• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.187-200
• /
• 2014

Herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) are the most common cause of genital ulceration in humans worldwide. Typically, HSV-1 and 2 infections via mucosal route result in a lifelong latent infection after peripheral replication in mucosal tissues, thereby providing potential transmission to neighbor hosts in response to reactivation. To break the transmission cycle, immunoprophylactics and therapeutic strategies must be focused on prevention of infection or reduction of infectivity at mucosal sites. Currently, our understanding of the immune responses against mucosal infection of HSV remains intricate and involves a balance between innate signaling pathways and the adaptive immune responses. Numerous studies have demonstrated that HSV mucosal infection induces type I interferons (IFN) via recognition of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and activates multiple immune cell populations, including NK cells, conventional dendritic cells (DCs), and plasmacytoid DCs. This innate immune response is required not only for the early control of viral replication at mucosal sites, but also for establishing adaptive immune responses against HSV antigens. Although the contribution of humoral immune response is controversial, $CD4^+$ Th1 T cells producing IFN-${\gamma}$ are believed to play an important role in eradicating virus from the hosts. In addition, the recent experimental successes of immunoprophylactic and therapeutic compounds that enhance resistance and/or reduce viral burden at mucosal sites have accumulated. This review focuses on attempts to modulate innate and adaptive immunity against HSV mucosal infection for the development of prophylactic and therapeutic strategies. Notably, cells involved in innate immune regulations appear to shape adaptive immune responses. Thus, we summarized the current evidence of various immune mediators in response to mucosal HSV infection, focusing on the importance of innate immune responses.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.283-291
• /
• 2010

Vaccine is one of the best known and most successful applications of immunological theory to human health and it protects human life through inducing the immune response in systemic compartment. However, when we consider the fact that mucosal epithelium is exposed to diverse foreign materials including viruses, bacteria, and food antigens and protects body from entry of unwanted materials using layer of tightly joined epithelial cells, establishing the immunological barrier on the lining of mucosal surfaces is believed to be an effective strategy to protect body from unwanted antigens. Unfortunately, however, oral mucosal site, which is considered as the best target to induce mucosal immune response due to application convenience, is prone to induce immune tolerance rather than immune stimulation. Since intestinal epithelium is tightly organized, a prerequisite for successful mucosal vaccination is delivery of antigen to mucosal immune induction site including a complex system of highly specialized cells such as M cells. Consequently, development of efficient mucosal adjuvant capable of introducing antigens to mucosal immune induction site and overcome oral tolerance is an important subject in oral vaccine development. In this review, various approaches on the development of oral mucosal adjuvants being suggested for effective oral mucosal immune induction.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.157-162
• /
• 2013

Application of vaccine materials through oral mucosal route confers great economical advantage in animal farming industry due to much less vaccination cost compared with that of injection-based vaccination. In particular, oral administration of recombinant protein antigen against foot-and- mouth disease virus (FMDV) is an ideal strategy because it is safe from FMDV transmission during vaccine production and can induce antigen-specific immune response in mucosal compartments, where FMDV infection has been initiated, which is hardly achievable through parenteral immunization. Given that effective delivery of vaccine materials into immune inductive sites is prerequisite for effective oral mucosal vaccination, M cell-targeting strategy is crucial in successful vaccination since M cells are main gateway for luminal antigen influx into mucosal lymphoid tissue. Here, we applied previously identified M cell-targeting ligand Co1 to VP1 of FMDV in order to test the possible oral mucosal vaccination against FMDV infection. M cell-targeting ligand Co1-conjugated VP1 interacted efficiently with M cells of Peyer's patch. In addition, oral administration of ligand-conjugated VP1 enhanced the induction of VP1-specific IgG and IgA responses in systemic and mucosal compartments, respectively, in comparison with those from oral administration of VP1 alone. In addition, the enhanced VP1-specific immune response was found to be due to antigen-specific Th2-type cytokine production. Collectively, it is suggested that the M cell-targeting strategy could be applied to develop efficient oral mucosal vaccine against FMDV infection.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
• /
• 2003.06a
• /
• pp.55-62
• /
• 2003

