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Articles 271 - 300 of 427

Full-Text Articles in Immunity

Modulating The Innate Immune Response To Electrospun Scaffolds And Polymer Degradative Byproducts, Daniel Abebayehu Jan 2017

Modulating The Innate Immune Response To Electrospun Scaffolds And Polymer Degradative Byproducts, Daniel Abebayehu

Theses and Dissertations

Implanted biomaterials often induce inflammation that frequently leads to the foreign body response, fibrosis, and the failure of the implant. Thus, it is important to evaluate how cells interact with materials to promote a more regenerative response. It is critical to determine how to modulate the response of tissue resident innate immune cells, as they are among the first cells to interact with implanted materials. Among tissue resident innate immune cells are mast cells, which are inflammatory sentinels that degranulate and orchestrate the fate of other cell populations, such as monocytes/macrophages and lymphocytes. Mast cells have also been reported to …


Effects Of Chromium On Mouse Splenic T Lymphocytes And Effects Of Ethanol Exposure During Early Neurodevelopment On Behaviors In Mice, Lu Dai Jan 2017

Effects Of Chromium On Mouse Splenic T Lymphocytes And Effects Of Ethanol Exposure During Early Neurodevelopment On Behaviors In Mice, Lu Dai

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

The dissertation consists of three major projects with the focus on the immunotoxicity of chromium and the behavior disorders caused by early ETOH exposure respectively.

Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is widely used in various industrial processes and has been recognized as a carcinogen. As the first line of host defense system, the immune system can be a primary target of Cr(VI). T cell population represents a major arm of the immune system that plays a critical role in host anti-tumor immunity. Dysfunction of T cells compromises host anti-tumor immunity resulting in oncogenesis. Using mouse splenic T cells as an in vitro …


Biomarkers Of Sepsis: A Retrospective Approach, Jose M. Roberts Jan 2017

Biomarkers Of Sepsis: A Retrospective Approach, Jose M. Roberts

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Background: Biomarkers are taking the spotlight in becoming the norm for early diagnoses. Sepsis is an inflammatory disease that increases metabolic rate in children. The first biomarker is hyponatremia. Hyponatremia is a frequent electrolyte imbalance in clinical practice, often observed in children with inflammatory disease and infection. Presence of hyponatremia is associated with electrical signaling imbalances, inflammation and renal dysfunction. The clinical value of hyponatremia in pediatric patients is unknown. The C-reactive protein is a second biomarker. Its presence signifies that necrotic cells and inflammation are present.

Objectives: To evaluate the use of biomarkers in children seen in the Emergency …


Micrornas Modulate Pathogenesis Resulting From Chlamydial Infection In Mice, Laxmi Yeruva, S. Pouncey, Michael R. Eledge, Sudeepa Bhattacharya, Chunqiao Luo, Erin W. Weatherford, David M. Ojcius, Roger G. Rank Jan 2017

Micrornas Modulate Pathogenesis Resulting From Chlamydial Infection In Mice, Laxmi Yeruva, S. Pouncey, Michael R. Eledge, Sudeepa Bhattacharya, Chunqiao Luo, Erin W. Weatherford, David M. Ojcius, Roger G. Rank

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Not all women infected with chlamydiae develop upper genital tract disease, but the reason(s) for this remains undefined. Host genetics and hormonal changes associated with the menstrual cycle are possible explanations for variable infection outcomes. It is also possible that disease severity depends on the virulence of the chlamydial inoculum. It is likely that the inoculum contains multiple genetic variants, differing in virulence. If the virulent variants dominate, then the individual is more likely to develop severe disease. Based on our previous studies, we hypothesized that the relative degree of virulence of a chlamydial population dictates the microRNA (miRNA) expression …


Type 2 Immune Responses In The Context Of Helminth Infection, Asthma, Dendritic Cells, And Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cell Function, Sheela Ruby Damle Jan 2017

Type 2 Immune Responses In The Context Of Helminth Infection, Asthma, Dendritic Cells, And Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cell Function, Sheela Ruby Damle

Theses and Dissertations

Type 2 (TH2) immune responses evolved to respond to helminth parasite infections by the production of TH2 cytokines, which stimulate anti-helminth immunity. Macrophage migration inhibitor factor (MIF) is a pleiotropic cytokine, which is produced by many cell types. We demonstrate that mice deficient in MIF have enhanced clearance of a helminth parasite. MIF deficiency in CD4+ T cells was found to be the most important for mediating parasite clearance. We mimicked MIF deficiency by administering an inhibitor of the MIF tautomerase activity, sulforaphane, and this also increased parasite clearance (Section I).

