BACKGROUND Antigen-specific anti-tumor vaccines have demonstrated clinical efficacy, but immunological and clinical responses appear to be patient-dependent. We hypothesized that naturally-occurring differences in amino acid sequence of a host's target antigen might predict for immunological outcome from genetic vaccination by presentation of epitopes different from the vaccine. METHODS Using...

We present a mathematical model which reproduces experimental data on the germinal centre (GC) kinetics of the primed primary immune response and on affinity maturation observed during the reaction. We show that antigen masking by antibodies which are produced by emerging plasma cells can drive affinity maturation and provide a feedback mechanism by which the reaction is stable against variatio...

The processes that govern the generation of pathogenic anti-DNA autoantibodies in human systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are largely unknown. Autoantibodies may arise as a consequence of polyclonal B cell activation and/or antigen-driven B cell activation and selection. The role of these processes in humoral autoimmunity may be studied by molecular genetic analysis of immunoglobulin (Ig) vari...

Ten samples of antiserum against Pseudomonas cepacia were prepared by the intravenous immunization of rabbits with heat-killed organisms. Ten P. cepacia strains used for immunization were proven unique antigenic strains. Using these antisera, we serogrouped 127 strains of P. cepacia, and 114 strains (89.8%) fell under one of the ten serogroup. The most prevalent serogroup was C (26.8), the seco...

The effect of various harmful substances on proteins of living cells and the response of the proteins to stimulus from such compounds are of interest in many biological problems, such as growth, immunity, disease processes, etc. The little-known stimulus and response phenomena in this field could be investigated if there were available some specific system composed of a purified protein as the ...

C, Reactive Protein (CRP) is a serum globulin (a or /3) which reacts with the somatic antigen C-poly­saccharide of the pneumococcus in the presence of cal­cium ions in vitro, It is not a true antibody and appears nonspecifically in a wide variety of inflammatory necrotic, and infective conditions (e.g .• rheumatic fever and myo­cardial infarction).  CRP appears very early in several diseases p...