Antigen Production (antigen + production)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Hepatitis C virus,infected hepatocytes extrinsically modulate dendritic cell maturation to activate T cells and natural killer cells,

HEPATOLOGY, Issue 1 2008
Takashi Ebihara
Dendritic cell maturation critically modulates antiviral immune responses, and facilitates viral clearance. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is characterized by its high predisposition to persistent infection. Here, we examined the immune response of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDCs) to the JFH1 strain of HCV, which can efficiently replicate in cell culture. However, neither HCV RNA replication nor antigen production was detected in MoDCs inoculated with JFH1. None of the indicators of HCV interacting with MoDCs we evaluated were affected, including expression of maturation markers (CD80, 83, 86), cytokines (interleukin-6 and interferon-beta), the mixed lymphocyte reaction, and natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity. Strikingly, MoDCs matured by phagocytosing extrinsically-infected vesicles containing HCV-derived double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). When MoDCs were cocultured with HCV-infected apoptotic Huh7.5.1 hepatic cells, there was increased CD86 expression and interleukin-6 and interferon-beta production in MoDCs, which were characterized by the potential to activate NK cells and induce CD4+ T cells into the T helper 1 type. Lipid raft-dependent phagocytosis of HCV-infected apoptotic vesicles containing dsRNA was indispensable to MoDC maturation. Colocalization of dsRNA with Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) in phagosomes suggested the importance of TLR3 signaling in the MoDC response against HCV. Conclusion: The JFH1 strain does not directly stimulate MoDCs to activate T cells and NK cells, but phagocytosing HCV-infected apoptotic cells and their interaction with the TLR3 pathway in MoDCs plays a critical role in MoDC maturation and reciprocal activation of T and NK cells. (HEPATOLOGY 2008.) [source]


Cross-priming utilizes antigen not available to the direct presentation pathway

IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 1 2006
Keri B. Donohue
Summary CD8+ T cells play a crucial role in protective immunity to viruses and tumours. Antiviral CD8+ T cells are initially activated by professional antigen presenting cells (pAPCs) that are directly infected by viruses (direct-priming) or following uptake of exogenous antigen transferred from virus-infected or tumour cells (cross-priming). In order to efficiently target each of these antigen-processing pathways during vaccine design, it is necessary to delineate the properties of the natural substrates for either of these antigen-processing pathways. In this study, we utilized a novel T-cell receptor (TCR) transgenic mouse to examine the requirement for both antigen synthesis and synthesis of other cellular factors during direct or cross-priming. We found that direct presentation required ongoing synthesis of antigen, but that cross-priming favoured long-lived antigens and did not require ongoing antigen production. Even after prolonged blockade of protein synthesis in the donor cell, cross-priming was unaffected. In contrast, direct-presentation was almost undetectable in the absence of antigen neosynthesis and required ongoing protein synthesis. This suggests that the direct- and cross-priming pathways may utilize differing pools of antigen, an observation that has far-reaching implications for the rational design of vaccines aimed at the generation of protective CD8+ T cells. [source]


Role of surface promoter mutations in hepatitis B surface antigen production and secretion in occult hepatitis B virus infection,

JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 3 2007
Sonali Sengupta
Abstract The production, secretion, and localization of surface proteins of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the ratio of large to small surface protein S was studied in HepG2 cells transfected with the wild-type and mutant pre-S1 and pre-S2/S promoters of HBV molecular clones 313.1 (GenBank accession no. AY161147) and 761.1 (GenBank accession no. AY161159) from two patients with occult HBV infection. Fusion constructs were made by in frame fusion of the wild-type surface gene to the mutant pre-S1 and pre-S2/S promoters and wild-type promoter so that the structural part of the small surface protein remains identical. HepG2 cells transfected transiently were used for analysis. HBV surface proteins production and secretion was determined by enzyme linked immuno assay (ELISA) and localization by immunofluorescence. Immunoprecipitation of the large, middle, and small surface protein was carried out in transient transfected and metabolically labeled cells to determine the ratio of the large to small surface protein. The results indicate that HepG2 cells transfected with mutant HBV promoters had reduced HBV surface proteins secretion compared to wild-type HBV. HepG2 cells transfected with mutant HBV pre-S1 and pre-S2/S promoters showed cytoplasmic aggregation of HBV surface proteins compared to wild-type HBV promoters, which showed diffuse cytoplasmic localization. In all cases, the HBV surface proteins localized to the endoplasmic reticulum. The ratio between the large and small surface protein was 1.89 and 0.56 with mutant HBV 313.1 and 761.1 pre-S1 and pre-S2/S promoters, respectively, compared to 0.17 in wild-type. Thus, the aggregation of surface proteins, altered ratio and secretion of surface proteins were possibly the causes of occult hepatitis B infection. J. Med. Virol. 79:220,228, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Inter-subtype cross-neutralizing antibodies recognize epitopes on cell-associated HIV-1 virions

JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 2 2003
Helen Donners
Abstract HIV-1 infected individuals with cross-neutralizing antibodies against primary HIV-1 isolates belonging to Group M (env A-H) and O, are identified. To investigate the neutralization-kinetics of primary isolates with these antibodies, different neutralization assay conditions are compared. Each set is summarized as a/b/c where a is the time in hours for which antibody is incubated with virus, b is the time in hours allowed for virus to absorb to cells, c is the total culture period in days, from the cells' first exposure to virus, before antigen production (peripheral blood mononuclear cells) or number of fluorescent cells (GHOST) are measured. In HIV-infected individuals, neutralizing antibodies can be detected against a wide range of primary isolates (Group M; A,H and Group O) in PBMC-assays with short incubation phases (1/2/7 or 1/24/7). If cultures are extended (1/2/14 or 1/24/14), however, neutralization can be lost. In kinetic experiments, neutralization can even be seen without pre-incubation (a,=,0 hr). This study shows that neutralization of primary HIV isolates by cross-reactive antibodies can continue after the virus has bound to its target cell. This neutralization, however, is not an all or nothing loss in virus infectivity. Most often it leads only to a reduction in viral replication rates. J. Med. Virol. 69:173,181, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]