Distinct Host-Mycobacterial Pathogen Interactions between Resistant Adult and Tolerant Tadpole Life Stages of .

is a promiscuous pathogen infecting many vertebrates, including humans, whose persistent infections are problematic for aquaculture and public health. Among unsettled aspects of host-pathogen interactions, the respective roles of conventional and innate-like T (iT) cells in host defenses against remain unclear. In this study, we developed an infection model system in the amphibian to study host responses to at two distinct life stages, tadpole and adult.

Adoptive Transfer of Fluorescently Labeled Immune Cells in .

Adoptive cell transfer from inbred adult to inbred tadpoles is a useful way to study the dissemination of immune cells or pathogen-infected immune cells in tadpoles. For example, peritoneal leukocytes (PLs) can be readily infected by pathogens such as Frog virus 3 (FV3) and (). By transferring fluorescently labeled, FV3-infected PLs into tadpoles, we observed infiltration of these cells into the tadpole's brain, which indicates that FV3-infected PLs can cross blood brain barrier.

Distinct MHC class I-like interacting invariant T cell lineage at the forefront of mycobacterial immunity uncovered in .

The amphibian is to date the only species outside of mammals where a MHC class I-like (MHC-like) restricted innate-like (i) T cell subset (iVα6 T cells) reminiscent of CD1d-restricted iNKT cells has been identified and functionally characterized. This provides an attractive in vivo model to study the biological analogies and differences between mammalian iT cells and the evolutionarily antecedent iT cell defense system. Here, we report the identification of a unique iT cell subset (Vα45-Jα1.

Evolutionary Aspects of Macrophages Polarization.

Macrophages constitute a heterogeneous population of myeloid cells that are essential for maintaining homeostasis and as a first line of innate responders controlling and organizing host defenses against pathogens. Monocyte-macrophage lineage cells are among the most functionally diverse and plastic cells of the immune system. They undergo specific activation into functionally distinct phenotypes in response to immune signals and microbial products.

Pharmacologic inhibition of MLK3 kinase activity blocks the in vitro migratory capacity of breast cancer cells but has no effect on breast cancer brain metastasis in a mouse xenograft model.

Brain metastasis of breast cancer is an important clinical problem, with few therapeutic options and a poor prognosis. Recent data have implicated mixed lineage kinase 3 (MLK3) in controlling the in vitro migratory capacity of breast cancer cells, as well as the metastasis of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells from the mammary fat pad to distant lymph nodes in a mouse xenograft model. We therefore set out to test whether MLK3 plays a role in brain metastasis of breast cancer cells.