Structural immunology and crystallography help immunologists see the immune system in action: how T and NK cells touch their ligands.

Host immune system is an important and sophisticated system, maintaining the balance of host response to "foreign" antigens and ignorance to the normal-self. To fulfill this achievement the system manipulates a cell-cell interaction through appropriate interactions between cell-surface receptors and cell-surface ligands, or cell-secreted soluble effector molecules to their ligands/receptors/counter-receptors on the cell surface, triggering further downstream signaling for response effects. T cells and NK cells are important components of the immune system for defending the infections and malignancies and maintaining the proper response against over-reaction to the host.

Modification and identification of a vector for making a large phage antibody library.

Background: The large phage antibody library is used to obtain high-affinity human antibody, and the Loxp/cre site-specific recombination system is a potential method for constructing a large phage antibody library. In the present study, a phage antibody library vector pDF was reconstructed to construct diabody more quickly and conveniently without injury to homologous recombination and the expression function of the vector and thus to integrate construction of the large phage antibody library with the preparation of diabodies.

Methods: scFv was obtained by overlap polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification with the newly designed VL and VH extension primers.

[Synthesis of dominant epitopes on N-terminal part of BPI and preparation of corresponding antisera].

Aim: To synthesize B cell dominant epitopes on N-terminal part of bactericidal/permeability increasing protein (BPI) and prepare the corresponding antisera.

Methods: The antigenicity, hydrophilicity, flexibility, surface probability and secondary structure of N-terminal amino acids 1-199 on BPI were predicted by bioinformatics applications. Two antigen peptides TA/IK were designed and synthesized on the basis of the above analysis.

BPI700-Fc gamma1(700) chimeric gene expression and its protective effect in a mice model of the lethal E. coli infection.

Background: Infections caused by gram-negative bacteria (GNB) often lead to high mortality in common clinical settings. The effect of traditional antibiotic therapy is hindered by drug-resistant bacteria and unneutralizable endotoxin. Few effective methods can protect high risk patients from bacterial infection.