The post infectious paralytic autoimmune disease, Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), has been associated with the generation of cross-reactive auto-antibodies after Campylobacter jejuni infection. These auto-antibodies interact with both the ganglioside mimicking C. jejuni lipo-oligosaccharides (LOS) and endogenous gangliosides. This study sought to investigate novel interactions of the ganglioside mimicking LOS with immune system ganglioside specific receptors. In addition, studies investigated if such receptor recognition affects antigen trafficking or the immunostimulatory potency of the LOS, which could participate in auto-antibody generation. Results presented in this thesis demonstrate for the first time that certain members of the siglec receptor family are capable of recognising LOS from a GBS associated strain of C. jejuni. This interaction did not definitively result in enhanced, or altered, potency of ganglioside mimicking LOS in stimulating immune cells. Interestingly, ganglioside mimicry was shown to enhance phagocytosis of C. jejuni, however, in vivo differences in bacterial trafficking were not observed.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:519165 |
Date | January 2010 |
Creators | Easton, Alistair Scott |
Publisher | University of Glasgow |
Source Sets | Ethos UK |
Detected Language | English |
Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
Source | http://theses.gla.ac.uk/2019/ |
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