Viruses induce high expression of BAFF by salivary gland epithelial cells through TLR- and type-I IFN-dependent and -independent pathways.
B cell activating factor (BAFF) plays a key role in promoting B lymphocyte activation. We investigated whether danger signals induce BAFF secretion by cultured salivary gland epithelial cells (SGEC), which are the target of […]
Glycolipid-activated NKT cells support the induction of persistent plasma cell responses and antibody titers.
NKT cell activation with CD1d-binding glycolipid alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GC) enhances antibody responses to co-administered T-dependent antigen. The efficacy of alpha-GC relative to other CD1d-binding glycolipids and adjuvants is not known. There is little information on how NKT cells affect antibody […]
Superior induction of anti-tumor CTL immunity by extended peptide vaccines involves prolonged, DC-focused antigen presentation.
Anti-tumor vaccines consisting of extended CTL peptides in combination with CpG-ODN were shown to be superior to those comprising minimal CTL epitopes and CpG-ODN, in that they elicit stronger effector CTL responses with greater tumoricidal potential. We now […]
Recombinase-deficient T cell development by selective accumulation of CD3 into lipid rafts.
The pre-T cell receptor (pre-TCR) promotes the development of thymocytes with productive rearrangement at the TCR beta chain locus by signaling in a ligand-independent fashion. The TCR beta chain associates with the invariant pre-Talpha (pTalpha) chain, which bears specific charged residues […]
Distinct subsets of human invariant NKT cells differentially regulate T helper responses via dendritic cells.
Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells regulate the T helper (Th) 1/2 balance and elicit either enhancement or suppression of the immune responses. However, the exact mechanism by which iNKT cells exert these contrasting functions has remained elusive. […]
Dendritic cell expression of the Notch ligand jagged2 is not essential for Th2 response induction in vivo.
We have addressed the hypothesis that Notch ligands play a decisive role in determining the ability of antigen-presenting cells to influence T cell polarization. Dendritic cells displayed distinct expression profiles of Delta and Jagged ligands for […]
Dendritic cells in colonic patches and iliac lymph nodes are essential in mucosal IgA induction following intrarectal administration via CCR7 interaction.
This study examined dendritic cells (DC) following intrarectal (IR) vaccination with the mucosal adjuvant cholera toxin (CT). Three rounds of IR vaccination with ovalbumin (OVA) and CT resulted in brisk levels of […]
Coxiella burnetii, the agent of Q fever, stimulates an atypical M2 activation program in human macrophages.
Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular bacterium, responsible for Q fever, which survives in macrophages by interfering with their microbicidal competence. As functional polarization of macrophages is critical for their microbicidal activity, we studied the activation program […]
Open-Pore Biodegradable Foams Prepared via Gas Foaming and Microparticulate Templating.
Open-pore biodegradable foams with controlled porous architectures were prepared by combining gas foaming and microparticulate templating. Microparticulate composites of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) and micrometric sodium chloride particles (NaCl), in concentrations ranging from 70/30 to 20/80 wt.-% of PCL/NaCl were melt-mixed and gas-foamed using carbon […]
Plasma Surface Modification of Chitosan Membranes: Characterization and Preliminary Cell Response Studies.
Surface modification of biomaterials is a way to tailor cell responses whilst retaining the bulk properties. In this work, chitosan membranes were prepared by solvent casting and treated with nitrogen or argon plasma at 20 W for 10-40 min. AFM indicated […]
