• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제7권6호
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• pp.423-428
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• 1997

Vibrio vulnificus is a halophilic gram-negative human pathogen, which affects people with underlying liver diseases or a suppressed immune system, often leading to primary septicemia with a mortality rate of higher than 60%. In an effort to develop an oral vaccine against V. vulnificus infection, we prepared a whole cell killed vaccine of V. vulnificus on a large scale and compared the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the vaccine administered in three formulation forms in rabbits. Since V. vulnificus O-antigen serotypes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 account for more than 95% of clinical isolates, we prepared cell lysates from these six serotype strains and mixed in equal amounts for a vaccine. The vaccine was administered to rabbits intramuscularly (i.m.), orally as granules or as enteric-coated granules. In rabbits, all three formulation forms elicited a high level of serum IgG antibody reactive not only to the six strains but also to other O-antigen serotypes 6, 8 and 9, indicating cross-reactivities among the strains. Immunotherapeutic efficacy of the antisera was also evaluated by a passive immunization assay, which revealed that the orally immunized antisera as well as the i.m. immunized antisera was protective against a subsequent lethal challenge of V. vulnificus. These data demonstrate that oral immunization with a V. vulnificus whole cell lysate vaccine induced a systemic immune response and suggest the feasibility of development of this vaccine preparation as an oral vaccine.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제14권6호
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• pp.307-320
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• 2014

Mycobacterium scrofulaceum is an environmental and slow-growing atypical mycobacterium. Emerging evidence suggests that M. scrofulaceum infection is associated with cervical lymphadenitis in children and pulmonary or systemic infections in immunocompromised adults. However, the nature of host innate immune responses to M. scrofulaceum remains unclear. In this study, we examined the innate immune responses in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) infected with different M. scrofulaceum strains including ATCC type strains and two clinically isolated strains (rough and smooth types). All three strains resulted in the production of proinflammatory cytokines in BMDMs mediated through toll-like receptor-2 and the adaptor MyD88. Activation of MAPKs (extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, and p38, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase) and nuclear receptor (NF)-${\kappa}B$ together with intracellular reactive oxygen species generation were required for the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in BMDMs. In addition, the rough morphotypes of M. scrofulaceum clinical strains induced higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines, MAPK and NF-${\kappa}B$ activation, and ROS production than other strains. When mice were infected with different M. scrofulaceum strains, those infected with the rough strain showed the greatest hepatosplenomegaly, granulomatous lesions, and immune cell infiltration in the lungs. Notably, the bacterial load was higher in mice infected with rough colonies than in mice infected with ATCC or smooth strains. Collectively, these data indicate that rough M. scrofulaceum induces higher inflammatory responses and virulence than ATCC or smooth strains.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제22권5호
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• pp.41.1-41.16
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• 2022

The human antimicrobial peptide LL-37 has chemotactic and modulatory activities in various immune cells, including dendritic cells. Because of its characteristics, LL-37 can be considered an adjuvant for vaccine development. In this study, we confirmed the possible adjuvant activity of LL-37 in mucosal vaccine development against Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) by means of intranasal immunization in C57BL/6 and human dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (hDPP4)-transgenic (hDPP4-Tg) mice. Intranasal immunization using the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of MERS-CoV spike protein (S-RBD) recombined with LL-37 (S-RBD-LL-37) induced an efficient mucosal IgA and systemic IgG response with virus-neutralizing activity, compared with S-RBD. Ag-specific CTL stimulation was also efficiently induced in the lungs of mice that had been intranasally immunized with S-RBD-LL-37, compared with S-RBD. Importantly, intranasal immunization of hDPP4-Tg mice with S-RBD-LL-37 led to reduced immune cell infiltration into the lungs after infection with MERS-CoV. Finally, intranasal immunization of hDPP4-Tg mice with S-RBD-LL-37 led to enhanced protective efficacy, with increased survival and reduced body weight loss after challenge infection with MERS-CoV. Collectively, these results suggest that S-RBD-LL-37 is an effective intranasal vaccine candidate molecule against MERS-CoV infection.

