A licence to kill: interaction of alphaherpesviruses with Natural Killer (NK) cells

We describe the identified mechanisms of PRV gD, PRV gB and PRV US3 to modulate NK cell activity. We've identified PRV gD to reduce DNAM-1 binding, PRV US3 to increase CD300a binding and a yet NK cell-activating effect of PRV gB

Comparative immune responses against Psoroptes ovis in two cattle breeds with different susceptibility to mange

The sheep scab mite, Psoroptes ovis, is a major problem in the beef cattle industry, especially in Belgian Blue (BB) cattle. This breed is naturally more predisposed to psoroptic mange but reasons for this high susceptibility remain unknown. Different immune responses could be a potential cause; thus in this study, the cutaneous immune response and in vitro cellular immune response after antigen re-stimulation were examined in naturally infested BB. Cytokine production in the skin and in circulating re-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) demonstrated a mixed pro-inflammatory Th2/Th17 profile, with transcription of IL-4, IL-13, IL-6 and IL-17. Strong IL-17 up-regulation in the skin of BB was associated with an influx of eosinophils and other immune cells, potentially leading towards more severe symptoms. Virtually no changes in cutaneous IFN-gamma transcription were detected, while there was substantial IFN-gamma up-regulation in re-stimulated PBMC from infested and uninfested animals, potentially indicating a role of this pro-inflammatory cytokine in the innate immune response. In Holstein-Friesian (HF) cattle, generally more resistant to P.ovis infection, a largely similar immunologic response was observed. Differences between HF and BB were the lack of cutaneous IL-17 response in infested HF and low transcription levels of IFN-gamma and high IL-10 transcription in re-stimulated PBMC from both infested and uninfested animals. Further research is needed to identify potential cell sources and biological functions for these cytokines and to fully unravel the basis of this different breed susceptibility to P. ovis

NANO-CHANNEL LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC SEPARATIONS OF SYNTHETIC POLYMERS

In this poster we will discuss the preparation, characterisation and performance of narrow-channel columns, either packed with 1-μm non-porous silica particles or with polymer-based monoliths.status: publishe

Role of NK cells in immunotherapy and virotherapy of solid tumors

Although natural killer (NK) cells are endowed with powerful cytolytic activity against cancer cells, their role in different therapies against solid tumors has not yet been fully elucidated. Their interactions with various elements of the tumor microenvironment as well as their possible effects in contributing to and/or limiting oncolytic virotherapy render this potential immunotherapeutic tool still difficult to exploit at the bedside. Here, we will review the current literature with the aim of providing new hints to manage this powerful cell type in future innovative therapies, such as the use of NK cells in combination with new cytokines, specific mAbs (inducing ADCC), Tyr-Kinase inhibitors, immunomodulatory drugs and/or the design of oncolytic viruses aimed at optimizing the effect of NK cells in virotherapy

Separation of Penaeus vannamei haemocyte subpopulations by iodixanol density gradient centrifugation

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Differences in uptake and killing of pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria by haemocyte subpopulations of penaeid shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, (Boone)

Phagocytosis is an important function of both invertebrate and vertebrate blood cells. In this study, the phagocytic activity of haemocyte subpopulations of penaeid shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, (Boone), against pathogenic and nonpathogenic particles was investigated in vitro. The haemocytes of penaeid shrimp were firstly separated by centrifugation on a continuous density gradient of iodixanol into four fractions with five subpopulations (sub), of which sub 1 (hyalinocytes) and sub 4 (semi-granulocytes) have the main function in phagocytosis of both pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria as well as fluorescent polystyrene beads. It was found that these haemocyte subpopulations engulfed virulent Vibrio campbellii and Vibrio harveyi at a higher rate than nonvirulent Escherichia coli and polystyrene beads. When these bacteria were mixed with shrimp haemocyte subpopulations and incubated for 180 min, the percentage of viable intracellular V. campbellii (25.5 +/- 6.0%) recovered was significantly higher than the percentage recovered from V. harveyi (13.5 +/- 1.1%). No viable intracellular E. coli was observed in this study. In contrast to V. harveyi and E. coli, V. campbellii containing endosomes did not acidify in time. Incubation of haemocyte subpopulations with the most virulent V. campbellii strain resulted in a significant drop in haemocyte viability (41.4 +/- 6.3% in sub 1 and 30.2 +/- 15.1% in sub 4) after 180 min post-inoculation in comparison with the less virulent V. harveyi (84.1 +/- 5.6% in sub 1 and 83.4 +/- 4.1% in sub 4) and non-virulent E. coli (92.7 +/- 2.8% in sub 1 and 92.3 +/- 5.6% in sub 4) and polystyrene beads (91.9 +/- 1.6% in sub 1 and 84.4 +/- 3.4% in sub 4). These findings may be a valuable tool for monitoring shrimp health and immunological studies