1. The contribution of reactive nitrogen species to the development of airway hyperresponsiveness in a mouse model of allergic inflammation was investigated by the use of selective inhibitors of nitric oxide and superoxide formation. 2. Sensitized mice, repeatedly challenged with ovalbumin showed a significant (P<0.001, n=9) increase in airway responsiveness measured using whole body plethysmog...

Antigen cross-presentation involves the uptake and processing of exogenously derived antigens and their assembly with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules. Antigen presenting cells (APC) load peptides derived from the exogenous antigens onto MHC class I molecules for presentation to CD8 T cells. Calreticulin has been suggested to mediate and enhance antigen cross-presentatio...

The mammary gland is able to detect and react to bacterial intrusion through innate immunity mechanisms, but mammary inflammation can also result from antigen-specific adaptive immunity. We postulated that innate and adaptive immune responses could synergize to trigger inflammation in the mammary gland. To test this hypothesis, we immunized cows with the model antigen ovalbumin and challenged t...

The maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) allows these antigen-presenting cells to initiate immunity. We pursued this concept in situ by studying the adjuvant action of alpha-galactosylceramide (alphaGalCer) in mice. A single i.v. injection of glycolipid induced the full maturation of splenic DCs, beginning within 4 h. Maturation was manifest by marked increases in costimulator and major histocom...

BACKGROUND It was recently reported that iron oxide nanoparticles attenuated antigen-specific humoral responses and T cell cytokine expression in ovalbumin-sensitized mice. It is presently unclear whether iron oxide nanoparticles influence T helper 1 cell-mediated immunity. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of iron oxide nanoparticles on delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH), whos...

In the chick oviduct, injections of estrogen and progesterone induce synthesis of the specific proteins ovalbumin and avidin, respectively. We have studied the rate of induction of the specific messenger RNA molecules for these proteins after a single injection of estrogen or progesterone. The mRNAs were extracted, partially purified, and quantified in vitro in a heterologous protein-synthesizi...

Inhibition of Rho-associated coiled-coil forming kinases (ROCKs) reduces allergic airway responses in mice. The purpose of this study was to determine the roles of the two ROCK isoforms, ROCK1 and ROCK2, in these responses. Wildtype (WT) mice and heterozygous ROCK1 and ROCK2 knockout mice (ROCK1(+/-) and ROCK2(+/-), respectively) were sensitised and challenged with ovalbumin. ROCK expression an...

The thermal denaturation, aggregation, and degradation of hen egg white ovalbumin dissolved in distilled and deionized water (60 mg/ml, pH 7.5) was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), and viscosity measurement. Two independent endothermic peaks were observed up to 180 degrees C by the DSC analysis. The first peak appeared at around...

Immune responsiveness of inbred mice to low doses of ovalbumin or ovomucoid is under control of single dominant genes closely linked to alleles of the H-2 locus. High responsiveness to ovomucoid is linked with the H-2(a) and H-2(k) alleles, and to ovalbumin with the H-2(b), H-2(d), and H-2(q) alleles.