Diese Dissertation wurde selbständig, ohne unerlaubte Hilfe erarbeitet.

Autophagy delivers cytoplasmic constituents, like damaged mitochondria, to lysosomes. Recently, it was noted that the same molecular machinery also regulates phagosome delivery for degradation. In this issue of The EMBO Journal, Brooks and colleagues demonstrate that KIM-1/TIM-1 receptor-mediated phagocytosis in epithelial cells does not seem to cause modification of the phagosomal membrane its...

Therapeutic antibodies can undergo a variety of chemical modification reactions in vitro. Depending on the site of modification, either antigen binding or Fc-mediated functions can be affected. Oxidation of tryptophan residues is one of the post-translational modifications leading to altered antibody functionality. In this study, we examined the structural and functional properties of a therape...

Shigella flexneri is endemic in most underdeveloped countries, causing diarrheal disease and dysentery among young children. In order to reach its target site, the colon, Shigella must overcome the acid environment of the stomach. Shigella is able to persist in this stressful environment and, because of this ability it can initiate infection following the ingestion of very small inocula. Thus, ...

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the ability of single-phase aqueous solutions of 1-butanol to release immunoprotective tumor antigen activity from partially purified plasma membranes of the methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcoma, MCA-F. Tumor antigen activity was assessed by s.c. immunization of syngeneic C3H/HeJ mice 10 days prior to supralethal challenge. Although brief incu...

Transfusion or transplantation of T lymphocytes into an allogeneic recipient can evoke potent immune responses including, in immunocompromised patients, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). As our previous studies demonstrated attenuated immunorecognition of red blood cells covalently modified with methoxy(polyethylene glycol) (mPEG), we hypothesized that T-cell activation by foreign antigens migh...

We are concerned here only with the last group which the Symposium defined as "those reactions to drugs in which clinical symptoms are conditioned by previous exposure to and sensitization to the drug. They are mediated by an antigen-antibody reaction". This definition, although adequate at the time of its formulation, requires some modification in the light of newer knowledge, in particular ex...

Adoptive transfer of antigen-specific T cells is a compelling tool to treat cancer. To overcome issues of immune tolerance which limits the endogenous adaptive immune response to tumor-associated antigens, robust systems for the genetic modification and characterization of T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) to redirect specificity have been produced. Refinements with regards t...

HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein interaction with a principal coreceptor, CCR5, requires sulfated tyrosines on the CCR5 amino terminus. In this issue of Cell, Choe et al. identified tyrosine-sulfated, neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1 that apparently mimic CCR5. The results demonstrate for the first time that a natural posttranslational modification of an antibody can contribute substantially to...