A novel, stain-free, natural auto-fluorescent signal, Sig M, identified from cytometric and transcriptomic analysis of infectivity of and .

Cryptosporidiosis is a worldwide diarrheal disease caused by the protozoan . The primary symptom is diarrhea, but patients may exhibit different symptoms based on the species of the parasite they are infected with. Furthermore, some genotypes within species are more transmissible and apparently virulent than others.

Cross-reactivity of antibodies to different rumen methanogens demonstrated using immunomagnetic capture technology.

Methane is produced in the rumen of ruminant livestock by methanogens, accounting for approximately 14.5% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions in terms of global warming potential. The rumen contains a diversity of methanogens species, and only a few of these have been cultured.

Making the most of high-dimensional cytometry data.

High-dimensional cytometry represents an exciting new era of immunology research, enabling the discovery of new cells and prediction of patient responses to therapy. A plethora of analysis and visualization tools and programs are now available for both new and experienced users; however, the transition from low- to high-dimensional cytometry requires a change in the way users think about experimental design and data analysis. Data from high-dimensional cytometry experiments are often underutilized, because of both the size of the data and the number of possible combinations of markers, as well as to a lack of understanding of the processes required to generate meaningful data.

CellTrace Violet™ inhibits equine lymphocyte proliferation.

CellTrace Violet™ is a commonly used fluorescent dye used with flow cytometry to identify cell proliferation. Activated equine lymphocytes were examined using flow cytometry, microscopy and tritiated thymidine proliferation assays. CellTrace Violet™ was incorporated into the equine lymphocytes effectively.

Consumption of an Anthocyanin-Rich Extract Made From New Zealand Blackcurrants Prior to Exercise May Assist Recovery From Oxidative Stress and Maintains Circulating Neutrophil Function: A Pilot Study.

To evaluate blackcurrant anthocyanin-rich extract (BAE) consumption on time- and dose-dependent plasma anthocyanin bioavailability and conduct a pilot study to explore the potential effect of BAE in promoting recovery from exercise-induced oxidative stress, and maintenance of circulating neutrophil function. Time- and dose-dependent blackcurrant anthocyanin bioavailability was assessed using LC-MS in 12 participants over 6 h after the ingestion of a placebo or BAE containing 0.8, 1.

Identification of Peptide Mimics of a Glycan Epitope on the Surface of Parasitic Nematode Larvae.

Phage display was used to identify peptide mimics of an immunologically protective nematode glycan (CarLA) by screening a constrained C7C peptide library for ligands that bound to an anti-CarLA mAb (PAB1). Characterisation of these peptide mimotopes revealed functional similarities with an epitope that is defined by PAB1. Mimotope vaccinations of mice with three selected individual phage clones facilitated the induction of antibody responses that recognised the purified, native CarLA molecule which was obtained from Trichostrongylus colubriformis.

Structural and Functional Insights into Small, Glutamine-Rich, Tetratricopeptide Repeat Protein Alpha.

The small glutamine-rich, tetratricopeptide repeat-containing protein alpha (SGTA) is an emerging player in the quality control of secretory and membrane proteins mislocalized to the cytosol, with established roles in tail-anchored (TA) membrane protein biogenesis. SGTA consists of three structural domains with individual functions, an N-terminal dimerization domain that assists protein sorting pathways, a central tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain that mediates interactions with heat-shock proteins, proteasomal, and hormonal receptors, and viral proteins, and a C-terminal glutamine rich region that binds hydrophobic substrates. SGTA has been linked to viral lifecycles and hormone receptor signaling, with implications in the pathogenesis of various disease states.

17p13.3 microduplication, a potential novel genetic locus for nonsyndromic bilateral cleft lip and palate.

Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is a relatively common congenital malformation. The etiology is complex and postulated to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors. The genetic loci for nonsyndromic CLP remain poorly characterized.

Deletion of chromosome 12q21 affecting KCNC2 and ATXN7L3B in a family with neurodevelopmental delay and ataxia.

Objective: To describe the clinical and genetic findings in a family affected by neurodevelopmental delay and cerebellar ataxia.

Methods: The affected mother and her two children underwent clinical assessments followed by radiological, neurophysiological and cytogenetic investigations.

Results: All three affected members exhibited varying degrees of delay in attaining motor and cognitive milestones, along with learning difficulties and cerebellar ataxia.

Induction of lymphoidlike stroma and immune escape by tumors that express the chemokine CCL21.

Tumor manipulation of host immunity is important for tumor survival and invasion. Many cancers secrete CCL21, a chemoattractant for various leukocytes and lymphoid tissue inducer cells, which drive lymphoid neogenesis. CCL21 expression by melanoma tumors in mice was associated with an immunotolerant microenvironment, which included the induction of lymphoid-like reticular stromal networks, an altered cytokine milieu, and the recruitment of regulatory leukocyte populations.

Amine- and carboxyl- quantum dots affect membrane integrity of bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34.

The present study examines the interaction of amine- and carboxyl- PEG core/shell quantum dots (QDs) with metal resistant bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34. The evolution of the number of QDs, their hydrodynamic radius, diffusion coefficients, and single particle fluorescence were characterized before and during the contact with bacterium by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). The obtained results showed that at nanomolar concentrations the amine- and carboxyl-PEG-QDs with average hydrodynamic radiuses of 16.