TH2 immune …


Role Of Mir-155 And Mir-146a In Mast Cell Function, Amina Abdul Qayum Jan 2017

Role Of Mir-155 And Mir-146a In Mast Cell Function, Amina Abdul Qayum

Theses and Dissertations

Mast cells are resident immune cells abundantly found in the tissue at the host-environment interface, where they play a critical role in inflammatory allergic responses. Mast cell responses may be regulated by the cytokine milieu at the site of inflammation. Recent studies have revealed microRNAs to be important in altering cytokine signaling in immune cells. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that IL-10 and IL-33 induce miR-155 and miR-146a, respectively, to alter mast cell functions. We report that IL-10 enhanced IgE induced activation of mast cells. IL-10 effects are dependent on Stat3 activation, which elicits miR-155 expression, resulting in …


The Role Of The Nucleosome Remodeling Factor Nurf In Inhibiting T And Natural Killer Cell Mediated Antitumor Immunity By Suppressing Tumor Antigenicity And Natural Cytotoxicity Receptor Co-Ligands, Kimberly Mayes Jan 2017

The Role Of The Nucleosome Remodeling Factor Nurf In Inhibiting T And Natural Killer Cell Mediated Antitumor Immunity By Suppressing Tumor Antigenicity And Natural Cytotoxicity Receptor Co-Ligands, Kimberly Mayes

Theses and Dissertations

Tumor immunoediting is a dynamic process in which the immune response attacks tumor cells by detecting danger signals and tumor antigens. In order to survive, tumor cells develop mechanisms to avoid detection or destruction by the immune system. To counteract this, several strategies are being developed to enhance the antitumor immune response, including the depletion of immunosuppressive cells, enhancing the activation of antitumor immune cells and increasing tumor cell immunogenicity. These therapies have seen limited success individually, however, and it is likely that combination therapy with novel targets will be necessary to see reproducible beneficial responses. Epigenetic modifications are attractive …


Using Rainbow Trout Cell Lines As A Model For Understanding The Innate Anti-Fv3 Immune Response, Graeme Robert Jones Lisser Jan 2017

Using Rainbow Trout Cell Lines As A Model For Understanding The Innate Anti-Fv3 Immune Response, Graeme Robert Jones Lisser

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Ranavirus infections are on the rise and have been implicated in numerous species die-offs across the globe. Frog virus 3 (FV3) is the type-species of the genus, yet the immune mechanisms governing susceptibility remain poorly understood. Arguably the most important immune response to infection is the type I interferon (IFN) response. Type I IFNs trigger an “antiviral state” in host cells via the production of numerous interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) that act to inhibit virus replication in various way, including the induction of apoptosis. Apoptosis is an important antiviral defense mechanism to limit virus replication within infected cells. This study employed …


Nucleoside-Diphosphate-Kinase Of P. Gingivalis Is Secreted From Epithelial Cells In The Absence Of A Leader Sequence Through A Pannexin-1 Interactome, Kalina Atanasova, Jungnam Lee, Joann Roberts, Kyulim Lee, David M. Ojcius, Özlem Yilmaz Nov 2016

Nucleoside-Diphosphate-Kinase Of P. Gingivalis Is Secreted From Epithelial Cells In The Absence Of A Leader Sequence Through A Pannexin-1 Interactome, Kalina Atanasova, Jungnam Lee, Joann Roberts, Kyulim Lee, David M. Ojcius, Özlem Yilmaz

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Nucleoside-diphosphate-kinases (NDKs) are leaderless, multifunctional enzymes. The mode(s) of NDK secretion is currently undefined, while extracellular translocation of bacterial NDKs is critical for avoidance of host pathogen clearance by opportunistic pathogens such as Porphyromonas gingivalis. P. gingivalis-NDK during infection inhibits extracellular-ATP (eATP)/P2X7-receptor mediated cell death in gingival epithelial cells (GECs) via eATP hydrolysis. Furthermore, depletion of pannexin-1-hemichannel (PNX1) coupled with P2X7-receptor blocks the infection-induced eATP release in GECs, and P. gingivalis-NDK impacts this pathway. Ultrastructural and confocal microscopy of P. gingivalis-co-cultured GECs or green-fluorescent-protein (GFP)-P. gingivalis-NDK transfected GECs revealed a perinuclear/cytoplasmic localization of NDK. eATP stimulation induced NDK recruitment to …


