Current treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients often results in life-threatening immunosuppression. Furthermore, CLL is still an incurable disease due to the persistence of residual leukemic cells. These patients may therefore benefit from immunotherapy approaches aimed at immunoreconstitution and/or the elimination of residual disease following chemotherapy. For these purpose...

The contribution of the proinflammatory cytokines IFN-gamma and IL-17 to the pathogenesis of experimental arthritis is controversial. In proteoglycan (PG)-induced arthritis (PGIA), severe arthritis is dependent on the production of IFN-gamma, whereas IL-17 is dispensable. In collagen-induced arthritis and Ag-induced arthritis, although high levels of IFN-gamma are secreted, disease is exacerbat...

Interleukin (IL)-2 is the predominant cytokine that is produced by naive Th cells in a primary response. It is required for proliferation and differentiation of Th precursor cells into effector cells. Initial high-level IL-2 production is followed by its decline, and the concomitant induction of cytokines that are typical of the differentiated state. Although the factors that are responsible fo...

BACKGROUND Periodontitis is an infection with an episodic pattern of tissue-support destruction. During the generation of a primary CD4(+) T helper 1 (Th1) response, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) acts as a positive regulator by selectively inducing Th1 differentiation through increased transcription of T-bet. The aims of this work were to determine IFN-gamma levels in samples of gingival crevicu...

Previously, defined naturally occurring isoforms of allergenic proteins were classified as hypoallergens and therefore suggested as an agent for immunotherapy in the future. In this paper, we report for the first time the molecular background of hypoallergenicity by comparing the immunological behavior of hyperallergenic Betula verrucosa major Ag 1a (Bet v 1a) and hypoallergenic Bet v 1d, two i...

Background Various plant foods, e.g. apple and celery, express proteins that are homologues of the major birch-pollen allergen Bet v 1, e.g Mal d 1 and Api g 1. The proteins have 63% and 72% sequence similarity with Bet v 1 and share with it a common 3-dimensional structure. Despite this great molecular similarity, Bet v 1 is the only one among its homologues with the ability to sensitise atopi...

The local progression of primary tumors is extrinsically controlled by type 1 immune responses, particularly via the cytokine IFN-gamma, whose secretion is highly dependent on helper T cells. The T-box transcription factor T-bet (Tbx21) plays a critical role in the development of type 1 helper T cells and is essential for the production of IFN-gamma. Here, the T-bet pathway in the autochthonous...

Specific immunotherapy is an efficient treatment for patients suffering from type I allergy. The mechanisms underlying successful immunotherapy are assumed to operate at the level of T helper cells, leading to a modulation of the immune response to allergens. During immunotherapy, increasing doses of allergens are given on a regular basis, and the beneficial effects for the patient depend on th...