The attenuated cercariae model is such a good one for facilitating the identification of antigens capable of evoking the protective host immune response which may be the first step towards the production of an effective anti-schistosomal vaccine. Although it is well known that irradiated cercariae is an effective vaccine against schistosomes in the experimental model, the actual effect of irrad...

We dissected the T cell activation potency and the immunoglobulin (Ig) E-binding properties (allergenicity) of nine isoforms of Bet v 1 (Bet v 1a-Bet v 1l), the major birch pollen allergen. Immunoblot experiments showed that Bet v 1 isoforms differ in their ability to bind IgE from birch pollen-allergic patients. All patients tested displayed similar IgE-binding patterns toward each particular ...

A collection of clones, isolated from a Piromyces equi cDNA expression library by immunoscreening with antibodies raised against affinity purified multienzyme fungal cellulase-hemicellulase complex, included one which expressed cinnamoyl ester hydrolase activity. The P. equi cinnamoyl ester hydrolase gene (estA) comprised an open reading frame of 1608 nt encoding a protein (EstA) of 536 amino a...

A new strategy for rapidly selecting and testing genetic vaccines has been developed, in which a whole genome library is cloned into a bacteriophage lambda ZAP Express vector which contains both prokaryotic (P(lac)) and eukaryotic (P(CMV)) promoters upstream of the insertion site. The phage library is plated on Escherichia coli cells, immunoblotted, and probed with hyperimmune and/or convalesce...

BACKGROUND Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is frequently associated with extrahepatic autoimmune disorders while interferon (IFN) and ribavirin treatment may exacerbate these conditions. Autoantibodies from HCV patients identify a novel indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) pattern on HEp-2 cells characterized by cytoplasmic rods and rings (RR). Our objectives were to determine the preval...

We introduce Synoviolin as a novel pathogenic factor in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Experimental studies indicate that this endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident E3 ubiquitin ligase has important functions in the ER-associated degradation (ERAD) system, an essential system for ER homeostasis. Overexpression of Synoviolin in mice causes arthropathy with synovial hyperplasia, whereas heterozygous kn...

Different autoantigens are thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and they may account for the variation in the clinical presentation of the disease. Sera from patients with autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type I contain autoantibodies against the 13-cell proteins glutamate decarboxylase and an unrelated 51-kDa antigen. By screening of an expression...

Attempts are frequently made to purify the desired proteins to the state of homogeneity by using an immunoaffinity column chromatography. The readymade immunoaffinity supports that are used in the process offer rapid and high-efficiency coupling of ligands, and are commercially available (1). Most of the laboratory work is spent testing the conditions that will ensure a highly efficient elution...

The monoclonal a-70-kDa heat shock protein (hsp70) antibody recognizes in crude extracts from watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris) cotyledons two hsps with molecular masses of 70 and 72 kDa. Immunocytochemistry on watermelon cotyledon tissue and on isolated glyoxysomes identified hsp70s in the matrix of glyoxysomes and plastids. Affinity purification and partial amino acid determination revealed the...

VLA-2 (also called gpla/IIa on platelets) is a collagen receptor with a unique ot subunit and a subunit common to other adhesion receptors in the VLA/integrin family. Multiple cDNA clones for the human VLA-2 o~ 2 subunit have been selected from a hgtll library by specific antibody screening. The 5,374bp nucleotide sequence encoded for 1,181 amino acids, including a signal peptide of 29 amino ac...