An Iron Detection System Determines Bacterial Swarming Initiation And Biofilm Formation, Chuan-Sheng Lin, Yu-Huan Tsai, Chih-Jung Chang, Shun-Fu Tseng, Tseng-Ru Wu, Chia-Chen Lu, Ting-Shu Wu, Jang-Jih Lu, Jim-Tong Horng, Jan Martel, David M. Ojcius, Hsin-Chih Lai, John Ding-E. Young Nov 2016

An Iron Detection System Determines Bacterial Swarming Initiation And Biofilm Formation, Chuan-Sheng Lin, Yu-Huan Tsai, Chih-Jung Chang, Shun-Fu Tseng, Tseng-Ru Wu, Chia-Chen Lu, Ting-Shu Wu, Jang-Jih Lu, Jim-Tong Horng, Jan Martel, David M. Ojcius, Hsin-Chih Lai, John Ding-E. Young

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Iron availability affects swarming and biofilm formation in various bacterial species. However, how bacteria sense iron and coordinate swarming and biofilm formation remains unclear. Using Serratia marcescens as a model organism, we identify here a stage-specific iron-regulatory machinery comprising a two-component system (TCS) and the TCS-regulated iron chelator 2-isocyano-6,7-dihydroxycoumarin (ICDH-Coumarin) that directly senses and modulates environmental ferric iron (Fe3+) availability to determine swarming initiation and biofilm formation. We demonstrate that the two-component system RssA-RssB (RssAB) directly senses environmental ferric iron (Fe3+) and transcriptionally modulates biosynthesis of flagella and the iron chelator ICDH-Coumarin whose production requires the pvc cluster. …


Novel Mutation Of Interferon-Γ Receptor 1 Gene Presenting As Early Life Mycobacterial Bronchial Disease, Maria J. Gutierrez, Neelu Kaira, Alexandra Horwitz, Gustavo Nino Nov 2016

Novel Mutation Of Interferon-Γ Receptor 1 Gene Presenting As Early Life Mycobacterial Bronchial Disease, Maria J. Gutierrez, Neelu Kaira, Alexandra Horwitz, Gustavo Nino

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial diseases (MSMD) are a spectrum of inherited disorders characterized by localized or disseminated infections caused by atypical mycobacteria. Interferon-γ receptor 1 (IFNGR1) deficiency was the first identified genetic disorder recognized as MSMD. Mutations in the genes encoding IFNGR1 can be recessive or dominant and cause complete or partial receptor deficiency. We present the case of a 2½-year-old boy with a history of recurrent wheezing, diagnosed with endobronchial mycobacterial infection. Immunological workup revealed a homozygous nonsense mutation in the IFNGR1 gene, a novel mutation predicted in silico to cause complete IFNGR1 deficiency. This case demonstrates that ( …


The Life Cycle Stages Of Pneumocystis Murina Have Opposing Effects On The Immune Response To This Opportunistic Fungal Pathogen, Heather M. Evans, Grady L. Bryant Iii, Beth A. Garvy Nov 2016

The Life Cycle Stages Of Pneumocystis Murina Have Opposing Effects On The Immune Response To This Opportunistic Fungal Pathogen, Heather M. Evans, Grady L. Bryant Iii, Beth A. Garvy

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

The cell wall β-glucans of Pneumocystis cysts have been shown to stimulate immune responses in lung epithelial cells, dendritic cells, and alveolar macrophages. Little is known about how the trophic life forms, which do not have a fungal cell wall, interact with these innate immune cells. Here we report differences in the responses of both neonatal and adult mice to the trophic and cystic life cycle stages of Pneumocystis murina. The adult and neonatal immune responses to infection with Pneumocystis murina trophic forms were less robust than the responses to infection with a physiologically normal mixture of cysts and …


Pyk2 Activates The Nlrp3 Inflammasome By Directly Phosphorylating Asc And Contributes To Inflammasome-Dependent Peritonitis, I-Che Chung, Chun-Nan Ouyang, Sheng-Ning Yuan, Hsin-Pai P. Li, Jeng-Ting Chen, Hui-Ru Shieh, Yu-Jen Chen, David M. Ojcius, Ching-Liang Chu, Jau-Song Yu, Yu-Sun Chang, Lih-Chyang Chen Oct 2016

