculosis, or AIDS, have driven the development of new alternative adjuvants such as QS-21, a triterpene saponin purified from Quillaja saponaria. Purpose The aim of this review is to attempt to clarify the mechanism of action of QS-21 through either receptors or signaling pathways in vitro and in vivo with special emphasis on the co-administration with other immunostimulants in new adjuvant formulations, called a…

Hsp10: Anatomic distribution, functions, and involvement in human disease

2013

There is growing evidence that molecular chaperones/heat shock proteins are involved in the pathogenesis of a number of human diseases, known as chaperonopathies. A better molecular understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms is essential for addressing new strategies in diagnostics, therapeutics and clinical management of chaperonopathies, including those in which Hsp10 is involved. This chaperonin has been studied for a long time as a member of the mitochondrial protein-folding machine. However, although in normal cells Hsp10 is mainly localized in the mitochondrial matrix, it has also been found during and after stress in other subcellular compartments, such as cytosol, vesicles and sec…