Adjuvants are widely used to enhance the effects of vaccines against pathogen infections. Interestingly, different adjuvants and vaccination routes usually induce dissimilar immune responses, and can even have completely opposite effects. The mechanism remains unclear. In this study, urease B subunit (UreB), an antigen of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) that can induce protective immune respons...

Despite evidence that antitumor immunity can be protective against renal cell carcinoma (RCC), few patients respond objectively to immunotherapy and the disease is fatal once metastases develop. We asked to what extent combinatorial immunotherapy with Adenovirus-encoded murine TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (Ad5mTRAIL) plus CpG oligonucleotide, given at the primary tumor site, would prov...

Dendritic cells (DCs) initiate and polarize adaptive immune responses toward varying functional outcomes. By means of intravital two-photon microscopy, we report that dermal dendritic cells (DDCs) and Langerhans cells (LCs) are differentially mobilized during contact sensitization and by adjuvants such as unmethylated CpG oligonucleotide (CpG) and LPS that induce T helper type 1 (Th1) responses...

The ability of cloned human O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase to repair a methylated guanine in a CpG-containing sequence, i.e., island, was studied by using a synthetic double-stranded 20-mer oligonucleotide from codon 248 of the p53 gene and another designed sequence. The double-stranded oligonucleotides incorporating 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and O6-methylguanine (O6mG) in various combinat...

BACKGROUND A small number of recent reports have suggested that altered placental DNA methylation may be associated with early onset preeclampsia. It is important that further studies be undertaken to confirm and develop these findings. We therefore undertook a systematic analysis of DNA methylation patterns in placental tissue from 24 women with preeclampsia and 24 with uncomplicated pregnancy...

The p120(ctn)-binding partner Kaiso is a new member of the POZ-zinc finger family of transcription factors implicated in development and cancer. To understand the role of Kaiso in gene regulation and p120(ctn)-mediated signaling and adhesion, we sought to identify Kaiso-specific DNA binding sequences and potential target genes. Here we demonstrate that Kaiso is a dual specificity DNA-binding pr...

Background: There are many therapeutic methods for allergic conditions. CpG oli-gonucleotides play a critical role in immunity via the augmentation of Th1 and suppres-sion of Th2 responses. Objective: In the present study we aimed to estimate the effec-tiveness of intranasal administration of CpG ODN plus Chenopodium album allergen in allergic asthma compared with the administration of allergen...