Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, produces Apx toxins that are recognized as major virulence factors. Recently, we showed that ApxIIIA-cytotoxic activity specifically targets Sus scrofa leukocytes. Since both LtxA from Aggregatibacter actinomycetem comitans (aggressive periodontitis in humans) and LktA from Mannheimia haemolytica (pneumonia in rumi...

The present study was designed to define molecules and structures involved in the interaction of natural killer (NK) cells with the vascular endothelium in vitro. Resting and interleukin 2 (IL-2)-activated NK cells were studied for their capacity to adhere to resting and IL-1-treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (EC). In the absence of stimuli, NK cells showed appreciable adhesion to ...

We studied the effect of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on the surface-marker expression of the human promonocytic cell line U937. U937 cells persistently produced HIV as detected by reverse transcriptase activity in culture supernatant. Expression of HLA class II antigens on U937/HIV cells was decreased 2- to 10-fold, depending on the Mab used. Class II expression of U937/HIV cel...

Antineutrophil cytoplasm antibodies (ANCA) activate neutrophils to undergo a series of coordinated interactions, leading to transendothelial migration, eventually culminating in vascular destruction. The molecular events underlying neutrophil recruitment in ANCA-associated vasculitis need to be defined to enable effective therapeutic manipulation. A flow-based adhesion assay was used to investi...

Antineutrophil cytoplasm antibodies (ANCA) activate neutrophils to undergo a series of coordinated interactions, leading to transendothelial migration, eventually culminating in vascular destruction. The molecular events underlying neutrophil recruitment in ANCA-associated vasculitis need to be defined to enable effective therapeutic manipulation. A flow-based adhesion assay was used to investi...

The authors report herein two diagnostically challenging cases centered on the myeloid/natural killer (myeloid/NK) cells, a variant of myeloblasts, to illustrate the importance of advanced flow cytometric immunophenotyping and an updated understanding of surface markers in hematopoietic malignancies. Myeloid/NK cell acute leukemia is a very rare subtype of leukemia. Although its NK-cell nature ...

Human intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL), predominantly CD8+ T-lymphocytes located between intestinal epithelial cells (EC), may represent the first-line immune defense against colon cancer. The mechanism by which IEL bind to the colon cancer line, DLD-1, was evaluated. A larger fraction of IEL than peripheral blood mononuclear cells bound to DLD-1 monolayers (25 +/- 16 versus 8 +/- 4% binding, ...

Abstract Sex is a significant contributor to the outcome of human infections. Males are frequently more susceptible viral, bacterial, and fungal infections, often attributed weaker immune responses. In contrast, heightened response in females enables better pathogen elimination but leaves predisposed autoimmune diseases. Unfortunately, underlying basis for sex-specific responses remains poorly ...