Pyk2 Activates The Nlrp3 Inflammasome By Directly Phosphorylating Asc And Contributes To Inflammasome-Dependent Peritonitis, I-Che Chung, Chun-Nan Ouyang, Sheng-Ning Yuan, Hsin-Pai P. Li, Jeng-Ting Chen, Hui-Ru Shieh, Yu-Jen Chen, David M. Ojcius, Ching-Liang Chu, Jau-Song Yu, Yu-Sun Chang, Lih-Chyang Chen

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

The inflammasome adaptor protein, ASC, contributes to both innate immune responses and inflammatory diseases via self-oligomerization, which leads to the activation of the protease, caspase-1. Here, we report that the cytosolic tyrosine kinases, FAK and Pyk2, are differentially involved in NLRP3 and AIM2 inflammasome activation. The inhibition of FAK and Pyk2 with RNA interference or chemical inhibitors dramatically abolished ASC oligomerization, caspase-1 activation, and IL-1β secretion in response to NLRP3 or AIM2 stimulation. Pyk2 is phosphorylated by the kinase Syk and relocalizes to the ASC specks upon NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Pyk2, but not FAK, could directly phosphorylate ASC at Tyr146, …


Interleukin-17a Promotes Cd8 T Cell Cytotoxicity To Facilitate West Nile Virus Clearance, Amber M. Paul, Dhiraj Acharya, Penghua Wang, Jianfeng Dai, David Gate Oct 2016

Interleukin-17a Promotes Cd8 T Cell Cytotoxicity To Facilitate West Nile Virus Clearance, Amber M. Paul, Dhiraj Acharya, Penghua Wang, Jianfeng Dai, David Gate

Publications

CD8 T cells are crucial components of immunity and play a vital role in recovery from West Nile virus (WNV) infection. Here, we identify a previously unrecognized function of interleukin-17A (IL-17A) in inducing cytotoxic-mediator gene expression and promoting CD8 T cell cytotoxicity against WNV infection in mice. We find that IL-17A-deficient (Il17a/) mice are more susceptible to WNV infection and develop a higher viral burden than wild-type (WT) mice. Interestingly, the CD8 T cells isolated from Il17a/ mice are less cytotoxic and express lower levels of cytotoxic-mediator genes, which can be restored by supplying recombinant IL-17A in vitro and in …


An Ultrasensitive Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence-Based Immunoassay For Specific Detection Of Zika Virus, Amber M. Paul, Dhiraj Acharya, Pradip Bastola, Linda Le, Estenfani Fernandez, Michael S. Diamond, Wujian Miao, Fengwei Bai Aug 2016

An Ultrasensitive Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence-Based Immunoassay For Specific Detection Of Zika Virus, Amber M. Paul, Dhiraj Acharya, Pradip Bastola, Linda Le, Estenfani Fernandez, Michael S. Diamond, Wujian Miao, Fengwei Bai

Publications

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a globally emerging mosquito-transmitted flavivirus that can cause severe fetal abnormalities, including microcephaly. As such, highly sensitive, specific, and cost-effective diagnostic methods are urgently needed. Here, we report a novel electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL)-based immunoassay for ultrasensitive and specific detection of ZIKV in human biological fluids. We loaded polystyrene beads (PSB) with a large number of ECL labels and conjugated them with anti-ZIKV monoclonal antibodies to generate anti-ZIKV-PSBs. These anti-ZIKV-PSBs efficiently captured ZIKV in solution forming ZIKV-anti-ZIKV-PSB complexes, which were subjected to measurement of ECL intensity after further magnetic beads separation. Our results show that the anti-ZIKV-PSBs …


Utilization Of Cholera Toxin B As An Adjuvant For The Subunit Pspa Vaccine, Provides Effective Protection Against Streptococcus Pneumoniae Challenge, Daniel R. Pinho Aug 2016

Utilization Of Cholera Toxin B As An Adjuvant For The Subunit Pspa Vaccine, Provides Effective Protection Against Streptococcus Pneumoniae Challenge, Daniel R. Pinho

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a prevalent human pathogen associated with pneumonia. It is estimated that approximately 1 million people around the world die each year, specifically with young children and the elderly comprising a significant portion. Currently, antibiotics can treat the infection but individuals such as the young or elderly are more susceptible to bodily damage from symptoms, such as pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis, thus require more preventive measures. As a result, vaccinations are a key solution to providing effective protection against infectious pathogens. Presently, two vaccinations exist in the market: PPSV23 and PCV13, which only protect against …


