Profiling the T Cell Receptor Alpha/Delta Locus in Salmonids.

In jawed vertebrates, two major T cell populations have been characterized. They are defined as α/β or γ/δ T cells, based on the expressed T cell receptor. Salmonids (family ) include two key teleost species for aquaculture, rainbow trout () and Atlantic salmon ( which constitute important models for fish immunology and important targets for vaccine development.

Kidney Tertiary Lymphoid Structures in Lupus Nephritis Develop into Large Interconnected Networks and Resemble Lymph Nodes in Gene Signature.

Immune aggregates organized as tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) are observed within the kidneys of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis (LN). Renal TLS was characterized in lupus-prone New Zealand black × New Zealand white F1 mice analyzing cell composition and vessel formation. RNA sequencing was performed on transcriptomes isolated from lymph nodes, macrodissected TLS from kidneys, and total kidneys of mice at different disease stages by using a personal genome machine and RNA sequencing.

Fibrosis Mediators in the Colonic Mucosa of Acute and Healed Ulcerative Colitis.

Objectives: A healed intestinal mucosa is the aim of therapy in acute ulcerative colitis (UC). Disruption of mucosal wound healing may lead to severe complications including intestinal fibrosis. This study examined mucosal gene expression in the healing process of acute UC with a special focus on known mediators of fibrosis.

The Proteome of Ulcerative Colitis in Colon Biopsies from Adults - Optimized Sample Preparation and Comparison with Healthy Controls.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to optimize the sample preparation and to further use an improved sample preparation to identify proteome differences between inflamed ulcerative colitis tissue from untreated adults and healthy controls.

Experimental Design: To optimize the sample preparation, we studied the effect of adding different detergents to a urea containing lysis buffer for a Lys-C/trypsin tandem digestion. With the optimized method, we prepared clinical samples from six ulcerative colitis patients and six healthy controls and analysed them by LC-MS/MS.

Changes in the human transcriptome upon vitamin D supplementation.

Vitamin D is hydroxylated in the liver and kidneys to its active form, which can bind to the vitamin D receptor (VDR). The VDR is present in a wide variety of different cells types and tissues and acts as a transcription factor. Although activation of the VDR is estimated to regulate expression of up to 5% of the human genome, our study is the first analysing gene expression after supplementation in more than 10 subjects.

Silencing of renal DNaseI in murine lupus nephritis imposes exposure of large chromatin fragments and activation of Toll like receptors and the Clec4e.

Recent studies demonstrate that transformation of mild lupus nephritis into end-stage disease is imposed by silencing of renal DNaseI gene expression in (NZBxNZW)F1 mice. Down-regulation of DNaseI results in reduced chromatin fragmentation, and in deposition of extracellular chromatin-IgG complexes in glomerular basement membranes in individuals that produce IgG anti-chromatin antibodies. The main focus of the present study is to describe the biological consequences of renal DNaseI shut-down and reduced chromatin fragmentation with a particular focus on whether exposed large chromatin fragments activate Toll like receptors and the necrosis-related Clec4e receptor in murine and human lupus nephritis.