Expansion of NK cells from PBMCs using immobilized 4-1BBL and interleukin-21.

Adoptive transfer of NK cells has been widely applied clinically for cancer immunotherapy. However, the difficulties to obtain a large number of activated NK cells impede the successful application of such therapy. In the present study, we implemented a novel method involving the use of immobilized human 4-1BBL and interleukin-21 to amplify NK cells from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy donors.

Sortase A induces Th17-mediated and antibody-independent immunity to heterologous serotypes of group A streptococci.

Group A streptococci (GAS) are associated with a variety of mucosal and invasive human infections. Recurrent infections by highly heterologous serotypes indicate that cross-serotype immunity is critical for prevention of GAS infections; however, mechanisms underlying serotype-independent protection are poorly understood. Here we report that intranasal vaccination of mice with Sortase A (SrtA), a conserved cell wall bound protein, reduced colonization of nasal-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) by heterologous serotypes of GAS.

Anti-melanoma activity of T cells redirected with a TCR-like chimeric antigen receptor.

Genetically modified T cells to recognize tumor-associated antigens by transgenic TCRs or chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) have been successfully applied in clinical trials. However, the disadvantages of either TCR mismatching or the requirement of a surface tumor antigen limit their wider applications in adoptive T cell therapy. A TCR-like chimeric receptor, specific for the melanoma-related gp100/HLA-A2 complex was created by joining a TCR-like antibody GPA7 with the endodomains of CD28 and CD3-ζ chain.

Generation of single-domain antibody multimers with three different self-associating peptides.

Conventional Y-shaped antibodies have been widely used in research, diagnostics and therapeutics. Their large size result in disadvantages in certain applications, which makes production difficult. Different parts of an antibody have been used to replace the whole antibody to make it smaller.

Weak binder for MHC molecule is a potent Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific CTL epitope in the context of HLA-A24 allele.

Tuberculosis causes serious health problem for the world population. Antigenic peptides selected by pathogen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) are presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC; or human leukocyte antigen [HLA] in humans) molecules, and HLA-A restricted responses may be of interest for vaccine development and the understanding of cellular immunity. A series of peptides derived from the 10-KDa culture filtrate protein (CFP10) and the 6 kDa early secretory antigenic target (ESAT-6) in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) have been screened and a CTL epitope restricted by the human leukocyte antigen HLA-A24, a common HLA allele in Asian people, has been identified.