The anti-HLA-E IgG2a mAbs, TFL-006 and TFL-007, reacted with all HLA-I antigens, similar to the therapeutic preparations of IVIg. Indeed, IVIg lost its HLA reactivity, when its HLA-E reactivity was adsorbed out. US-FDA approved IVIg to reduce antibodies in autoimmune diseases. But the mechanism underlying IVIg-mediated antibody reduction could not be ascertained due to the presence of other pol...

OBJECTIVE The relationship between human leukocyte antigens class II (HLA) and antinuclear antibodies was investigated in Jamaican patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). METHODS Samples of blood of 82 patients with SLE and 75 healthy controls were tested for antinuclear antibodies using the fluorescent antinuclear antibody (FANA) test, counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIEP) and the Cr...

A small subset of patients infected with Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) does not produce Bb specific antibody. Our research provides additional evidence of a genetic predisposition for seronegativity in some individuals with Lyme disease. Because human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II, a heterodimeric glycoprotein, plays an essential role in the regulation of antibody production, we investigated the...

The US Food and Drug Administration approved intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), extracted from the plasma of thousands of blood donors, for removing HLA antibodies (Abs) in highly sensitized patients awaiting organ transplants. Since the blood of healthy individuals has HLA Abs, we tested different IVIg preparations for reactivity to HLA single antigen Luminex beads. All preparations showed hig...

Evidence from the RV144 HIV-1 vaccine trial implicates anti-HIV-1 antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) in vaccine-conferred protection from infection. Among effector cells that mediate ADCC are natural killer (NK) cells. The ability of NK cells to be activated in an antibody-dependent manner is reliant upon several factors. In general, NK cell-mediated antibody-dependent activation i...

introduction: the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) is a group of cell surface proteins that are essential for recognizing foreign molecules in human and other mammals. the physiologic function of mhc molecules is the presentation of peptides to t cells. in this study, we evaluated the purification of a class ii mhc molecule (hla-dr) from a human burkitt′s lymphoma cell line; daudi. materi...

Case. We report a rare case of hydralazine-induced anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. A 75-year-old African American woman with history of high blood pressure on hydralazine for 3 years presented with acute onset of shortness of breath and hemoptysis. Lab workup revealed a severe normocytic anemia and a serum creatinine of 5.09 mg/dL (baseline 0.9). Bronchoscopy demonst...