The mucosal immune system provides a first line of defense against invasion of infectious agents via inhalation, ingestion and sexual contact. For the induction of protective immunity at these invasion sites, one must consider the use of the CMIS, which interconnects inductive tissues, including PP and NALT, and effector tissues of the intestinal, respiratory and genitourinary tracts. In order for the CMIS to induce maximal protective mucosal immunity, co-administration of mucosal adjuvant or use of mucosal antigen delivery vehicle has been shown to be essential. When vaccine antigen is administered via oral or nasal route, antigen-specific Th 1 and Th2 cells, cytotoxic T lymphocytes(CTLs) and IgA B cell responses are effectively induced by the CMIS. In the early stages of induction of mucosal immune response, the uptake of orally or nasally administered antigens is achieved through a unique set of antigen-sampling cells, M cells located in follicle-associated epithelium(FAE) of inductive sites. After successful uptake, the antigens are immediately processed and presented by the underlying DCs for the generation of antigen-specific T cells and IgA committed B cells. These antigen-specific lymphocytes are then home to the distant mucosal effector tissues for the induction of antigen-specific humoral(e.g., IgA) and cell-mediated (e.g., CTL and Th1) immune responses in order to form the first line of defense. Elucidation of the molecular/cellular characteristics of the immunological sequence of mucosal immune response beginning from the antigen sampling and processing/presentation by M cells and mucosal DCs followed by the effector phase with antigen-specific lymphocytes will greatly facilitate the design of a new generation of effective mucosal antigen-specific lymphocytes will greatly facilitate the design of a new generation of a new generation of effective mucosal adjuvants and of a vaccine deliver vehicle that maximizes the use of the CMIS.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.490-497
• /
• 2004

Although the E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin B subunit (LTB) is known to be a potent mucosal adjuvant towards co-administrated unrelated antigens and immunoregulator in T-helper 1-type-mediated autoimmune diseases, a more efficient and useful LTB is still required for prospective vaccine adjuvants. To determine whether a novel chimeric LTB subunit would produce an enhanced mucosal adjuvant activity and immune response, a number of LTB subunits were genetically fused with chimeric proteins using the epitope genes of the envelope glycoprotein E2 (gp51-54) from the classical swine fever virus (CSFV). It was found that the total serum immunoglobulin (Ig) levels of BALB/c mice orally immunized with chimeric proteins containing an N-terminal linked LTB subunit (LE1, LE2, and LE3) were higher than those of mice immunized with LTB, E2 epitope, and chimeric proteins that contained a C-terminal linked LTB subunit. In particular, immunization with LE1 markedly increased both the total serum Ig and fecal IgA level compared to immunization with LTB or the E2 epitope. Accordingly, the current results demonstrated that the LTB subunit in a chimeric protein exhibited a strong mucosal adjuvant effect as a carrier molecule, while the chimeric protein containing the LTB subunit stimulated the mucosal immune system by mediating the induction of antigen-specific serum Ig and mucosal IgA. Consequently, an LE1-mediated mucosal response may contribute to the development of effective antidiarrhea vaccine adjuvants.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.211-218
• /
• 2016

Due to the increasing prevalence and number of life-threatening cases, food allergy has emerged as a major health concern. The classic immune response seen during food allergy is allergen-specific IgE sensitization and hypersensitivity reactions to foods occur in the effector phase with often severe and deleterious outcomes. Recent research has advanced understanding of the immunological mechanisms occurring during the effector phase of allergic reactions to ingested food. Therefore, this review will not only cover the mucosal immune system of the gastrointestinal tract and the immunological mechanisms underlying IgE-mediated food allergy, but will also introduce cells recently identified to have a role in the hypersensitivity reaction to food allergens. These include IL-9 producing mucosal mast cells (MMC9s) and type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s). The involvement of these cell types in potentiating the type 2 immune response and developing the anaphylactic response to food allergens will be discussed. In addition, it has become apparent that there is a collaboration between these cells that contributes to an individual's susceptibility to IgE-mediated food allergy.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.709-717
• /
• 2017

