BACKGROUND Hepatitis E is a major public health problem in the developing countries. Pathogenesis of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is poorly understood. METHODS This case-control study included 124 Hepatitis E patients (46 acute and 78 recovered), 9 with prior exposure to HEV and 71 anti-HEV negative healthy controls. HEV induced CTL response by Elispot, cytokines/chemokines quantitation ...

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-21 share activities in the control of T- and B-cell maturation, proliferation, function, and survival. However, opposing roles for IL-2 and IL-21 have been reported in the development of regulatory T cells. To dissect unique, redundant, and opposing activities of IL-2 and IL-21, we compared T- and B-cell development and function in mice lacking both IL-2 receptor α (...

Cytolytic CD4 T cells (CD4 CTL) have been identified in vivo in response to viral infections; however, the factors necessary for driving the cytolytic phenotype have not been fully elucidated. Our previously published work suggests IL-2 may be the master regulator of perforin-mediated cytotoxicity in CD4 effectors. To further dissect the role of IL-2 in CD4 CTL generation, T cell receptor trans...

E-proteins are TCR-sensitive transcription factors essential for intrathymic T cell transitions. Here, we show that deletion of E-proteins leads to both enhanced peripheral TGF-β-induced regulatory T (iT reg) cell and thymic naturally arising T reg cell (nT reg cell) differentiation. In contrast, deletion of Id proteins results in reduced nT reg cell differentiation. Mechanistic analysis indica...

OBJECTIVES T lymphocytes are not infected by dengue virus (DENV), nevertheless it is possible that exposure to DENV may affect their function. T lymphocytes from DENV-infected individuals are impaired in their proliferative capacity, although this effect has been attributed to altered function of antigen-presenting cells rather than to an intrinsic defect on T lymphocytes. Here we analyzed whet...

Naturally occurring regulatory T (Treg) cells play a central role in the maintenance of immune homeostasis and in restraining the development of spontaneous inflammatory responses. However, the underlying mechanisms of Treg homeostasis remain incompletely understood. Of particular note, the IL-2Rα (CD25) is crucial for the homeostasis of Treg cells and the prevention of lymphoproliferative auto...

Cytokines are fundamental for a functioning immune system, and thus potentially serve as important indicators of animal health. Quantitation of mRNA using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is an established immunological technique. It is particularly suitable for detecting the expression of proteins against which monoclonal antibodies are not available. In t...

Abstract Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a pleiotropic cytokine with clinical utility in stimulating anti-cancer immunity. However, its efficacy limited by short serum half-life, systemic toxicity, and concurrent activation of immunostimulatory immunosuppressive immune cells. IL-2 can signal down an intermediate-affinity receptor consisting β (IL-2Rβ) the common gamma chain (γc) or high-affinity that a...