Oral administration of Ag coupled to cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) efficiently induces peripheral immunological tolerance. We investigated the extent to which this oral tolerance is mediated by CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells (T(reg)). We found that total T(reg), KJ1-26+ T(reg) and CTLA-4+ T(reg) were all increased in Peyer's patches, mesenteric lymph nodes, and, to a lesser extent, in spleen of m...

Hybridoma cell lines which produced monoclonal antibodies against cholera toxin were isolated. These cell lines were detected with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay screening procedure with purified cholera toxin or subunit A of cholera toxin. Seven cell lines were characterized with respect to their reactivity with cholera toxin subunits by Western blot analysis. Five clones produced antibo...

FcgRIIB, the only FcgR expressed on B cells, is important in the maintenance of immunological tolerance to self-Ags. In this study, we investigated the role of FcgRIIB in Ag-specific CD4 T cell tolerance induced by mucosally administered Ag (OVA) coupled to cholera toxin B subunit (Ag/CTB) or given alone. We found that sublingual administration of Ag/CTB conjugate or intragastric administration...

The level and distribution of isotype-specific antibodies in various secretions and of antibody-secreting cells in corresponding lymphoid organs and tissues were compared in mice immunized with Streptococcus mutans surface protein antigen I/II (AgI/II) conjugated to the cholera toxin B subunit (CTB), given intranasally (i.n.) or intragastrically (i.g.), with or without free cholera toxin (CT) a...

We selected the conserved sequence in the stalk region of influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) trimmer, the long alpha helix (LAH), as the vaccine candidate sequence, and inserted it into the major immunodominant region (MIR) of hepatitis B virus core protein (HBc), and, by using the E. coli expression system, we prepared a recombinant protein vaccine LAH-HBc in the form of virus-like particles (...

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is one of a few important pathogens that threaten the pig industry worldwide. The disease caused by PRRSV is a major source of economic loss for pork producers. PRRSV infects pigs through the mucosal surface of the respiratory tract. Therefore, the production of an oral vaccine to induce specific mucosal immune response may represent t...

Using quantitative light microscopy and a modified immunoelectron microscopic technique, we have characterized the entry pathway of the cholera toxin binding subunit (CTB) in primary embryonic fibroblasts. CTB trafficking to the Golgi complex was identical in caveolin-1null (Cav1-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and wild-type (WT) MEFs. CTB entry in the Cav1-/- MEFs was predominantly clat...

Knowing the nucleotide sequence of the cholera toxin operon, we designed oligonucleotide primers for its-PCR amplification from local clinical isolates of V. cholerae. The resulting amplification product was cloned in a common pUC18 vector. Subsequently, a part of this operon encoding the cholera toxin Bsubunit (CTB) was reamplified and cloned between the BamH1 and EcoR1 sites of the same ...

Epitope-based vaccine is a promising strategy for therapeutic vaccination against Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. A multivalent subunit vaccine containing various antigens from H. pylori is superior to a univalent subunit vaccine. However, whether a multivalent epitope-based vaccine is superior to a univalent epitope-based vaccine in therapeutic vaccination against H. pylori, remains...

It is currently unknown how mucosal adjuvants cause induction of secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA), and how T cell-dependent (TD) or -independent (TI) pathways might be involved. Mucosal dendritic cells (DCs) are the primary antigen presenting cells driving TI IgA synthesis, by producing a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL), B cell activating factor (BAFF), Retinoic Acid (RA), TGF-β or nitric...