Local Administration of GITR Agonistic Antibody Induces a Stronger Antitumor Immunity than Systemic Delivery.

An anti-glucocorticoid induced TNF receptor (GITR) agonistic antibody (Ab) induces an antitumor immunity with both stimulation of effector T cells and inhibition of regulatory T cell activity. To enhance GITR Ab-mediated tumor immunity, we focused on the intratumoral route, since a tumor-localized high concentration of Ab would confer activation of only tumor-infiltrating T cells. First, in a murine colon cancer model, we showed that the intratumoral delivery of Ab significantly increased the number of effector T cells infiltrated into tumors, and suppressed tumor growth more effectively than the intraperitoneal and intravenous injections did.

Broad impact of extracellular DNA on biofilm formation by clinically isolated Methicillin-resistant and -sensitive strains of Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus is a major causative agent for biofilm-associated infections. Inside biofilms, S. aureus cells are embedded in an extracellular matrix (ECM) composed of polysaccharide-intercellular adhesins (PIA), proteins, and/or extracellular DNA (eDNA).

Imaging of bacterial multicellular behaviour in biofilms in liquid by atmospheric scanning electron microscopy.

Biofilms are complex communities of microbes that attach to biotic or abiotic surfaces causing chronic infectious diseases. Within a biofilm, microbes are embedded in a self-produced soft extracellular matrix (ECM), which protects them from the host immune system and antibiotics. The nanoscale visualisation of delicate biofilms in liquid is challenging.

Interaction of natural killer cells with neutrophils exerts a significant antitumor immunity in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients.

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can induce a strong antitumor immunity by homeostatic proliferation (HP) of T cells and suppression of regulatory T cells following preconditioning-induced lymphopenia. However, the role of innate immunity including natural killer (NK) cells is still not understood. Here, first, we examined whether NK cells exert an antitumor effect after syngeneic HSCT in a murine colon cancer model.

Proinflammatory Proteins S100A8/S100A9 Activate NK Cells via Interaction with RAGE.

S100A8/A9, a proinflammatory protein, is upregulated in inflammatory diseases, and also has a tumor-promoting activity by the recruitment of myeloid cells and tumor cell invasion. However, whether the expression of S100A8/A9 in tumors predicts a good or poor prognosis is controversial in the clinical setting. In this study, to clarify the in vivo role of S100A8/A9 in the tumor microenvironment, we s.

Preimmunization of donor lymphocytes enhances antitumor immunity of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Lymphopenia-induced homeostatic proliferation (HP) of T cells following autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) skews the T-cell repertoire by engaging tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), leading to an induction of antitumor immunity. Here, as the tumor-reactive lymphocytes preferentially proliferate during the condition of HP, we examined whether the priming of a donor lymphocytes to TAAs could enhance HP-induced antitumor immunity in autologous HSCT recipients. First, to examine whether the tumor-bearing condition of donor influences the antitumor effect of HSCT, the lymphocytes isolated from CT26 tumor-bearing mice were infused into lethally irradiated mice.

Suppression of Tregs by anti-glucocorticoid induced TNF receptor antibody enhances the antitumor immunity of interferon-α gene therapy for pancreatic cancer.

We have reported that interferon (IFN)-α can attack cancer cells by multiple antitumor mechanisms including the induction of direct cancer cell death and the enhancement of an immune response in several pancreatic cancer models. However, an immunotolerant microenvironment in the tumors is often responsible for the failure of the cancer immunotherapy. Here we examined whether the suppression of regulatory T cells (Tregs) within tumors can enhance an antitumor immunity induced by an intratumoral IFN-α gene transfer.

Vascular endothelial growth factor-D-mediated blockade of regulatory T cells within tumors is induced by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Lymphopenia-induced homeostatic proliferation of T cells after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) skews the T cell repertoire by engaging tumor-associated Ags, leading to an induction of antitumor immunity. However, how HSCT alters the immunosuppressive microenvironment in the tumors is unknown. In this study, we first analyzed the kinetics of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the tumors after syngeneic HSCT.

The growth movement in the peduncle of Eichhornia crassipes II.

The peduncle of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) showed the downward bending within 24 hours after full flowering. Previously it was suggested that the downward bending of peduncle might be induced by the differential growth of the epidermal cells of the portion because of the differential distribution of auxin in the upper side of the bending part of the peduncle. In order to investigate the effect of auxin and gravity on the peduncle bending in Water hyacinth, we examined the growth reaction of peduncle and the effects of plant hormones on the bending of peduncle under simulated microgravity, and the sedimentable amyloplast on earth and three dimensional (3D)-clinostat.