Thesis (Ph.D)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009. / Prepared for: Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology. Title from title-page of electronic thesis. Bibliography: leaves 191-222.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Committee on Immunology, August 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

No description available.

T cell immunoglobulin and mucin (Tim) family molecules are cell membrane proteins with four functional Tim family members in mouse, and three in human. They are preferentially expressed on immune cells with Tim1 on Th2 cells, Tim3 on Th1 cells and Tim4 on antigen-presenting cells (APCs). They have several roles, including regulating immune responses and mediating phagocytosis of dead cells. However, little is known about them beyond these two species, and nothing outside mammals. To investigate the Tim family in the chicken, the genes were identified and cDNAs cloned. Differently to mammals, the chicken genome only contains genes for Tim1 and Tim4. Chicken Tim1 (chTim1) has similar mRNA expression patterns to those of mammalian Tim1 in lymphoid tissues and immune cells. Interestingly, chTim4 has at least four splice variants – an extra short isoform (chTimeS) lacking exons 5, 6, 7 and 8, a short isoform (chTim4S) without exons 3, 4 and 5, a long isoform (chTim4L) with all exons and an extra long isoform (chTim4eL), which is similar to chTim4L but with a longer exon 3. The chTim4S is a homologue of mammalian Tim4 with constitutive expression in lymphoid tissues and immune cells; other chTim4 variants showed inducible or cell-specific expression patterns. Like mammalian Tim4, chTim4S is expressed by APCs; but differently to mammals, chTim4S is also expressed by γδ T cells, suggesting a unique role for chTim4 in this population of T cells. The biological activities of the chicken Tim family molecules were also investigated using chTim-Ig fusion proteins. Like mammals, chTim1 and chTim4S fusion proteins can specifically recognise phosphatidylserine (PS), an indicator of apoptotic cells, suggesting they are PS receptors. Pre-incubation with PS blocked binding of the chTim4S fusion protein to PS-exposing apoptotic cells. Physiologically, recognition of PS by the chTim proteins mediates apoptotic cell clearance, which was demonstrated using chTim-transfected fibroblast cells (3T3), which significantly increased their uptake of apoptotic cells compared with untransfected cells. The chTim4-Ig fusion protein also had costimulatory activity on chicken T cells. Monoclonal antibodies against the chTim proteins were generated. They specifically recognise their own antigen tested intensively by different immunological assays. ChTim4L is expressed intracellularly in freshly-isolated splenocytes rather than on the surface, whereas PMA-stimulated splenocytes express chTim4S and chTim4L on the cell surface. Like mammals, chicken splenic macrophages also express chTim4S and chTim4L. Both of them are also expressed by bone marrow-derived macrophages but not bone marrow-derived DCs. The chTim1 protein was detected at high levels in bursal cells and splenocytes by western blot analysis using polyclonal anti-chTim1 serum, which is consistent with its mRNA expression pattern through qRT-PCR analysis, suggesting B and T cells may express chTim1, consistent with its expression in mammals. Mammalian Tim1 is expressed on Th2 cells, its ligand, Tim4, on APCs; the interaction between them drives Th2 cell proliferation. The knowledge from this study will help to further dissect how the chicken’s Th2 responses are regulated through cell surface molecules.