Increased detection of proliferating, polyfunctional, HIV-1-specific T cells in DNA-modified vaccinia virus Ankara-vaccinated human volunteers by cultured IFN-gamma ELISPOT assay.

Induction of a long-term immunological memory, which can expand and defend the host upon pathogen encounter, is the "holy grail" of vaccinology. Here, using a sensitive cultured IFN-gamma ELISPOT assay, we show that 50% (15 out of 30) of healthy, HIV-1/2-uninfected volunteers who received pTHr.HIVA DNA prime-modified vaccinia virus Ankara.

In vivo studies fail to reveal a role for IL-4 or STAT6 signaling in Th2 lymphocyte differentiation.

The expression of interleukin-4 (IL-4) is viewed as the hallmark of a Th2 lymphocyte, whereas the subsequent action of IL-4 and IL-13, mediated through the STAT6 signaling pathway, is seen as a prerequisite for the full development of Th2 immune responses to parasites and allergens. G4 mice, whose IL-4 gene locus contains the fluorescent reporter eGFP, were used to quantify the number of Th2 cells that develop during Nippostrongylus brasiliensis- or allergen-induced immune responses under conditions where IL-4 or STAT6 was absent. Here, we show that deletion of IL-4 or STAT6 had little impact on the number or timing of appearance of IL-4-producing Th2 cells.

Safety and tolerability of recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara expressing an HIV-1 gag/multiepitope immunogen (MVA.HIVA) in HIV-1-infected persons receiving combination antiretroviral therapy.

The safety of attenuated poxviruses in HIV-1-infected individuals is an important consideration in their application as vaccine vectors, first, because new HIV-1 infections may occur in vaccine trials involving persons at high risk of infection and secondly, therapeutic vaccinations are a potential means to enhance virus-specific immune responses once infection has occurred. We administered a candidate modified vaccinia virus Ankara-vectored HIV-1 vaccine, MVA.HIVA, by intradermal injection to 16 chronically infected adults during highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Long-term deposition of inhaled antigen in lung resident CD11b-CD11c+ cells.

In this study we report the characterization of a population of lung resident CD11b(-)CD11c(+) cells that are able to take up inhaled antigen and retain it for extended periods of time. Ovalbumin conjugated to fluorescein-isothiocyanate (FITC-OVA) administered intranasally to mice was taken up by two main populations of cells in the lung, a migratory CD11c(+)CD11b(+) population consisting of dendritic cells (DC), which rapidly transported antigen to the draining lymph node (LN), and a resident CD11b(-)CD11c(+) population that retained engulfed antigen without apparently degrading it for up to 8 wk after administration. The FITC(+)CD11b(-)CD11c(+) cells did not migrate to draining LN at a detectable rate, and did not up-regulate expression of costimulatory molecules in response to LPS treatment.

5,6-Dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid treatment of a non-immunogenic tumour does not synergize with active or passive CD8+ T-cell immunotherapy.

The chemotherapeutic drug 5,6-dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid (DMXAA) inhibits intratumoural blood flow, causing hypoxia, haemorrhagic necrosis, vascular collapse and tumour cell death. Production of TNF-alpha and IFN is also induced, causing local inflammation and activation of immune cells including CD8+ T cells. We used the tumour cell line LL-LCMV, which expresses the gp33 epitope of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus in a non-immunogenic form, to investigate whether tumour cell death caused by treatment with DMXAA may improve the success of tumour immunotherapy mediated by CD8+ T cells.

Induction of multifunctional human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-specific T cells capable of proliferation in healthy subjects by using a prime-boost regimen of DNA- and modified vaccinia virus Ankara-vectored vaccines expressing HIV-1 Gag coupled to CD8+ T-cell epitopes.

A double-blind randomized phase I trial was conducted in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-negative subjects receiving vaccines vectored by plasmid DNA and modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) expressing HIV-1 p24/p17 gag linked to a string of CD8(+) T-cell epitopes. The trial had two groups. One group received either two doses of MVA.

Phase I clinical trial safety of DNA- and modified virus Ankara-vectored human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) vaccines administered alone and in a prime-boost regime to healthy HIV-1-uninfected volunteers.

DNA- and modified virus Ankara (MVA)-vectored candidate vaccines expressing human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) clade A-derived p24/p17 gag fused to a string of HLA class I epitopes, called HIVA, were tested in phase I trials in healthy, HIV-1/2-uninfected adults in Oxford, United Kingdom. Eighteen volunteers were vaccinated with pTHr.HIVA DNA (IAVI-001) alone, 8 volunteers received MVA.

IL-4 deficiency does not impair the ability of dendritic cells to initiate CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in vivo.

Several reports have described a role of IL-4 in dendritic cell function. We have examined the number and phenotype of dendritic cells from C57Bl/6 wild-type and IL-4-/- mice, and compared their ability to induce T cell immune responses in vivo and in vitro. We observed that the number of dendritic cells in the spleens and lymph nodes of IL-4-/- mice is comparable to the number found in wild-type mice.

A human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) clade A vaccine in clinical trials: stimulation of HIV-specific T-cell responses by DNA and recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) vaccines in humans.

The immunogenicities of candidate DNA- and modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA)-vectored human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccines were evaluated on their own and in a prime-boost regimen in phase I clinical trials in healthy uninfected individuals in the United Kingdom. Given the current lack of approaches capable of inducing broad HIV-neutralizing antibodies, the pTHr.HIVA DNA and MVA.