CD46 (membrane cofactor protein), a complement-regulatory protein that participates in innate and acquired immunity, also serves as a receptor for viral and bacterial pathogens. CD46 isoforms terminate in one of two cytoplasmic tails, Cyt1 or Cyt2, which differ in signaling and trafficking properties. Dissecting the functions of the two cytoplasmic tails in these cellular processes has been hampered by the absence of specific reagents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSemin Respir Crit Care Med
December 2005
Effective antibody responses are critical for protection against many human pathogens, including those with tropism for the respiratory tract (RT). Systemic immunoglobulin (Ig)G responses as well as mucosal IgA responses play complementary roles in protection against RT infections, and induction of a tissue-specific, isotype-appropriate humoral response is central to successful vaccination strategies. For respiratory virus infections in which current vaccines are either not available or not fully effective, antibody-mediated therapies may provide a viable treatment option.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is produced by colorectalcancers and may play a role in its progression. The clinical and immunological effects of a synthetic vaccine targeting beta-hCG composed of the COOH terminal peptide of beta-hCG (CTP37) conjugated to diphtheria toxoid (DT) was investigated in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
Experimental Design: Seventy-seven patients from 12 centers were randomly divided into two vaccine dose groups.