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Mucosal immunity in upper respiratory tract diseases and autoimmunity diseases
Fundová, Petra ; Tlaskalová - Hogenová, Helena (advisor) ; Prokešová, Ludmila (referee) ; Bártová, Jiřina (referee)
Mucosal immune system comprises not only the major compartment of the immune system but also important interface with the outer environment. It is responsible in maintaining an intricate balance with the danger and non-danger stimuli of the outer world by employing specific anatomical features and unique functional mechanisms. Mucosal immune system has been long understudied, perhaps due to the limited accessibility, and its biological importance is thus still underevaluated. However, it has become evident that it is important to study mucosal immune system not only in local mucosal affections but also when uncovering pathogenic mechanisms and novel prevention strategies of organ specific autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes. Thus, the first, more clinically oriented part of this thesis is focused on mucosal immune system of the upper respiratory tract in disease conditions - in nasal polyposis (NP). Because there is a substantial accumulation of eosinophils and neutrophils in the most frequent type of NP, we investigated and described increased expression of chemokine receptors CCR1 and CCR3 in NP versus nasal mucosa. Both innate immune mechanisms as well as homeostasis of epithelial cells may participate in NP. We have documented increased numbers of iNOS-positive and insulin-like growth...
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Autoantibodies against calreticulin in patients with dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Sánchez, Daniel ; Tlaskalová - Hogenová, Helena (advisor) ; Javorková, Eliška (referee)
Distinct cellular level of the Ca2+ binding chaperone calreticulin (CRT) is essential for cardiac development and postnatal function. However, CRT is also a potential autoantigen eliciting formation of antibodies (Ab), whose role is not yet clarified. Immunization with CRT leads to cardiac injury, and overexpression of CRT in cardiomyocytes induces dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in experimental animals. Hence, we analysed levels of anti-CRT Ab and calreticulin in the sera of patients with idiopatic DCM and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). ELISA and immunoblot using human recombinant CRT and Pepscan with synthetic, overlapping decapeptides of CRT were used to detect anti-CRT Ab. Significantly increased levels of anti-CRT Ab of IgA (P<0.001) and IgG (P<0.05) isotypes were found in patients with both DCM (12/34 seropositive for IgA, 7/34 for IgG) and HCM (13/38 seropositive for IgA, 11/38 for IgG) when compared with controls (2/79 for IgA, 1/79 for IgG). Titration analysis in seropositive DCM and HCM patients documented anti-CRT Ab detected at 1/1600 dilution for IgG and 1/800 for IgA (and IgA1) and at least at 1/200 dilution for IgA2, IgG1, IgG2 and IgG3. Pepscan identified several immunogenic CRT epitopes: EVKIDNSQVESGSLED, IDDPTDSKPE, DKAPEHIPDPDA and RKEEEEAEDKEDDAEDKDEDEEDE recognised by IgA and...
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Characterization of the distribution and dynamics of the antigen-presenting cells using MHC II-EGFP knock-in mouse model
Pačes, Jan ; Černý, Jan (advisor) ; Tlaskalová - Hogenová, Helena (referee)
Results of recent studies indicate that dendritic cells are capable of transporting commensal intestinal bacteria into the mammary glands, which ultimately leads to their occurrence in breast milk. We have therefore decided to evaluate the phenotype of immunologically relevant antigen presenting cells (APCs) present in the mammary glands and the small intestine, respectively and perform a comparison study. We also studied plasticity of these populations during lactation. In situ immunodetection and flow cytometry methods were used to determine phenotype. We succeeded in optimising the methods for preparation of samples for flow cytometry and microscopy. We thoroughly tested protocols for 3D visualisation of APC populations and quantitative image analysis for correlation with flow cytometry, further optimization is nevertheless needed. We found out that during lactation large numbers of MHC II+ cells cluster around the alveoli and milk ducts. These cells are of a distinctly dendritic shape and their phenotype does not correspond to the APCs in the surrounding tissue. A pronounced increase of APC cells in the mammary glands between the fourth and sixth days of lactation was observed, with the majority of these cells expressing the CD103 antigen typical for cell populations of immune cells of the...
