In: Journal of molecular and genetic medicine, 2013, vol. 7, p. 309-314
The monomer of influenza haemagglutinin is synthesized as a single polypeptide precursor that during maturation is cleaved by proteases into two active subunits. Other studies have demonstrated that the human Transmembrane Protease Serine 2 (TMPRSS2) can cleave the HA of human seasonal influenza viruses. Consequently, we have investigated the use of human Transmembrane Protease Serine 2 to...
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In: Plos pathogens, 2013, vol. 9, no. 2, p. e1003157
Dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS) are life-threatening complications following infection with one of the four serotypes of dengue virus (DENV). At present, no vaccine or antiviral therapies are available against dengue. Here, we characterized a panel of eight human or mouse-human chimeric monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and their modified variants lacking effector...
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In: Plos one, 2013, vol. 8, no. 2, p. e55561
Antibodies play an increasing pivotal role in both basic research and the biopharmaceutical sector, therefore technology for characterizing and improving their properties through rational engineering is desirable. This is a difficult task thought to require high-resolution x-ray structures, which are not always available. We, instead, use a combination of solution NMR epitope mapping and ...
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In: Plos pathogens, 2013, vol. 9, no. 1, p. e1003130
An understanding of the immunological footprint of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) CD4 T cell recognition is still incomplete. Here we report that human Th1 cells specific for MTB are largely contained in a CXCR3+CCR6+ memory subset and highly focused on three broadly immunodominant antigenic islands, all related to bacterial secretion systems. Our results refute the notion that secreted...
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In: Journal of translational medicine, 2012, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 251-267
Background: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by B-cell hyperreactivity and the production of pathogenic anti-nuclear- directed auto-antibodies (Abs). B-cell ontogeny is partly dependent on the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis for which the contribution to SLE pathogenesis remains unclear. CXCR7, the novel receptor for CXCL12, is differentially expressed among...
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In: The journal of clinical investigation, 2012, vol. 122, no. 10, p. 3781-3790
Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune blistering disease of skin and mucous membranes caused by autoantibodies to the desmoglein (DSG) family proteins DSG3 and DSG1, leading to loss of keratinocyte cell adhesion. To learn more about pathogenic PV autoantibodies, we isolated 15 IgG antibodies specific for DSG3 from 2 PV patients. Three antibodies disrupted keratinocyte monolayers in vitro,...
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In: Plos one, 2012, vol. 7, no. 5, p. e37208
Background: Leukocyte migration is essential for effective host defense against invading pathogens and during immune homeostasis. A hallmark of the regulation of this process is the presentation of chemokines in gradients stimulating leukocyte chemotaxis via cognate chemokine receptors. For efficient migration, receptor responsiveness must be maintained whilst the cells crawl on cell surfaces...
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In: Plos pathogens, 2012, vol. 8, no. 5, p. e1002705
Noroviruses are the principal cause of epidemic gastroenteritis worldwide with GII.4 strains accounting for 80% of infections. The major capsid protein of GII.4 strains is evolving rapidly, resulting in new epidemic strains with altered antigenic potentials. To test if antigenic drift may contribute to GII.4 persistence, human memory B cells were immortalized and the resulting human monoclonal...
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In: The urban microclimate as artifact : towards an architectural theory of thermal diversity, 2018, p. 12-24
The term “microclimate” was coined by German and British meteorologists and geographers in the first half of the 20th century. Rudolf Geiger and Albert Kratzer realized that the climate in the air layer “two meters above the ground” differs considerably between rural and urban sites. W.G.V. Balchin and Norman Pye proved that the urban climate within one city, Bath, was not homogenous,...
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In: Plos one, 2012, vol. 7, no. 4, p. e35485
Based on the partial efficacy of the HIV/AIDS Thai trial (RV144) with a canarypox vector prime and protein boost, attenuated poxvirus recombinants expressing HIV-1 antigens are increasingly sought as vaccine candidates against HIV/AIDS. Here we describe using systems analysis the biological and immunological characteristics of the attenuated vaccinia virus Ankara strain expressing the HIV-1...
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