We have developed a universal solid support, termed Rainbow Universal CPG, for use in automated oligonucleotide synthesis. The universal solid support allows any oligodeoxyribonucleotide sequence to be synthesized from a single type of controlled pore glass (CPG) support. Deprotection of oligodeoxyribonucleotides was optimized using 0.5 M LiCl in concentrated ammonium hydroxide. PCR experiments...

Background: Bacterial DNA has immunostimulatory effects on different types of immune cells such as dendritic cells (DCs). Application of DCs as a cellular adjuvant represents a promising approach in the immunotherapy of infectious disease and cancers. Objectives: To investigate the effect of tumor antigen pulsed DCs in the presence of CpG-1826 in treatment of a murine model of cancer. Methods: ...

DEAF1 is a transcriptional regulator associated with autoimmune and neurological disorders and is known to bind TTCG motifs. To further ascertain preferred DEAF1 DNA ligands, we screened a random oligonucleotide library containing an "anchored" CpG motif. We identified a binding consensus that generally conformed to a repeated TTCGGG motif, with the two invariant CpG dinucleotides separated by ...

Aberrant DNA methylation of promoter CpG islands is associated with transcriptionally repressive heterochromatin in neoplasia. The dynamics of this epigenetic process in mediating the transition from an active to an inactive state of transcription remains to be elucidated, however. Here, we used the methylation-specific oligonucleotide microarray to map the methylation patterns of a CpG island,...

Lewis rats can be rendered unresponsive to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by immunization with myelin basic protein (MBP), or MBP68-86, the dominant encephalitogenic MBP epitope for this strain, administered in IFA. However, protected rats harbor potentially encephalitogenic T cells, which are maintained in an inactive state. We investigated whether these quiescent effector cells cou...

Aberrant DNA methylation of promoter CpG islands is associated with transcriptionally repressive heterochromatin in neoplasia. The dynamics of this epigenetic process in mediating the transition from an active to an inactive state of transcription remains to be elucidated, however. Here, we used the methylation-specific oligonucleotide microarray to map the methylation patterns of a CpG island,...

We describe protein- and oligonucleotide-loaded layer-by-layer (LbL)-assembled multilayer films incorporating a hydrolytically degradable polymer for transcutaneous drug or vaccine delivery. Films were constructed based on electrostatic interactions between a cationic poly(beta-amino ester) (denoted Poly-1) with a model protein antigen, ovalbumin (ova), and/or immunostimulatory CpG (cytosine-ph...