The lethal toxin produced by Bacillus anthracis is a bipartite toxin in which the first protein, protective antigen (PA), transports the second protein, lethal factor, across the host cell membrane. We have previously shown that CD8(+) T-cell epitopes fused to a nontoxic derivative of lethal factor (LFn) are delivered into the host cell cytosol in a PA-dependent manner. Delivery of these antige...

Glucan particles (GPs) are hollow porous Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell walls that are treated so that they are composed primarily of β-1,3-d-glucans. Our previous studies showed that GPs can serve as an effective vaccine platform. Here, we characterize CD4(+) T-cell and antibody responses in immunized mice as a function of antigen (ovalbumin) encapsulation, antigen dose, particle numbers, time,...

BACKGROUND Schistosomiasis japonica is a zoonotic parasitic disease and oral vaccine delivery system would be benefit for prevention of this disease. Although attenuated salmonella has been used as an antigen expression vector for oral vaccine development, the membrane-bound vacuoles in which bacteria reside hinders the presentation of expressed heterologous antigens to the major histocompatibi...

Traditionally, cell-mediated immune responses to vaccination in animal models are evaluated by invasive techniques such as biopsy and organ extraction. We show here that by combining two noninvasive imaging technologies, MRI and bioluminescence imaging (BLI), we can visualize both the afferent and efferent arms of cellular events following vaccination longitudinally. To this end, we evaluated t...

BACKGROUND/AIMS A single intranasal delivery of retinal autoantigen suppresses effectively experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU). To further unravel underlying mechanisms the authors wished to determine, firstly, the kinetics of antigen delivery and, secondly, the early cellular responses involved in the initial stages of nasal mucosal tolerance induction. METHODS Flow cytometry, cell p...

Dendritic cells (DCs) are potent professional antigen-presenting cells that are capable of initiating a primary immune response and activating T cells, and they play a pivotal role in the immune responses of the host to cancer. Prior to antigen presentation, efficient antigen and adjuvant uptake by DCs is necessary to induce their maturation and cytokine generation. Nanoparticles (NPs) are capa...