The outcome of an infection is often determined by the qualitative nature of the immune response generated against the infectious agent. Various intracellular pathogens, including those that cause leprosy, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis, and most probably malaria and AIDS appear to require a predominant cell-mediated, Th1, response for effective containment, whereas the generation of a mixed Th1/Th2 or predominantly Th2 response is associated with progressive disease. Therefore, any attempt to develop universally efficacious vaccination against these pathogens must generate an immunological imprint that ensures a strong and stable cell-mediated response upon natural infection with the relevant pathogen. We report here critical tests of a strategy designed to achieve such an imprint using Bacille-Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine. BCG vaccine is an attenuated form of M. bovis, the causative agent of tuberculosis in cattle, and is the most widely used vaccine in humans. However, considerable uncertainty still surrounds its efficacy against tuberculosis both in man and animals. As the protective dose is not known, BCG has been given at the maximum tolerable dose. However, recent studies in mice and other animals have shown that the dose of an antigen can be a critical factor in determining the type of immune response generated. I tested the general hypothesis that low dose vaccination would preferentially induce cell-mediated immune response and generate a Th1 imprint that can protect the host against intracellular pathogens in the particular case of mycobacteria. To this end, both adult and newborn mice were vaccinated with different doses of BCG or saline and cell-mediated and humoral immune responses were assessed at different times post-vaccination. Several weeks after vaccination, mice from each group were challenged with a dose of BCG that induces a mixed Th1/Th2 response in naïve mice, and the T-cell and antibody responses were assessed using ELISPOT and ELISA assays, respectively. The splenic bacterial burden was also determined using colony formation on agar plates. <p>Our results show that the class of immunity induced by BCG depends on the dose employed for vaccination, independent of the route of administration and the age and strain of mice used. In all cases, lower doses induce an exclusive cell-mediated, Th1, response with no antibody production, while higher doses induce either a mixed Th1/Th2 response or a predominantly Th2, humoral response, with higher titers of both IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies. Following intravenous high dose BCG challenge, all mice in the vaccinated groups developed a Th1 response associated with a more efficient clearance of BCG from the spleen. The greatest clearance of mycobacteria was generated following vaccination with lower doses, as low as 33 cfu of BCG. In addition, our findings demonstrate that newborn mice are not inherently biased towards generating Th2 responses, but they can generate Th1 responses and Th1 imprints if appropriate vaccination protocols (dose, route and time) are employed. Furthermore, subcutaneous exposure of young mice to environmental mycobacteria can induce a mixed Th1/Th2 response that can abrogate the potential to generate Th1 responses and Th1 imprints upon vaccination with low doses of BCG vaccine. Low dose neonatal BCG vaccination can circumvent the interference caused by impingement of environmental mycobacteria on the immune system. Therefore, our observations strongly support a neonatal low dose BCG vaccination strategy to provide universally efficacious protection against infections by pathogenic mycobacteria.

The outcome of an infection is often determined by the qualitative nature of the immune response generated against the infectious agent. Various intracellular pathogens, including those that cause leprosy, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis, and most probably malaria and AIDS appear to require a predominant cell-mediated, Th1, response for effective containment, whereas the generation of a mixed Th1/Th2 or predominantly Th2 response is associated with progressive disease. Therefore, any attempt to develop universally efficacious vaccination against these pathogens must generate an immunological imprint that ensures a strong and stable cell-mediated response upon natural infection with the relevant pathogen. We report here critical tests of a strategy designed to achieve such an imprint using Bacille-Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine. BCG vaccine is an attenuated form of M. bovis, the causative agent of tuberculosis in cattle, and is the most widely used vaccine in humans. However, considerable uncertainty still surrounds its efficacy against tuberculosis both in man and animals. As the protective dose is not known, BCG has been given at the maximum tolerable dose. However, recent studies in mice and other animals have shown that the dose of an antigen can be a critical factor in determining the type of immune response generated. I tested the general hypothesis that low dose vaccination would preferentially induce cell-mediated immune response and generate a Th1 imprint that can protect the host against intracellular pathogens in the particular case of mycobacteria. To this end, both adult and newborn mice were vaccinated with different doses of BCG or saline and cell-mediated and humoral immune responses were assessed at different times post-vaccination. Several weeks after vaccination, mice from each group were challenged with a dose of BCG that induces a mixed Th1/Th2 response in naïve mice, and the T-cell and antibody responses were assessed using ELISPOT and ELISA assays, respectively. The splenic bacterial burden was also determined using colony formation on agar plates. <p>Our results show that the class of immunity induced by BCG depends on the dose employed for vaccination, independent of the route of administration and the age and strain of mice used. In all cases, lower doses induce an exclusive cell-mediated, Th1, response with no antibody production, while higher doses induce either a mixed Th1/Th2 response or a predominantly Th2, humoral response, with higher titers of both IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies. Following intravenous high dose BCG challenge, all mice in the vaccinated groups developed a Th1 response associated with a more efficient clearance of BCG from the spleen. The greatest clearance of mycobacteria was generated following vaccination with lower doses, as low as 33 cfu of BCG. In addition, our findings demonstrate that newborn mice are not inherently biased towards generating Th2 responses, but they can generate Th1 responses and Th1 imprints if appropriate vaccination protocols (dose, route and time) are employed. Furthermore, subcutaneous exposure of young mice to environmental mycobacteria can induce a mixed Th1/Th2 response that can abrogate the potential to generate Th1 responses and Th1 imprints upon vaccination with low doses of BCG vaccine. Low dose neonatal BCG vaccination can circumvent the interference caused by impingement of environmental mycobacteria on the immune system. Therefore, our observations strongly support a neonatal low dose BCG vaccination strategy to provide universally efficacious protection against infections by pathogenic mycobacteria.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D.). / Written for the Dept. of Medicine. Title from title page of PDF (viewed 2008/05/09). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Australian National University, 2004.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, 2009. / Title from screen (viewed on August 26, 2009). Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Advisor(s): Mark Kaplan. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 107-125).