• BMB Reports
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• 제53권1호
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• pp.10-19
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• 2020

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease characterized by the accumulation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. The AD pathophysiology entails chronic inflammation involving innate immune cells including microglia, astrocytes, and other peripheral blood cells. Inflammatory mediators such as cytokines and complements are also linked to AD pathogenesis. Despite increasing evidence supporting the association between abnormal inflammation and AD, no well-established inflammatory biomarkers are currently available for AD. Since many reports have shown that abnormal inflammation precedes the outbreak of the disease, non-invasive and readily available peripheral inflammatory biomarkers should be considered as possible biomarkers for early diagnosis of AD. In this minireview, we introduce the peripheral biomarker candidates related to abnormal inflammation in AD and discuss their possible molecular mechanisms. Furthermore, we also summarize the current state of inflammatory biomarker research in clinical practice and molecular diagnostics. We believe this review will provide new insights into biomarker candidates for the early diagnosis of AD with systemic relevance to inflammation during AD pathogenesis.

• BMB Reports
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• 제47권2호
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• pp.60-68
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• 2014

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by an erythematous scaly plaque of the skin and is occasionally accompanied by systemic complications. In the psoriatic lesions, an increased number of cytokine-producing dendritic cells and activated T cells are observed, which indicate that psoriasis is a prototype of an immune-mediated dermatosis. During the last decade, emerging studies demonstrate novel roles for the dendritic cell subsets in the process of disease initiation and maintenance of psoriasis. In addition, recently discovered anti-psoriatic therapies, which specifically target inflammatory cytokines produced by lesional dendritic cells, bring much better clinical improvement compared to conventional treatments. These new therapies implicate the crucial importance of dendritic cells in psoriasis pathogenesis. This review will summarize and discuss the dendritic cell subsets of the human skin and their pathophysiological involvement in psoriasis based on mouse- and patient-oriented studies.

• 대한두경부종양학회지
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• 제37권2호
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• pp.11-17
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• 2021

Head and neck cancer is the 6^th most frequently diagnosed solid tumor in the world. Alcohol consumption, smoking, and HPV infection are associated with the incidence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Although a multidisciplinary approach is a key strategy for the treatment of locally advanced HNSCC, systemic therapy is the mainstream of recurrent or metastatic HNSCC treatment. Stage IV HNSCC has a relatively poor prognosis with median overall survival of around one year. There have been many clinical trials to investigate the efficacy of target agents in the treatment of HNSCC. In the HPV-negative HNSCC, TP53 and CDKN2A are the most commonly mutated genes. In the HPV-positive HNSCC, the PI3K pathway is frequently altered. EGFR, PI3K, cell cycle pathway, MET, HRAS, and IL6/JAK/STAT pathway are explored targets in HNSCC. In this study, we review the target pathways and agents under research. We also introduce here umbrella trials of recurrent or metastatic HNSCC conducted by the Korea Cancer Study Group. The combination of target agents with immune checkpoint inhibitors or cytotoxic chemotherapies would be a future step in the precision medicine of HNSCC treatment.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.32.1-32.15
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• 2023

Most influenza vaccines currently in use target the highly variable hemagglutinin protein to induce neutralizing antibodies and therefore require yearly reformulation. T cell-based universal influenza vaccines focus on eliciting broadly cross-reactive T-cell responses, especially the tissue-resident memory T cell (T_RM) population in the respiratory tract, providing superior protection to circulating memory T cells. This study demonstrated that intramuscular (i.m.) administration of the adenovirus-based vaccine expressing influenza virus nucleoprotein (rAd/NP) elicited weak CD8 T_RM responses in the lungs and airways, and yielded poor protection against lethal influenza virus challenge. However, a novel "prime-and-deploy" strategy that combines i.m. vaccination of rAd/NP with subsequent intranasal administration of an empty adenovector induced strong NP-specific CD8⁺ T_RM cells and provided complete protection against influenza virus challenge. Overall, our results demonstrate that this "prime-and-deploy" vaccination strategy is potentially applicable to the development of universal influenza vaccines.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제16권5호
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• pp.305-310
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• 2016

