The Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase Is a Key Metabolic Enzyme and Critical Virulence Factor of .

There is currently no effective vaccine against leishmaniasis because of the lack of sufficient knowledge about the Ags that stimulate host-protective and long-lasting T cell-mediated immunity. We previously identified phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK, a gluconeogenic enzyme) as an immunodominant Ag that is expressed by both the insect (promastigote) and mammalian (amastigote) stages of the parasite. In this study, we investigated the role of PEPCK in metabolism, virulence, and immunopathogenicity of We show that targeted loss of PEPCK results in impaired proliferation of in axenic culture and bone marrow-derived macrophages.

Semaphorin 3E Promotes Susceptibility to Infection in Mice by Suppressing CD4 Th1 Cell Response.

Protective immunity to cutaneous leishmaniasis is mediated by IFN-γ-secreting CD4 Th1 cells. IFN-γ binds to its receptor on -infected macrophages, resulting in their activation, production of NO, and subsequent destruction of parasites. This study investigated the role of Semaphorin 3E (Sema3E) in host immunity to infection in mice.

Isolation and Preparation of Bone Marrow-Derived Immune Cells for Metabolic Analysis.

The isolation of immune cells from the bone marrow is important for obtaining sufficient numbers for downstream analysis. Immune cells derived from the bone marrow may be subjected to metabolic assays for analysis or used to test the effect of infectious agents on immune cells. Here, we describe a process for the isolation of macrophages, dendritic cells, and neutrophils from mice.

Pharmacological inhibition of p110δ subunit of PI3K confers protection against experimental leishmaniasis.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the immuno-prophylactic and -therapeutic effect of p110δ-specific pharmacological inhibitors (CAL-101 and IC87114), either alone or in combination with amphotericin B, against experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL).

Methods: Female BALB/c mice were infected intravenously with Leishmania donovani or subcutaneously with Leishmania major Prophylactic treatment was initiated 24 h prior to infection, whereas therapeutic treatments with or without amphotericin B were initiated either 1 week or 2 weeks post-infection. At different times post-infection, mice were sacrificed and parasite burden, regulatory T cell (Treg) numbers and cytokine production were assessed in the liver, spleen, draining lymph nodes and footpads.

Functional recombinant extra membrane loop of human CD20, an alternative of the full length CD20 antigen.

Background: Targeting of CD20 antigen with monoclonal antibodies has become the mainstay in the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and immunotherapeutic depletion of malignant B cells. Accessibility of antigen is one of the crucial factors in development of monoclonal antibodies against this antigen. One major problem in expression of full length CD20 is aggregation and misfolding.