INTRODUCTION Allograft failure due to immunological or non-immunological causes or a combination and patient death after transplantation are the 2 major causes of renal transplant loss. This paper reviews the various causes of allograft failure and explores strategies for its prevention. RESULTS Immune mechanisms of renal allograft failure are those mediated by acute and chronic rejection and...

NK cells use surface NK receptors to discriminate self from non-self. The NK receptor ligand-binding domain (NKD) has been considered the sole regulator of ligand binding. Using a prototypic murine NK receptor, Ly49A, we show that the membrane proximal nonligand binding ecto-domain (the stalk region) is critical to ligand binding and signaling. The stalk region is required for receptor binding ...

mycophenolate mofetil (mmf) has been registered for use in australia since 1997 for prophylaxis of solid organ allograft rejection. mmf is now increasingly used for indications outside solid organ allograft rejection, often with limited supporting efficacy data. the purpose of this audit was to examine the patterns of use, reported side effects and cost impact of the drug in the clinical and im...

Productive T cell recognition of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) is normally accompanied by the formation of a cell-cell contact called the "immunological synapse." Our understanding of the steps leading up to this formation has been limited by the absence of tools for analyzing 3D surfaces and surface distributions as they change over time. Here we use a 3D fluorescence quantitation method to ...

The area of contact between a T cell and an antigen-presenting cell (APC) is known as the immunological synapse. Although its exact function is unknown, one model suggests that it allows for T cell receptor (TCR) clustering and for sustained signaling in T cells for many hours. Here we demonstrate that TCR-mediated tyrosine kinase signaling in naïve T cells occurred primarily at the periphery o...

The coordination of T-cell migration and antigen recognition is crucial for an effective immune response. We have proposed that this coordination is achieved by formation of an immunological synapse between the T cell and the antigen-presenting cell (APC). Our view contrasts with the serial encounter model also proposed in this issue of Trends in Immunology, which is based on transient T cell-A...

T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) engagement triggers the rapid reorientation of the centrosome, which is associated with the secretory machinery, toward the immunological synapse (IS) for polarized protein trafficking. Recent evidence indicates that upon TCR triggering the INF2 formin, together with the formins DIA1 and FMNL1, promotes the formation of a specialized array of stable detyrosinated M...

We combine total internal reflection fluorescence structured illumination microscopy with spatiotemporal image correlation spectroscopy to quantify the flow velocities and directionality of filamentous-actin at the T cell immunological synapse. These techniques demonstrate it is possible to image retrograde flow of filamentous-actin at superresolution and provide flow quantification in the form...

chronic hepatitis c might lead to several immunological dysfunctions. studies have shown a positive association between hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection and psoriasis. these results suggest that the infection may be one of the triggering factors for the development or exacerbation of psoriasis. here, we present a case of chronic hcv infection with psoriasis who developed exacerbation of skin l...