Binding of agonist of phagocytic receptors on surface of tumor cells caused significant reduction of tumor growth. This reduction was enhanced by stimulation of TLR receptors. This immunotherapy combines ligation of phagocytic receptors and signaling receptors to achieve anti-tumor effect. The next part of this thesis was focused on the study of mechanism of the anti-tumor activity of neutrophils.

The Gram-negative pathogen bacterium Bordetella pertussis is the infectious agent causing pertussis or whooping cough. The infection is dangerous to infants, often being deadly if untreated. Since whole-cell pertussis vaccines have been replaced by acellular pertussis vaccines, pertussis has become the most prevalent vaccine-preventable disease in developed countries. Therefore, the development of a new generation of pertussis vaccines has become a high priority. Opsonophagocytic assays are one method used to assess the efficacy of new vaccines. The main objective of the thesis is to develop opsonophagocytic killing and uptake assays for the measurement of functional antibody activity against Bordetella pertussis. Neutrophils from mice and humans were isolated by three different methods and used for the assessment of different human and mouse sera in opsonophagocytic killing and uptake assays. Different experimental conditions were tested, including multiplicity of infection and serum dilutions. The opsonophagocytic uptake assay proved to discriminate between naïve and immune sera. Serum from mice vaccinated with the whole-cell pertussis vaccine enhanced opsonophagocytic uptake of B. pertussis cells into neutrophils, while serum from mice immunized with the acellular pertussis vaccine did not....

Ticks are blood feeding parasites that secrete a number of immunomodulatory factors to evade host immune response. The aim of this study was to prepare a tick salivary protein with anti-chemokine activity and to observe the influence of salivary gland extrakt on neutrophile´s chemotaxis.

Neutrophils are major cell type of innate immunity, that can eliminate pathogens by different mechanisms. One of these mechanisms is called NETosis, which leads to release of decondensed chromatin and citrullinated histone proteins. Citrullination is post-translational modification catalysed by peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD) and causing transformation of possitively charged arginin to neutral citrullin and can change expression of cytokine genes. Concetrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-8, TNF, IL-1) were measured after activation of PAD4 and induction of citrullination. Calcium ionophore was used to induce citrullinaton, Cl-amidine and TDFA were used as inhibitors. Production of cytokines was assessed by ELISA on protein level and by qPCR on mRNA level. It was found that induction of citrullination led to increased concentrations of IL-8 and IL-1. Elevated gene expression of IL-8 was confirmed on mRNA level. Both inhibitors were able to decrease level of histone H3 citrullination and IL-8 and IL-1 concentrations. Expression of TNF was not detected on protein and mRNA level.

The adenylate cyclase toxin (CyaA) plays a key role in the virulence of Bordetella pertussis. CyaA penetrates CR3-expressing phagocytes and catalyzes the uncontrolled conversion of cytosolic ATP to the key second messenger molecule cAMP. This paralyzes the capacity of neutrophils and macrophages to kill bacteria by oxidative burst and opsonophagocytic mechanisms. Here we show that CyaA suppresses the production of bactericidal reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in neutrophils and macrophages, respectively. The inhibition of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is most-likely achieved by the combined PKA-dependent inhibition of PLC and Epac-dependent dysregulation of NADPH oxidase assembly. Activation of PKA or Epac interfered with fMLP-induced ROS production and the inhibition of PKA partially reversed the CyaA-mediated inhibition of ROS production. CyaA/cAMP signaling then inhibited DAG formation, while the PIP3 formation was not influenced. These results suggest that cAMP produced by CyaA influences the composition of target membranes. We further show here that cAMP signaling through the PKA pathway activates the tyrosine phosphatase SHP-1 and suppresses the production of reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in macrophages. Selective activation of PKA interfered with LPS- induced iNOS expression...