|
|
Possibilities of prediction and immunointervention in type 1 diabetes
Sklenářová, Jana ; Štechová, Kateřina (advisor) ; Saudek, František (referee) ; Pavlínková, Gabriela (referee)
Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease characterised by autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the islets of Langerhans. It is a long-term process initiated months or even years prior to the clinical onset. The main role in the pathogenesis is played by T lymphocytes but other cell types are involved as well. The presence of autoantibodies in the circulation is typical even before the disease onset. Nowadays, intensive research is focused on finding individuals at risk and developing an effective prevention. During my postgraduate studies I was involved mainly in the research of T1D prediction and prevention. We investigated the relationship of established autoimmune markers - autoantibodies - and the cellular reactivity to GAD65 and IA2 autoantigens. We discovered that the reaction to autoantigens is very individual and it is influenced by the patient's autoantibody profile. These results could be relevant in planning antigen-specific immunointervention studies and improving their efficacy. We also made an attempt to improve specificity and sensitivity of a beta cell destruction marker (specifically demethylated DNA), which would enable better understanding of the beta cell decline and identification of individuals at risk of T1D development. In...
|
|
|
Role of Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) protein complex in T cells
Niederlová, Veronika ; Štěpánek, Ondřej (advisor) ; Černý, Jan (referee)
BBSome is a protein complex crucial for trafficking of specific cargoes to the primary cilium. Although primary cilia are typically not present in cells of haematopoietic origin, such as T cells, recent research has revealed striking parallels between the primary cilium and the immunological synapse. Amongst other similarities, both structures are supposed to use the same transport machinery involving Rab8 and IFT20, the close interaction partners of BBSome. The first goal of this thesis was to investigate the role of BBSome in the biology of T cells. Using RT-qPCR, we have shown that BBSome subunits are expressed in lymphoid tissues and T cells. Studies of localization of BBSome subunits in Jurkat cell line and primary OT-I T cells revealed that the subunits have distinct localization patterns with BBS4 localizing to the centrosome and BBS1, BBS5, and BBip10 having dispersed localization. After the contact with an antigen presenting cell, BBS4 re-localizes to the immunological synapse. Mutations in BBSome encoding genes cause Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), a rare ciliopathy presenting with multiorganic symptoms. The second goal of this thesis was to examine the associations between BBS and the immune system. Examination of medical records of more than 450 BBS patients revealed that autoimmune...
|
|
|
New chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) for therapy of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection
Kroutilová, Marie ; Němečková, Šárka (advisor) ; Forstová, Jitka (referee)
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV, Herpesviridae) can cause severe complications in the infected individuals undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Nowadays, these patients are treated using antivirotics or HCMV-specific T cells derived from the seropositive graft donor. This study explored the possibility of redirecting HCMV-non-specific T cells from a seronegative donor towards HCMV-infected cells via chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), i.e. artificially designed T cell receptor. Viral glycoprotein B (gB) has been selected as a target for this receptor. Published sequence of a single chain variable fragment of a human antibody was used for the design of the CAR against gB (gBCAR). After the verification of production and surface localization in cell lines, gBCAR was being introduced into human T cells via lentiviral vectors. Human fetal lung fibroblasts (LEP) infected with HCMV were used as target cells after the expression of gB at their surface was demonstrated. gBCAR functionality was evaluated by the incubation of modified T cells with infected cells and subsequent analysis of media for IFNγ concentration, which was significantly higher in the setting of gBCAR T cells incubated with HCMV-LEP than in the control incubations. The results obtained show the specificity of gBCAR against...
|
|
|
The role of innate lymphoid cells in influenza virus infection
Mouyabi, Flaviancia ; Hrdý, Jiří (advisor) ; Kössl, Jan (referee)
Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are recently discovered group of innate immune cells. They do not have antigen-specific receptors but they can be activated by cytokines similarly to T lymphocytes. ILCs have a crucial role in the regulation of inflammation, tissue repair, containment of commensals, anti-infection immunity and regulation of tissue homeostasis. The presence of mouse and human ILCs can be detected in the lung during and after influenza virus infection when ILCs contribute to the restoration of damaged lung parenchyma. ILCs directly or indirectly provide protection against viral infections by secretion of various cytokines and co-operation with other cells (e.g. T cells, macrophages). Overall, lung ILCs are important in immune responses and tissue homeostasis, but further studies on this topic are needed to fully understand their role. The aim of this thesis was to specifically characterize these cells, focus on their function in the lung, and describe their role in the course of influenza virus infection.
|
|
|
The role of innate lymphoid cells in influenza virus infection
Mouyabi, Flaviancia ; Hrdý, Jiří (advisor) ; Hájková, Michaela (referee)
Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are recently discovered group of innate immune cells. They do not have antigen-specific receptors but they can be activated by cytokines similarly to T lymphocytes. ILCs have a crucial role in the regulation of inflammation, tissue repair, containment of commensals, anti-infection immunity and regulation of tissue homeostasis. The presence of mouse and human ILCs can be detected in the lung during and after influenza virus infection when ILC contribute to the restoration of damaged lung parenchyma. ILCs directly or indirectly provide protection against viral infections by secretion of various cytokines and co-operation with other cells (e.g. T cells, macrophages). Overall, lung ILCs are important in immune responses and tissue homeostasis, but further studies on this topic are needed to fully understand their role. The aim of this thesis was to specifically characterize these cells, focus on their function in the lung, and describe their role in the course of influenza virus infection.
