Differentiation of naïve CD4⁺ cells into functionally distinct effector helper T cell subsets, characterised by distinct "cytokine signatures," is a cardinal strategy employed by the mammalian immune system to efficiently deal with the rapidly evolving array of pathogenic microorganisms encountered by the host. Since the T(H)1/T(H)2 paradigm was first described by Mosmann and Coffman, research ...

We found that CEL-I, a GalNAc-specific C-type lectin isolated from the marine invertebrate Holothuroidea (Cucumaria echinata), induces inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and NO production in RAW264.7 cells. The NO production was inhibited by an iNOS inhibitor, L-NAME, but was not by a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) inhibitor, polymyxin B. In the presence of 0.1-M GalNAc, increased NO p...

CEL-III is a Ca(2+)-dependent lectin from a marine invertebrate, Cucumaria echinata, which shows strong hemolytic activity toward human and rabbit erythrocytes. After binding to carbohydrate receptors, CEL-III oligomerizes in the erythrocyte membrane to form ion-permeable pores, leading to the colloid osmotic rupture of the cells. Since hemolysis was greatly increased in the alkaline pH, especi...

Experimental leishmaniasis is widely used to study the effector functions of T helper cell subsets in vivo. Healing and nonhealing Leishmania major infections have been correlated with T helper 1 and T helper 2 responses, respectively. In the present study, we determined T cell effector functions ex vivo, without any further restimulation and compared them to those obtained following antigen-sp...