Development Of An In Silico Kir Genotyping Algorithm And Its Application To Population And Cancer Immunogenetic Analyses, Howard Rosoff Aug 2016

Development Of An In Silico Kir Genotyping Algorithm And Its Application To Population And Cancer Immunogenetic Analyses, Howard Rosoff

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Gene content determination and variant calling in the complex KIR genomic region are useful for immune system function analysis, pathogenesis and disease risk factor elucidation, immunotherapy development, evolutionary investigations, and human migration modeling. Sequence-specific oligonucleotide and sequence-specific primer PCR methods are the de facto standards for KIR presence/absence identification, but the current platforms are unsuitable for SNP calling, impractical for KIR typing large cohorts of DNA samples, and inapplicable for typing repositories in which sequence data, but not cells or cell analytes, are available. Alternative typing methods, such as in silico sequence-based typing, can address the problems associated with amplicon-based …


Hepatitis C Virus Frameshift/Alternate Reading Frame Protein Suppresses Interferon Responses Mediated By Pattern Recognition Receptor Retinoic-Acid-Inducible Gene-I, Seung Bum Park, Scott Seronello, Wasima Mayer, David M. Ojcius Jul 2016

Hepatitis C Virus Frameshift/Alternate Reading Frame Protein Suppresses Interferon Responses Mediated By Pattern Recognition Receptor Retinoic-Acid-Inducible Gene-I, Seung Bum Park, Scott Seronello, Wasima Mayer, David M. Ojcius

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) actively evades host interferon (IFN) responses but the mechanisms of how it does so are not completely understood. In this study, we present evidence for an HCV factor that contributes to the suppression of retinoic-acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I)-mediated IFN induction. Expression of frameshift/alternate reading frame protein (F/ARFP) from HCV -2/+1 frame in Huh7 hepatoma cells suppressed type I IFN responses stimulated by HCV RNA pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) and poly(IC). The suppression occurred independently of other HCV factors; and activation of interferon stimulated genes, TNFα, IFN-λ1, and IFN-λ2/3 was likewise suppressed by HCV F/ARFP. Point mutations in …


Hiv Vaccines: Progress, Limitations And A Crispr/Cas9 Vaccine, Omar A. Garcia Martinez May 2016

Hiv Vaccines: Progress, Limitations And A Crispr/Cas9 Vaccine, Omar A. Garcia Martinez

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

ABSTRACT: The HIV-1 pandemic continues to thrive due to ineffective HIV-1 vaccines. Historically, the world’s most infectious diseases, such as polio and smallpox, have been eradicated or have come close to eradication due to the advent of effective vaccines. Highly active antiretroviral therapy is able to delay the onset of AIDS but can neither rid the body of HIV-1 proviral DNA nor prevent further transmission. A prophylactic vaccine that prevents the various mechanisms HIV-1 has to evade and attack our immune system is needed to end the HIV-1 pandemic. Recent advances in engineered nuclease systems, like the CRISPR/Cas9 system, have …


Norovirus Infection And Acquired Immunity In 8 Countries: Results From The Mal-Ed Study, Furqan Kabir, Adil Kalam, Pascal Bessong Pascal Bessong, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Anita K. M. Zaidi, (Mal-Ed) Network Investigators, Imran Ahmed, Didar Alam, Syed Asad Ali, Shahida Qureshi, Muneera Rasheed, Sajid Bashir Soofi, Ali Turab, Aisha Khizar Yousafzai May 2016

Norovirus Infection And Acquired Immunity In 8 Countries: Results From The Mal-Ed Study, Furqan Kabir, Adil Kalam, Pascal Bessong Pascal Bessong, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Anita K. M. Zaidi, (Mal-Ed) Network Investigators, Imran Ahmed, Didar Alam, Syed Asad Ali, Shahida Qureshi, Muneera Rasheed, Sajid Bashir Soofi, Ali Turab, Aisha Khizar Yousafzai

