Monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) and oligodeoxynucleotide CpG are toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 and 9 agonist, respectively. Here, we investigated the effects of MPL, CpG, and combination adjuvants on stimulating in vitro dendritic cells (DCs), in vivo innate and adaptive immune responses, and protective efficacy of influenza vaccination. Combination of MPL and CpG was found to exhibit distinct effects on stimulating DCs in vitro to secrete IL-12p70 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and proliferate allogeneic CD8 T cells. Prime immunization of mice with inactivated split influenza vaccine in the presence of low dose MPL+CpG adjuvants increased the induction of virus-specific IgG and IgG2a isotype antibodies. MPL and CpG adjuvants contribute to improving the efficacy of prime influenza vaccination against lethal influenza challenge as determined by body weight monitoring, lung function, viral titers, and histology. A combination of MPL and CpG adjuvants was effective in improving vaccine efficacy as well as in reducing inflammatory immune responses locally and in inducing cellular immune responses upon lethal influenza virus challenge. This study demonstrates unique adjuvant effects of MPL, CpG, and combination adjuvants on modulating innate and adaptive immune responses to influenza prime vaccination.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Body Weight ; Dendritic Cells ; Immunity, Cellular ; Immunization ; Immunoglobulin G ; In Vitro Techniques ; Influenza Vaccines ; Influenza, Human* ; Lipid A* ; Lung ; Mice ; Orthomyxoviridae ; T-Lymphocytes ; Toll-Like Receptors ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Vaccination*

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is one of the most important opportunistic infections in transplant recipients. Tests for CMV-specific T cell responses have been proposed to change the current risk stratification strategy using CMV assays. We evaluated the usefulness of pre-transplant CMV-specific T cell assays in kidney transplant (KT) candidates for predicting the development of CMV infection after transplantation comparing the results of the overlapping peptides (OLPs)-based enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay and the commercial QuantiFERON-CMV assay. We prospectively enrolled all cases of KT over a 5-month period, except donor CMV-seropositive and recipient seronegative transplants that are at highest risk of CMV infection. All the patients underwent QuantiFERON-CMV, CMV OLPs-based pp65, and immediate-early 1 (IE-1)-specific ELISPOT assays before transplantation. The primary outcome was the incidence of CMV infection at 6 months after transplant. The total of 47 KT recipients consisted of 45 living-donor KTs and 2 deceased-donor KTs. There was no association between positive QuantiFERON-CMV results and CMV infection. However, 10 of 34 patients with phosphoprotein 65 (pp65)- or IE-1-specific ELISPOT results higher than cut-off value developed CMV infections compared with none of 13 patients with results lower than cut-off value developed CMV. The OLPs-based ELISPOT assays are more useful than the QuantiFERON-CMV assay for predicting CMV infection. Patients with higher CMV-specific T cell immunity at baseline appear to be more likely to develop CMV infections after KT, suggesting that the abrupt decline in CMV-specific T cell responses after immunosuppression, or high CMV-specific T cell responses due to frequent CMV activation before KT, may promote CMV infection.
Cytomegalovirus ; Enzyme-Linked Immunospot Assay* ; Humans ; Immunity, Cellular ; Immunosuppression ; Incidence ; Interferon-gamma Release Tests ; Kidney* ; Opportunistic Infections ; Peptides ; Prospective Studies ; Tissue Donors ; Transplant Recipients*

Quantitative PCR and plaque assay are powerful virological techniques used to measure the load of defective or infectious virus in mouse and human. However, these methods display limitations such as cross contamination and long run-time. Here, we describe a novel technique termed as semi-functional quantitative flow cytometry (SFQF) for the accurate estimation of the quantity of infectious lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). LCMV titration method using flow cytometry was previously developed but has technical shortcomings, owing to the less optimized parameters such as cell overgrowth, plate scale, and detection threshold. Therefore, we first established optimized conditions for SFQF assay using LCMV nucleoprotein (NP)-specific antibody to evaluate the threshold of the virus detection range in the plaque assay. We subsequently demonstrated that the optimization of the method increased the sensitivity of virus detection. We revealed several new advantages of SFQF assay, which overcomes some of the previously contentious points, and established an upgraded version of the previously reported flow cytometric titration assay. This method extends the detection scale to the level of single cell, allowing extension of its application for in vivo detection of infected cells and their phenotypic analysis. Thus, SFQF assay may serve as an alternative analytical tool for ensuring the reliability of LCMV titration and can be used with other types of viruses using target-specific antibodies.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Flow Cytometry* ; Humans ; Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus* ; Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis* ; Methods ; Mice ; Nucleoproteins ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

