During sensitization with dinitrofluorobenzene for contact hypersensitivity (CHS) responses, hapten-specific CD8(+) T cells develop into IFN-gamma-producing cells, and CD4(+) T cells develop into IL-4/IL-5-producing cells. Administration of IL-12 during sensitization skews CD4(+) T cell development to IFN-gamma-producing cells, resulting in exaggerated CHS responses. In the current report we te...

The CD40 ligand (CD154), expressed primarily on activated CD4-positive T cells, is a costimulatory molecule involved in B-cell proliferation, germinal center formation, and immunoglobulin class switching. Since B-cell abnormalities including hypergammaglobulinemia and abnormal antibody-specific immune responses are prominent and occur early during the course of pediatric human immunodeficiency ...

NK cells are a subpopulation of lymphocytes characterized primarily by their cytolytic activity. They are recognized as an important component of the immune response against virus infection and tumors. In addition to their cytolytic activity, NK cells also participate either directly or indirectly in the regulation of the ongoing Ab response. More recently, it has been suggested that NK cells h...

CD153 (CD30 ligand) is a member of the TNF ligand/cytokine family expressed on the surface of human B cells. Upon exposure to IL-4, a critical Ig class switch-inducing cytokine, Ag-activated T cells express CD30, the CD153 receptor. The observation that dysregulated IgG, IgA, and/or IgE production is often associated with up-regulation of T cell CD30 prompted us to test the hypothesis that enga...

Engagement of CD40 on murine B cells by its ligand CD154 induces the binding of TNFR-associated factors (TRAFs) 1, 2, 3, and 6, followed by the rapid degradation of TRAFs 2 and 3. TRAF degradation occurs in response to signaling by other TNFR superfamily members, and is likely to be a normal regulatory component of signaling by this receptor family. In this study, we found that receptor-induced...

Cognate recognition between the CD40 receptor and its ligand, CD154, is thought to play a central role in the initiation and propagation of immune responses. We describe the specific down regulation of cell surface associated CD40 protein expression by use of a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) antisense inhibitor, ISIS 208529, that is designed to bind to the 3' end of the exon 6 splice junction withi...

Lichen planus (LP) is a chronic T-cell-mediated mucocutaneous inflammatory disease that targets stratified epithelia, including those lining the oral cavity. The intraoral variant of LP (OLP) is associated with interferon (IFN)-γ production by infiltrating T lymphocytes; however, the role of epithelial cells in the etiopathogenesis OLP is not completely understood. There is however a growing bo...