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Characterizing The Polyic-Induced Activation And Apoptosis Of Mutudcs By Determining The Influence Of Bim Isoforms And Corticosterone, Sara A. Luckenbill

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Dendritic cells (DCs) are a critical subset of immune cells responsible for connecting the innate and adaptive immune response. Dendritic cells are activated by exposure to Pathogen Associated Molecular Patterns (PAMPs). Polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (PolyIC) is synthetic double-stranded RNA that functions as a PAMP. Corticosterone (CORT), a stress hormone, is generally immunosuppressive. The response of murine DCs (MuTuDC) to PolyIC and CORT exposure is being investigated. ELISA demonstrated that PolyIC exposure increased IL-12 production, an indicator of DC activation. Increased cell death was also observed following PolyIC exposure, but pre-treatment with CORT decreased cell death. The literature suggests that DC death …