IMMUNOCHEMICAL. STUDY ON BARLEY α-AMYLASES*

Polymorphism of barley α-amylase was studied using immuno-electrophoresis and immuno-absorption in a gel medium with an anti-barley malt α-amylase immune serum: α-amylase from germinated seeds is antigenically heterogeneous. The two antigens which were demonstrated evolved differently upon germination. The bulk of the enzyme activity extracted from the seeds at different stages of germination differed antigenically from α-amylases found in developing barley seeds.     

Programmable Nucleic Acid Based Polygons with Controlled Neuroimmunomodulatory Properties for Predictive QSAR Modeling

In the past few years, the study of therapeutic RNA nanotechnology has expanded tremendously to encompass a large group of interdisciplinary sciences. It is now evident that rationally designed programmable RNA nanostructures offer unique advantages in addressing contemporary therapeutic challenges such as distinguishing target cell types and ameliorating disease. However, to maximize the therapeutic benefit of these nanostructures, it is essential to understand the immunostimulatory aptitude of such tools and identify potential complications. This paper presents a set of 16 nanoparticle platforms that are highly configurable. These novel nucleic acid based polygonal platforms are programmed for controllable self‐assembly from RNA and/or DNA strands via canonical Watson–Crick interactions. It is demonstrated that the immunostimulatory properties of these particular designs can be tuned to elicit the desired immune response or lack thereof. To advance the current understanding of the nanoparticle properties that contribute to the observed immunomodulatory activity and establish corresponding designing principles, quantitative structure–activity relationship modeling is conducted. The results demonstrate that molecular weight, together with melting temperature and half‐life, strongly predicts the observed immunomodulatory activity. This framework provides the fundamental guidelines necessary for the development of a new library of nanoparticles with predictable immunomodulatory activity.     

免疫原理在入侵检测技术中的应用研究

文章介绍了生物免疫的免疫原理及入侵检测系统的原理,论述了免疫原理在入侵检测技术中的应用,着重讨论了阴性选择模型与危险理论及有关算法在入侵检测系统中的应用。最后在分析入侵检测方法存在问题的基础上,探讨了基于免疫原理的入侵检测系统的研究方向。     

花生过敏原Ara h2与Ara h6的生物信息学比较研究

运用生物信息学技术比较Ara h2和Ara h6从一级结构到三级结构的异同.结果发现,Ara h2含有一段独有的序列(60~73),其中包括Ara h2三个主要IgE抗原表位中的两个.以Ara h6为模板进行同源建模获得了Ara h2的立体结构,与Ara h6的结构叠加拟合后,该结构多出一段由蛋白环连接的反向平行β-折叠(58~72),其伸展结构同样包含上述两个IgE表位的蛋白序列.探讨从Ara h2和Ara h6的一级结构到三级结构产生免疫学活性差异的原因,为研究花生过敏机制及设计低致敏原疫苗奠定基础.     

PET Imaging of T Cells: Target Identification and Feasibility Assessment

Imaging T cells using positron emission tomography (PET) would be highly useful for diagnosis and monitoring in immunology and oncology patients. There are, however, no obvious targets that can be used to develop imaging agents for this purpose. We evaluated several potential target proteins with selective expression in T cells, and for which lead molecules were available: protein kinase C isozyme θ (PKC θ), lymphocyte‐specific protein tyrosine kinase (Lck), zeta‐chain‐associated protein kinase 70 (ZAP70), and interleukin‐2‐inducible T‐cell kinase (Itk). Ultimately, we focused on Itk and identified a tool molecule with properties suitable for in vivo imaging of T cells: (5aR)‐5,5‐difluoro‐5a‐methyl‐N‐(1‐((S)‐3‐(methylsulfonyl)phenyl)(tetrahydro‐2H‐pyran‐4‐yl)methyl)‐1H‐pyrazol‐4‐yl)‐1,4,4a,5,5a,6‐hexahydrocyclopropa[f]indazole‐3‐carboxamide ( 23 ). Although it does not have the optimal profile for clinical use, this molecule indicates that it might be possible to develop Itk‐selective PET ligands for imaging the distribution of T cells in patients.     

基因枪技术发展综述

基因枪作为一种重要的基因转移方法，随着基因工程的不断发展，在各个应用领域都显示出了其独特的优越性，因而广受重视；与此同时，基因枪技术本身也在实践中不断发展和完善。本文在回顾和总结基因枪技术产生和发展的历史的基础上，结合当前基因枪技术在基因治疗和基因免疫领域的应用情况，总结了基因枪技术下一步改进和发展的趋势：微型化、实用化和高效化。     

Modern Subunit Vaccines: Development,Components, and Research Opportunities

Traditional vaccines, based on the administration of killed or attenuated microorganisms, have proven to be among the most effective methods for disease prevention. Safety issues related to administering these complex mixtures, however, prevent their universal application. Through identification of the microbial components responsible for protective immunity, vaccine formulations can be simplified, enabling molecular‐level vaccine characterization, improved safety profiles, prospects to develop new high‐priority vaccines (e.g. for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria), and the opportunity for extensive vaccine component optimization. This subunit approach, however, comes at the expense of decreased immunity, requiring the addition of immunostimulatory agents (adjuvants). As few adjuvants are currently used in licensed vaccines, adjuvant development represents an exciting area for medicinal chemists to play a role in the future of vaccine development. In addition, immune responses can be further customized though optimization of delivery systems, tuning the size of particulate vaccines, targeting specific cells of the immune system (e.g. dendritic cells), and adding components to aid vaccine efficacy in whole immunized populations (e.g. promiscuous T‐helper epitopes). Herein we review the current state of the art and future direction in subunit vaccine development, with a focus on the described components and their potential to steer the immune response toward a desired response.     

Identification of IgE Binding to Api g 1‐Derived Peptides

Celery is a frequent cause of food allergy in pollen‐sensitized patients and can induce severe allergic reactions. Clinical symptoms cannot be predicted by skin prick tests (SPTs) or by determining allergen‐specific immunoglobulin E (IgE). Our aim was to identify specific IgE binding peptides by using an array technique. For our study, the sera of 21 patients with positive double‐blind, placebo‐controlled food challenge (DBPCFC) to celery, as well as the sera of 17 healthy patients were used. Additionally, all patients underwent skin tests along with determinations of specific IgE binding. The major allergen of celery Api g 1.0101 (Apium graveolens) was synthesized as an array of overlapping peptides and probed with the patients' sera. We developed an improved immunoassay protocol by investigating peptide lengths, peptide densities, incubation parameters, and readout systems, which could influence IgE binding. Sera of celery‐allergic patients showed binding to three distinct regions of Api g 1.0101. The region including amino acids 100 to 126 of Api g 1.0101 is the most important region for IgE binding. This region caused a fivefold higher binding of IgE from the sera of celery‐allergic patients compared to those of healthy individuals. In particular, one peptide (VLVPTADGGSIC) was recognized by all sera of celery‐allergic patients. In contrast, no binding to this peptide was detected in sera of the healthy controls. Our improved assay strategy allows us to distinguish between celery‐allergic and healthy individuals, but needs to be explored in a larger cohort of well‐defined patients.