|
|
|
Chimeric antigen receptors in the treatment of hematological malignacies
Fellnerová, Adéla ; Filipp, Dominik (advisor) ; Černý, Jan (referee)
Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are artificial molecules composed of an antibody derived antigen recognition domain which is fused with the signal transduction domain derived from the physiological TCR. CAR technology used to transduce patients T-cells and endow them with the specificity to a certain surface antigen, has been a major breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy in the last decade. This strategy has been most successful for treating hematologic malignancies. Various CAR approaches and applications are currently tested mainly in the United States where many clinical trials have been launched. In contrast, in the Czech Republic, there are only a few teams focused on this topic with no clinical trials going on. During my work on this diploma thesis and in close collaboration with MUDr. Pavel Otáhal, PhD., who is working on implementation of CAR technology into the Czech clinics for the treatment of B-cell malignancies, individual functional CARs were prepared and tested. CAR expressing Jurkat T-cell lines were generated using a lentiviral vector transduction system. CAR functionality was determined by two different assays. We have shown that individual CARs are able to recognize the B-cell lineage specific antigens CD19 and CD20 and significantly up-regulate the activation molecule CD69 upon...
|
|
|
Monitoring of immune parameters during anti-tumor immunotherapy
Bílková, Pavla ; Palich Fučíková, Jitka (advisor) ; Fialová, Anna (referee)
Dendritic cells are the most effective antigen presenting cells in humans, they stimulate naive T lymphocytes and thus initiate specific immune response. The discovery of dendritic cells and understanding of their functions contributed to the idea of usingdendritic cells for the treatment of cancer. Anti tumor immunotherapy is a therapeutic strategy that aims to induce and maintain immune responses against tumor cells. Currently, immunotherapy based on dendritic cells has strong position among other anti cancer therapies and seems to be a promising therapeutic option for patients with tumors. In this work, I evaluated the effectiveness of treatment in patients with prostate cancer treated with immunotherapy based on dendritic cells. I focused on the detection of antigen specific T lymphocytes in peripheral blood against tumor antigens, PSA, NY ESO 1, MAGE A1 and MAGE A3. Using a 3 day standard protocol for the detection of antigen specific T cells using intracellular cytokine staining we were able to detect only a small percentage of this minor population. Only after extension of the protocol, we increased the sensitivity setting and we detected a significantly increased frequency of antigen specific T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood after one year DC vaccines application.
|
|
|
Preparation of expression vector for production of receptors CD69 and S1P1
Leontovyč, Adrian ; Vaněk, Ondřej (advisor) ; Obšil, Tomáš (referee)
T- and B- lymphocytes play a key role in immunity, because they provide specific immunity in organism. Receptor S1P1 regulates lymphocyte egress from lymphoid organs to blood, from which the lymphocytes travel to the site of infection. It was discovered that transmembrane helix 4 of S1P1 receptor interacts with transmembrane part of CD69 receptor and this interaction is responsible for retention of lymphocytes in lymphoid organs. The aim of this study is to prepare expression plasmids for production of these two receptors and their further research.
|
|
|
Immunologic profile of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
Novosádová, Iva ; Fišerová, Anna (advisor) ; Zajícová, Alena (referee)
5 Anglický abstrakt Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is widely accepted as a murine model of human multiple sclerosis autoimmune disease. Murine EAE is usually actively induced by immunization with a suitable myelin antigen. Following immunization, CD4+ T helper lymphocytes Th1 and Th17 accumulate in the nervous tissue and via the production of cytokines, they mediate an inflammatory reaction and the subsequent destruction of myelin. The main goal of this study was the induction of EAE with clinically observable symptoms and the observation of changes in the counts and phenotypes of cells, mainly NK and T cells. NK cells express a wide range of inhibitory and activation receptors from the C-lectin-like receptor superfamily. The specific ligand of the activating NKR-P1C isoform is still unknown and thus this receptor's involvement in EAE was also observed. Another goal was the use of medication with regard to the disease progress improvement. For the purposes of this study, two inbred murine strains with distinct NKR-P1 surface expression were used - the SJL/J strain (expressing inhibitory NKR-P1B) and C57BL/6 (expression activating NKR-P1C). SJL mice elicited a relapse-remitting of EAE, while C57BL/6 had chronic EAE. Both mouse strains exerted changes in the counts of NK...
|
|
|
Tumor microenvironment and the importance of anti-tumor immunity for clinical course of human cancers
Partlová, Simona ; Špíšek, Radek (advisor) ; Drbal, Karel (referee) ; Kovář, Marek (referee)
Cancer development and progression vary depending on tumor type, localization, invasion, immunogenicity and the ability of immune system to become activated. There are frequent interactions between tumor cells and immune cells, occuring locally at the site of primary tumor or distally through paracrine signalling of various mediators and cytokines. The main subject of this PhD thesis is to study key factors and aspects of immune response in cancer patients. In the first part, we analyzed immune cells infiltrating tumor tissues of ovarian cancer patients at different stages of disease. We focused on the dynamics of immune response, primarily on frequency of individual T lymphocyte populations in peripheral blood and tumor infiltrating T lymphocytes in tumors of early and advanced stages of ovarian cancer. We found that during disease progression there is a gradual decrease of proinflammatory Th17 and Th1 immune responses and a specific recruitment of regulatory T cells to the tumor site, which results in a significant immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment. In the second part, we demonstrated that the character of immune response in HPV-positive head and neck cancer patients is very different from the patients with tumors not associated with HPV infection. In HPV-positive patients, significantly...
|
guest ::
