BACKGROUND HLA class-I mismatches selectively induce antibody formation after kidney transplantation. The de novo development of donor-specific IgG HLA class-I antibodies may be dependent on the HLA class-II background of the patient by presenting T-helper epitopes within the recognized HLA class-I antigens. METHODS The correlation between antibody production against mismatched donor human le...

We have previously identified numerous tumor-rejection antigens and their epitope peptides having the potential to induce cancer-reactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in patients with various types of cancer. In the present study, we attempted to determine which antigens and their peptides are useful in specific immunotherapy for bladder carcinoma (BC) patients, especially those with human le...

OBJECTIVE To find the relationship between human leukocyte antigens (HLA) and cryoglobulin positivity in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected individuals. METHODS Eligible individuals selected from pre and post renal transplant settings were divided into three groups. Group A (n = 301) consisted of normal controls, while group B (n = 200) comprised of pathological controls that were HCV antibody ...

CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are key determinants of immunity to intracellular pathogens and neoplastic cells. Recognition of specific antigens in the form of peptideMHC class I complexes (pMHCI) presented on the target cell surface is mediated by T cell receptor (TCR) engagement. The CD8 coreceptor binds to invariant domains of pMHCI and facilitates antigen recognition. Here, we investiga...

Serology-based tests for tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis, though rapid, efficient and easily implemented, have so far shown unsatisfactory levels of sensitivity and specificity, probably due to variations of the antibody response in TB patients. The number and types of seropositive antigens vary from individual to individual. The person-to-person variations of antigen recognition may be linked to g...

The influence of antibodies against HLA-DP antigens detected with solid-phase assays on graft survival after kidney transplantation (KT) is uncertain. We evaluated with Luminex® the prevalence of pre- and posttransplant DP antibodies in 440 KT patients and their impact on graft survival. For 291 patients with available pretransplant samples, DP antibodies were present in 39.7% KT with pretransp...

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and specificity of HLA-A and B antibodies in multiparous mothers in the Malaysian population. 1,100 maternal serum samples obtained during normal childbirth were screened against a panel of 100 lymphocytes with known HLA antigen types for HLA antibodies by the complement dependent lymphocyte microcytotoxicity dye exclusion test. From the tota...

Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens that are recognized by human CD8+ T cells are potentially important vaccine target molecules. We used a motif-based strategy to screen selected proteins of M. tuberculosis for peptides predicted to bind to human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A*0201. We identified two 10 amino acid peptides that elicited cytolytic T lymphocyte activity and interferon-gamma productio...

The transplant of organs is one of the greatest therapeutic achievements of the twentieth century. In organ transplantation, the adaptive immunity is considered the main response exerted to the transplanted tissue, since the principal target of the immune response is the MHC (major histocompatibility complex) molecules expressed on the surface of donor cells. However, we should not forget that ...

Multitransfused recipients of random donor platelet concentrates frequently form broadly-reactive human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies which restrict the pool of suitable donors to those who are HLA matched with the recipient. In an effort to expand the donor pool for such patients, a retrospective analysis of the antibodies formed by alloimmunized recipients was performed taking sensitizat...