Celiac Disease (CD) is a T-cell mediated immune disease, in which gluten-derived peptides activate lamina propria effector CD4+ T cells. While these effector T cell subsets produce proinflammatory cytokines, which cause substantial tissue injury in vivo in CD, recent data suggest that additional subsets of CD4+ T cells exist with suppressor functions. These subsets include type 1 regulatory T c...

Dendritic cells (DCs) are known to be the most powerful professional antigen-presenting cells so far. It could activate primary immune response, and also downregulate immune response. DCs have a unique character of immunoregulation. DC-SIGN, a molecule designated as CD209, is one member of the C-type lectin superfamily. It is not only a pattern recognition receptor but implicated in immunoregul...

This review addresses specific regulatory mechanisms involved in the host immune response to fungal organisms. We focus on key cells and regulatory pathways involved in these responses, including a brief overview of their broader function preceding a discussion of their specific relevance to fungal disease. Important cell types discussed include dendritic cells and regulatory T cells, with a fo...

NKT cells are defined as cells co-expressing of the natural killer receptors such as NK1.1 or NKR-P1A (CD161) and a T cell receptor (TCR). Although NK1.1(+) TCR(+) lymphocytes are heterogeneous, we focus on two distinct T cell subsets express invariant T cell receptor alpha chains, Valpha14-Jalpha18(Valpha14i) and Valpha19-Jalpha33(Valpha19i). Valpha14i NKT cells (Valpha24i NKT cells for human)...

In this issue Toth et al. [1] discusses the role of peripheral and brain derived dopamine (DA) in immune regulation. Here we consider briefly the possible way by which hormones and other central regulatory factors act peripherally in vivo. During the early years of the nineteenth centaury Endocrinologists recognized first when searching for the origin of hormones, that “everything is made every...

In recent years, much evidence has accumulated which demonstrates that an animal's immune system has the capacity to recognize its own antibody idiotypes. These findings suggest that self-idiotypic recognition may potentially play a role in the regulation of B-cell responses. The experiments presented in this report were carried out to determine if an animal develops the ability to specifically...