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Norovirus is an important cause of childhood diarrhea. We present data from a longitudinal, multicountry study describing norovirus epidemiology during the first 2 years of life.
Methods: A birth cohort of 1457 children across 8 countries contributed 7077 diarrheal stools for norovirus testing. A subset of 199 children contributed additional asymptomatic samples (2307) and diarrheal stools (770), which were used to derive incidence rates and evaluate evidence for acquired immunity.
Results: Across sites, 89% of children experienced at least 1 norovirus infection before 24 months, and 22.7% of all diarrheal stools were norovirus positive. Severity of norovirus-positive diarrhea was …


Immunomodulation Of Breast Cancer Cells For Whole Tumor Vaccination, Kristina G. Maxwell May 2016

Immunomodulation Of Breast Cancer Cells For Whole Tumor Vaccination, Kristina G. Maxwell

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Hematogenous metastasis causes 90% of breast cancer-related deaths.Current therapies include chemotherapy and irradiation following surgery. These therapies are very harmful to the human body and do not elicit an anti-tumor immune response. To create a novel therapeutic, an autologous vaccine increasing the immunogenicity of non immunogenic breast cancer cell lines has been proposed.

To create this vaccine, 4T1 mouse mammary breast cancer cells have been selected as the desired cell line to treat. They are non immunogenic and highly invasive. In order to increase their immunogenicity, first projected, was the addition of cytokines to 4T1 cells to increase the expression …


Optimization Of Expression And Purification Of The Rig-I-Like-Receptor, Lgp2, Srinath-Reddi Pingle May 2016

Optimization Of Expression And Purification Of The Rig-I-Like-Receptor, Lgp2, Srinath-Reddi Pingle

University Scholar Projects

The innate immune system is one of the first lines of defense against pathogens. RIG-I like receptors (RLRs) are a class of cytosolic receptors that recognize molecular patterns of invading pathogens and signal for downstream interferon induction. The RLR family consists of three proteins, RIG-I, MDA5, and LGP2. MDA5 and LGP2 work together to recognize and bind long viral dsRNA. LGP2 is thought to regulate MDA5 activation, but little is understood about this process. Characterization of the mechanism of action of these receptors requires careful biophysical and biochemical analyses. I have developed expression and purification of methods LGP2 and MDA5 …


Comparison Of Anti-Pneumococcal Functions Of Native And Modified Forms Of C-Reactive Protein, Donald Neba Ngwa May 2016

Comparison Of Anti-Pneumococcal Functions Of Native And Modified Forms Of C-Reactive Protein, Donald Neba Ngwa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The anti-pneumococcal function of native C-reactive protein (CRP) involves its binding to phosphocholine molecules present on Streptococcus pneumoniae and subsequent activation of the complement system. However, when pneumococci recruit complement inhibitory protein factor H on their surface, they escape complement attack. Non-native forms of CRP have been shown to bind immobilized factor H. Accordingly, we hypothesized that modified CRP would bind to factor H on pneumococci, masking its complement inhibitory activity, allowing native CRP to exert its anti-pneumococcal function. As reported previously, native CRP protected mice from lethal pneumococcal infection when injected 30 minutes before infection but not when injected …


Microbiota Activated Cd103+ Dcs Stemming From Oral Microbiota Adaptation Specifically Drive Γδt17 Proliferation And Activation., Christopher Jay Fleming May 2016

Microbiota Activated Cd103+ Dcs Stemming From Oral Microbiota Adaptation Specifically Drive Γδt17 Proliferation And Activation., Christopher Jay Fleming

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

IL-17 producing γδ T cells (γδT17) promote numerous autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis and arthritis, as well as, cancers of the colon, lung and breasts. Yet γδT17 peripheral regulation has yet to be thoroughly explored. In mice deficient in IL-17 signaling, we observed expansion of γδT17 in all major tissues. However, γδT17 expansion was not uniformly distributed systemically and was most prominent in oral draining cervical lymph nodes (LNs) with monoclonal expansion of Vγ6 γδT17. In vitro proliferation assays of these cervical LNs showed endogenous proliferation by γδT17 dependent on cell-to-cell contact with CD103+ DCs. CD86+ and CD80 …


Rerouting Pre-Existing Host Vaccine-Induced Immunity To Wards Breast Cancer, Bharat Kumar Reddy Chaganty May 2016

Rerouting Pre-Existing Host Vaccine-Induced Immunity To Wards Breast Cancer, Bharat Kumar Reddy Chaganty

