Targeting Antigens to Dendritic Cells the DC-Specific-ICAM3-Grabbing-Nonintegrin Receptor Induces Strong T-Helper 1 Immune Responses.

Tuberculosis remains a major global health problem and efforts to develop a more effective vaccine have been unsuccessful so far. Targeting antigens (Ags) to dendritic cells (DCs) has emerged as a new promising vaccine strategy. In this approach, Ags are delivered directly to DCs antibodies that bind to endocytic cell-surface receptors.

A Sensitive Method for Detecting Peptide-specific CD4 T Cell Responses in Peripheral Blood from Patients with Myasthenia Gravis.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune neurological disorder typified by skeletal muscle fatigue and most often production of autoantibodies against the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR). The present study was undertaken to assess the extent of AChR-peptide recognition in MG patients using co-culturing (DC:TC) of autologous monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) and highly enriched CD4 T cells from the blood as compared to the traditional whole peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures. We found that the DC:TC cultures were highly superior to the PBMC cultures for detection of reactivity toward HLA-DQ/DR-restricted AChR-peptides.