Mucosal tissues are the initial site through which most pathogens invade. As such, vaccines and adjuvants that modulate mucosal immune functions have emerged as important agents for disease prevention. Herein, we investigated the immunomodulatory mechanisms of the B subunit of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin type IIa ($LT-IIa-B_5$), a potent non-toxic mucosal adjuvant. Alternations in gene expression in response to $LT-IIa-B_5$ were identified using a genome-wide transcriptional microarray that focused on dendritic cells (DC), a type of cell that broadly orchestrates adaptive and innate immune responses. We found that $LT-IIa-B_5$ enhanced the homing capacity of DC into the lymph nodes and selectively regulated transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and cytokine receptors. These data are consistent with a model in which directional activation and differentiation of immune cells by $LT-IIa-B_5$ serve as a critical mechanism whereby this potent adjuvant amplifies mucosal immunity to co-administered antigens.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.35-41
• /
• 2010

Food allergy is defined as adverse reactions toward food mediated by aberrant immune mechanisms. Therefore, an allergic response to a food antigen can be thought of as an aberrant mucosal immune response. Food allergy most often begins in the first 1~2 years of life with the process of sensitization by which the immune system responds to specific food proteins, most often with the development of allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE). Over time, most food allergeies are lost, although allergy to some foods is often long lived. The most important allergen sources involved in early food allergy are milk, eggs, peanut, soybean, meat, fish and cereals. Milk allergy seem to be associated with casein and whey protein. Important features of proteins as allergenicity are size, abundance and stability. Strategies for the prevention of milk allergy is breast-feeding, partially hydrolysised infant formula, using of probiotics, immune components in milk, preparation of low allergenicity milk protein and allergy therapy (immune therapy).

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.53 no.4
• /
• pp.199-205
• /
• 2013

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is a causative agent for a number of extra intestinal diseases and account for significant losses to the poultry industry. Since protective immunity against APEC is largely directed to virulence antigens, we have individually expressed four different viulence antigens, papA, papG, IutA, and CS31A, using an attenuated Salmonella Typhimurium and a plasmid pBB244. Following oral immunization of mice with combination of two or four of these strains, serum IgG and mucosal IgA responses were elicited against each antigen represented in the mixture. The antigen-specific mucosal IgA responses were significantly higher in the group of mice immunized with the heat-labile Escherichia coli enterotoxin B subunit (LTB) strain than those in the group of mice immunized without the LTB strain. While, there was no significant difference between these two groups in antigen-specific serum IgG responses. The results showed that LTB could act as mucosal immune adjuvant. To assess the nature of immunity, the distribution of antigen-specific IgG isotypes was analyzed. All groups promoted Th1-type immunity as determined by the IgG2a/IgG1 ratio. Thus, our findings provided evidence that immunization with a combination of several vaccine strains is one of the strategies of developing effective vaccines against APEC.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.67-72
• /
• 2014

The herpes virus entry mediator (HVEM) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (TNFRSF), and therefore it is also known as TNFRSF14 or CD270 (1,2). In recent years, we have focused on understanding HVEM function in the mucosa of the intestine, particularly on the role of HVEM in colitis pathogenesis, host defense and regulation of the microbiota (2-4). HVEM is an unusual TNF receptor because of its high expression levels in the gut epithelium, its capacity to bind ligands that are not members of the TNF super family, including immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily members BTLA and CD160, and its bi-directional functionality, acting as a signaling receptor or as a ligand for the receptor BTLA. Clinically, Hvem recently was reported as an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) risk gene as a result of genome wide association studies (5,6). This suggests HVEM could have a regulatory role influencing the regulation of epithelial barrier, host defense and the microbiota. Consistent with this, using mouse models, we have revealed how HVEM is involved in colitis pathogenesis, mucosal host defense and epithelial immunity (3,7). Although further studies are needed, our results provide the fundamental basis for understanding why Hvem is an IBD risk gene, and they confirm that HVEM is a mucosal gatekeeper with multiple regulatory functions in the mucosa.