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

For decades, investigators have attempted to activate the immune system to prevent cancer metastasis or recurrence; however, owing to host immune tolerance to cancer antigens and the immunosuppressive environment at tumor sites, many such attempts have failed. The recent success of anti-CTLA4, PD-L1 and PD-1 antibodies targeting immune checkpoint pathways and HPV vaccines has renewed hope that patient survival can be increased through enhancing T-cell responses. We propose to test a novel approach that may bypass host immune tolerance to cancer cells. We hypothesize that host T-cell immunity acquired through vaccination against or natural infection with infectious diseases—e.g., influenza—can be …


Proteomic Characterization Of Eggshell Membranes And Their Effect On Poultry Physiology And Immunity, Sarbjeet Kaur Makkar May 2016

Proteomic Characterization Of Eggshell Membranes And Their Effect On Poultry Physiology And Immunity, Sarbjeet Kaur Makkar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of antibiotics in poultry growth and disease control has led to antibiotics resistant problem in human beings, which is a big concern among consumers. With the necessity for judicious use of antibiotics in poultry production, alternative strategies to improve disease resistance in poultry production are necessary. The research is more inclined towards using the natural products available to grow healthier and antibiotic free meat animals. In the context of exploring natural and sustainable resource of alternative to antibiotics, the biochemical milieu of eggshell membranes (ESM) were analyzed by using mass spectrometry techniques including matrix assisted laser desorption ionization …


Amp Expression In Energetic Hybrid D. Melanogaster Infected With P. Rettgeri, Cassandra K. Treu, Justin Buchanan, Kristi Montooth Apr 2016

Amp Expression In Energetic Hybrid D. Melanogaster Infected With P. Rettgeri, Cassandra K. Treu, Justin Buchanan, Kristi Montooth

UCARE: Research Products

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate immune function and energy metabolism, particularly the levels of antimicrobial peptides produced in Drosophila energetically compromised genotypes. This will provide the ability to investigate energetics of immunity without changing diet. Flies were infected with the bacteria P. rettgeri and the resulting immune response was investigated. Females did not mount as effective an immune response as males. All flies exhibited decreased survivorship from infection. Control flies survived at higher levels and showed no mitochondrial:nuclear interaction.


Aeromonas Hydrophila In Amphibians: Harmless Bystander Or Opportunistic Pathogen, Zachary P. Rivas Jan 2016

Aeromonas Hydrophila In Amphibians: Harmless Bystander Or Opportunistic Pathogen, Zachary P. Rivas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

For several decades amphibian populations have been declining. Historically, the bacterium A. hydrophila (Ah) was hypothesized to be the causal factor in amphibian disease and population declines. However, with the discovery of a chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in 1998, which was identified on the skin of amphibians during documented mortality events, Ah research became of minor interest as focus shifted to Bd. Recent studies into the immunocompromising abilities of Bd, however, have opened new questions about its relationship with Ah and their combined effects on a host.

In this study, I explore the …


Design And Testing Of Novel Anthrax Vaccines Utilizing A Tobacco Mosaic Virus Expression System, Ryan C. Mccomb Dec 2015

Design And Testing Of Novel Anthrax Vaccines Utilizing A Tobacco Mosaic Virus Expression System, Ryan C. Mccomb

KGI Theses and Dissertations

Anthrax is a potentially fatal disease caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis. Infection and disease occur after spores gain entry into the body, germinate into vegetative bacteria, and produce toxin. Bacillus anthracis spores have been engineered as bioweapons and have been used repeatedly in warfare and terrorism to inflict casualties in military and civilian populations. Currently, only one vaccine has been approved for prevention of anthrax in the United States. This vaccine is an undefined product that is difficult to produce, requires a long vaccination schedule, and is reactogenic. Efforts to make an improved anthrax vaccine are being pursued. …


Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell-Mediated Humoral Autoimmunity, Stephanie M. Dorta-Estremera Ph.D. Dec 2015

Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell-Mediated Humoral Autoimmunity, Stephanie M. Dorta-Estremera Ph.D.

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Humoral autoimmunity is characterized by the breakdown of B cell immune tolerance to self-antigens and consequent production of pathogenic autoantibodies. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), a potent type I interferon (IFN-I) producer, have been linked to the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a prototypic systemic humoral autoimmune disease. However, the cellular events that stimulate the development of humoral autoimmunity as a result of pDC activation have not been characterized. Moreover, the B cell subset(s) responsible for the generation of autoantibodies remains to be clearly identified.

The immunization of DNA-containing amyloids into non-autoimmune mice triggers the activation of pDCs and induction …