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The effects of bacterial lysates on the gut barrier function and microbiota composition
Zákostelská, Zuzana ; Tlaskalová - Hogenová, Helena (advisor) ; Prokešová, Ludmila (referee) ; Rada, Vojtěch (referee)
Dynamic molecular interactions between the microbiota and the intestinal mucosa play an important role in the establishment and maintenance of mucosal homeostasis. Aberrant host- microbiota interaction could lead to many diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease. The aim of our study was to evaluate the commensal and probiotic bacteria activities and their ability to induce pathological or exert beneficial effects. The most important trigger for immune system development is an exposure to microbial components. Here, we show that there is a time window at about three weeks of age, which enables the artificial colonization of germ free mice by a single oral dose of cecal content. The delayed colonization by either inoculation or co-housing causes permanent changes in immune system reactivity, which may downgrade the results of experiments performed on first generation of colonized animals. In this thesis we report that even non-living commensal bacteria such as Parabacteroides distasonis (mPd) or well known probiotics such as L. casei DN-114 001 (Lc) possess anti-inflammatory effects in experimental model of colitis. The mechanisms that this effect is achieved by the lysate of L. casei DN-114 001 comprise: a) improvement in the gut barrier function, b) correction of the dysbiosis, and c) modulation of the...
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Role of microbiota and gut inflammation in the pathogenesis of experimental colorectal cancer
Klimešová, Klára ; Tlaskalová - Hogenová, Helena (advisor) ; Vítek, Libor (referee) ; Reiniš, Milan (referee)
Mucosal surface of the gut is in continuous contact with foreign compounds derived from diet as well as from commensal or pathogenic microorganisms. Thousands of years of symbiosis resulted in tight cooperation between the host and its microbiota. Microbiota composition and metabolism actively influence host's physiological as well as pathological processes. Chronic inflammation is characterized by prolonged active inflammatory response associated with tissue damage. This status results from accumulation of defects in various factors including gut barrier functions as well as mechanisms of innate and adaptive immunity. It's commonly accepted that chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract like IBD, are associated with an increased risk of CAC development. Two publications related to this thesis deal with modulatory effects of peroral administration of components of commensal bacteria or probiotics on intestinal inflammation. Using acute or chronic model of DSS-induced colitis, we demonstrated that oral treatment of BALB/c mice with membranous fraction of the commensal, Parabacteroides distasonis, as well as with lysate of probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus casei DN-114 001 significantly reduces the severity of intestinal inflammation. Moreover, the treatment was associated with reduction of...
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Food intolerance
Jirkovská, Magdaléna ; Tlaskalová - Hogenová, Helena (advisor) ; Křížan, Jiří (referee) ; Seifertová, Eva (referee)
This bachelor's thesis is a literature research that deals with food intolerances. It focuses primarily on celiac sprue, describes the disease, its clinical manifestations, symptoms, complications, methods of investigation, diagnosis and treatment. Part of the thesis deals with relationship of gluten to other diseases such as gluten sensitivity or autism.
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Anti-cytoskeletal antibodies in patients with multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases
Švarcová, Jana ; Matouš-Malbohan, Ivan (advisor) ; Tlaskalová - Hogenová, Helena (referee) ; Průša, Richard (referee)
This thesis focuses on the role of anti-cytoskeletal antibodies in various neurodegenerative diseases. Autoantibodies against different axonal cytoskeletal proteins, such as the light (NF-L) and medium (NF-M) subunits of neurofilament and tubulin (TU), in serum and cerebrospinal fluid may be generated in response to the release of cytoskeleton from damaged neurons. The aim of this study was to assess autoimmune involvement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as well as to evaluate antibody light and medium neurofilament subunit in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with ALS. Furthermore, we were interested in the relationships among these antibodies in the serum and in the CSF as well as between the two anti-NF antibody subtypes. Secondly, the aim was to compare the levels of anti-tubulin antibodies (anti-TU) in cerebrospinal fluid and serum in multiple sclerosis (MS) disease, using bovine tubulin as the antigen in one enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method (anti-TUb antibodies) and a synthetic neuron-specific octapeptide of tubulin in a second ELISA method (anti-TUs antibodies). In the observed groups of ALS patients, serum levels of anti-NF-L antibodies were higher in ALS patients than in controls and serum anti-NF-L antibodies and intrathecal anti- NF-M antibodies were...
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