In this study, we compared two different tumor cell vaccines for their induction of anti-tumor immunity; one was a tumor cell clone expressing a membrane-bound form of IL-12 p35 subunit (mbIL-12 p35 tumor clone), and the other was a tumor clone expressing heterodimeric IL-12 as a single chain (mb-scIL-12 tumor clone). The stimulatory effect of mb-scIL-12 on the proliferation of ConA-activated splenocytes was higher than that of mbIL-12 p35 in vitro. However, the stimulatory effect of mbIL-12 p35 was equivalent to that of recombinant soluble IL-12 (3 ng/ml). Interestingly, both tumor clones (mbIL-12 p35 and mb-scIL-12) showed similar tumorigenicity and induction of systemic anti-tumor immunity in vivo, suggesting that tumor cell expression of the membrane-bound p35 subunit is sufficient to induce anti-tumor immunity in our tumor vaccine model.

• 대한한의학회지
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.37-49
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• 2002

Objectives: Maekmoondong-tang and Jeongcheonhwadamgangki-tang are herbal decoctions which have been used as traditional therapeutic agents for asthma. This study was performed to investigate the effects of Maekmoondong-tang and Jeongcheonhwadamgangki-tang on immune Cell & serum OA-specific 19B in broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in rat asthma model. Methods: Rats were sensitized with ovalbumin (OA); at day I the sensitized group and Maekmoondong-tang and Jeongcheonhwadamgangki-tang groups were systemically immunized by subcutaneous injection of 1mg OA and 300mg of $Al(OH)_3$ in a total volume of 2ml. At the same time, 1ml of 0.9% saline containing $6{\times}10^9$ B. pertussis bacilli was injected by i.p. for 14 days. After systemic immunization, the rats received local immunization by inhaling 0.9% saline aerosol containing 2% (wt/vol) OA. A day after local immunization, BAL fluid was collected from the rats. A day after local immunization, rats were orally administered with each of Maekmoondong-tang and Jeongcheonhwadamgangki-tang extract for 14 days. Lymphocyte, CD4+T-cell CD8+ T-cell counts, CD4+/CD8+ ratio in BALF, change of serum OA-specific IgE level, and CD4+T-cell CD8+T-cell percentage in the peripheral blood were measured and evaluated. Results: Maekmoondong-tang and Jeongcheonhwadamgangki-tang showed a suppressive effect on the rat asthma model. Maekmoondong-tang decreased total cell, lymphocyte, CD4+T-cell, CD8+T-cell in BALF, and serum OA specific 19B level as compared with the control group, whereas Maekmoondong-tang decreased CD4+/CD8+ ratio in BALF with statistical nonsignificance as compared with the control group. 1 decreased total cell, CD4+T-cell, CD4+/CD8+ ratio in BALF, and serum OA specific IgE level, whereas Jeongcheonhwadamgangki-tang decreased ymphocyte, and CD8+T-cell in BALF with statistical nonsignificance as compared with the control group. CD4+T-cell and CD8+ T-cell percentage in peripheral blood were not changed significantly in all the experimental groups. Conclusions: This study shows that Maekmoondong-tang and Jeongcheonhwadamgangki-tang have a suppressive effect on asthma. Maekmooruiong-tang and Jeongcheonhwadamgangki-tang would be useful asthma treatment agents.

• 한국어병학회지
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.147-152
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• 2003

The CMV promoter driven luciferase reporter gene coding plasmid (pcDNA-luc) was constructed and used as a model for DNA immunization study. Expression of the recombinant luciferase protein was confirmed in vitro in RTG-2 cell line before using in vivo study in olive flounder. In dose response study, the maximum expression of the luciferase gene was found in the group injected with 10-15μg of plasmid DNA. The kinetic study showed that the luciferase gene expression was reached at the maximum level at one day after injection and slightly decreased after then but significantly high level of expression was sustained until the conducted experiment of 7 days. In the study of tissue distribution of gene expression, it was found that luciferase gene was expressed at the significant level in immune organs such as gill and spleen, located far from the injected site, suggesting the systemic distribution of the intramuscularly injected DNA in olive flounder.