Neutrophils are professional phagocytes that conduct effectors functions in the innate immune systems. They are differentiated in the bone marrow (BM) and terminally differentiated neutrophils are then released into systemic circulation. Neutrophils migrate into inflammatory foci through extravasation, reverse transmigration, and chemotaxis. As neutrophils arrive at a target site, they actively participate in eliminating pathogens. They phagocytose bacteria, and eliminate them through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), release of protease-enriched granules, and formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Since neutrophils are equipped with toxic arsenals, the activation of neutrophils is tightly controlled. Priming is the process of unlocking safety mechanisms before complete activation of neutrophils. Since the first discovery of neutrophils, they were considered as a homogeneous population with an inflammatory phenotype. However, heterogenous populations of neutrophils were discovered under physiological and pathological conditions. This review outlines the normal differentiation of neutrophils in the BM, and discusses the current understandings of neutrophil heterogeneity.
Bacteria ; Bone Marrow ; Chemotaxis ; Extracellular Traps ; Immune System ; Neutrophils* ; Phagocytes ; Phenotype ; Population Characteristics* ; Reactive Oxygen Species

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a member of Flaviviridae family that has emerged as a pathogen of significant public health importance. The rapid expansion of ZIKV in the South and Central America has recently gained medical attention emphasizing the capacity of ZIKV to spread to non-endemic regions. ZIKV infection during pregnancy has been demonstrated to cause microcephaly and other fetal developmental abnormalities. An increased incidence of Guillain-Barre syndrome, an immune mediated neuropathy of the peripheral nervous system, has also been reported in ZIKV-infected patients in French Polynesia and Brazil. No effective therapies currently exist for treating patients infected with ZIKV. Despite the relatively short time interval, an intensive effort by the global scientific community has resulted in development of animal models to study multiple aspects of ZIKV biology. Several animal models have been established to investigate pathogenesis of ZIKV in adults, pregnant mothers, and developing fetuses. Here we review the remarkable progress of newly developed small and large animal models for understanding ZIKV pathogenesis.
Adult ; Animals* ; Biology ; Brazil ; Central America ; Fetal Development ; Fetus ; Flaviviridae ; Guillain-Barre Syndrome ; Humans ; Incidence ; Microcephaly ; Models, Animal* ; Mothers ; Peripheral Nervous System ; Polynesia ; Pregnancy ; Public Health ; Zika Virus Infection* ; Zika Virus*

CD4⁺Foxp3⁺ regulatory T (Treg) cells play major roles in immune homeostasis. While CD4⁺Foxp3⁺ Treg cells act to suppress other immune effector cells, there is growing evidence that they also produce pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-17A, in inflammatory conditions. The pro-inflammatory cytokine milieu, toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling, and specific transcription factors are important for the production of IL-17A by CD4⁺Foxp3⁺ Treg cells. In particular, IL-17A-producing CD4⁺Foxp3⁺ Treg cells express RORγt, the T helper (Th) 17-specific transcription factor, in addition to Foxp3. IL-17A-producing CD4⁺Foxp3⁺ Treg cells are also involved in the pathogenesis of various diseases. Here we review the mechanisms underlying the induction of IL-17A-producing CD4⁺Foxp3⁺ Treg cells and the roles of these cells in human disease.
Cytokines ; Homeostasis ; Humans* ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-17 ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory* ; Toll-Like Receptors ; Transcription Factors

No abstract available.
Databases, Bibliographic ; Bibliometrics

No abstract available.
Plasma* ; Prostate* ; Prostatic Neoplasms* ; Stomach Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Humans* ; Interleukin-12* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

No abstract available.
Arthritis* ; Osteoarthritis* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta* ; Transforming Growth Factors*