Researchers identify signals that direct the immune system to reject a transplanted organ
2013-05-15
(Press-News.org) Organ transplant rejection occurs when the transplant recipient's immune system identifies the transplanted organ as foreign tissue and attacks it. It was previously thought that T cells, the immune cells that mediate rejection, must first be activated by molecules known as chemokines in order to migrate to the transplanted organ. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Fadi Lakkis and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh used mice to demonstrate that chemokine stimulation of T cells is not required for migration. Instead, these cells must come into contact with immune-stimulating proteins (antigens) that are specifically expressed by the transplanted organ. In an accompanying commentary, Terry Strom discusses how these findings could have important implications for the design of novel anti-rejection therapeutics.
INFORMATION:
TITLE:Cognate antigen directs CD8+ T cell migration to vascularized transplants
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Fadi G. Lakkis
Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Phone: 412 383-5774; Fax: 412-383-9990; E-mail: lakkisf@upmc.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/66722?key=5debbc8dd29fc8e22b12
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: Transplant rejection and paradigms lost
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Terry Strom
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
Phone: 1-617-735-2880; Fax: 1 617 667-0923; E-mail: tstrom@bidmc.harvard.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/69385?key=ee127335912183bcc713
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2013-05-15
Hot on the TRAIL of graft vs. host disease
For patients with leukemia and other hematological malignancies, transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCT) can be a powerfully effective therapy. In addition to the desirable anti-tumor effect, transplanted cells can also attack the host tissue, resulting in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Arnab Ghosh and colleagues at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center found that expression of a protein that causes cell death, TRAIL, in transplanted cells was critical for ...
2013-05-15
VIDEO:
Human ESCs generated from SCNT embryos were capable of differentiating into a variety of cell and tissue types including contracting heart cells.
Click here for more information.
Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is a technique in which the nucleus of a donor cell is transferred to an egg cell whose nucleus has been removed, generating embryos that are almost an identical genetic match to the donor individual. For the first time, a team of scientists has used ...
2013-05-15
PORTLAND, Ore., May 15, 2013 – Regularly taking prescription painkillers, also known as opioids, is associated with a higher risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) in men, according to a study published online today in the journal Spine.
The researchers included more than 11,000 men with back pain in the study and examined their health records to find out if men taking prescription painkillers were more likely to also receive prescriptions for testosterone replacement or ED medications.
More than 19 percent of men who took high-dose opioids for at least four months also ...
2013-05-15
This dramatic new image of cosmic clouds in the constellation of Orion reveals what seems to be a fiery ribbon in the sky. This orange glow represents faint light coming from grains of cold interstellar dust, at wavelengths too long for human eyes to see. It was observed by the ESO-operated Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) in Chile.
Clouds of gas and interstellar dust are the raw materials from which stars are
made. But these tiny dust grains block our view of what lies within and behind
the clouds -- at least at visible wavelengths -- making it difficult to
observe ...
2013-05-15
(McLean, VA) May 15, 2013 – Potatoes and other white vegetables are just as important to a healthy diet as their colorful cousins in the produce aisle, according to the authors of a scientific supplement published yesterday in the peer-reviewed journal, Advances in Nutrition. Although green, red and orange veggies are often promoted as top nutrient sources, white vegetables are nutrient powerhouses in their own right and deserve a place on your plate.
"It's recommended that the variety of fruits and vegetables consumed daily should include dark green and orange vegetables, ...
2013-05-15
PORTAND, Ore. – Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) have successfully reprogrammed human skin cells to become embryonic stem cells capable of transforming into any other cell type in the body. It is believed that stem cell therapies hold the promise of replacing cells damaged through injury or illness. Diseases or conditions that might be treated through stem cell therapy include Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, cardiac disease and spinal cord injuries.
The research breakthrough, led by Shoukhrat ...
2013-05-15
Denver, Colorado – May 15, 2013 – A co-author of a groundbreaking study documenting reductions in patient length of stay and overall costs from implementation of an antibiotic stewardship program using Bruker's MALDI Biotyper will share her observations at a Bruker symposium to be held during the upcoming American Society for Microbiology (ASM) General Meeting. The study, which is currently available in an online edition1, showed that the average length of stay was reduced by two days for participants in the antibiotic stewardship intervention group and overall costs were ...
2013-05-15
This news release is available in German. Photographers know the problem all too well: with the naked eye, you can see which branch a bird is sitting on, but spotting the bird in the blur of branches through the telephoto lens for high-magnification images requires considerable skill. It is a similar story for researchers who are looking to study proteins, the active biomolecules of cells.
Olga Schubert, a doctoral student at ETH Zurich's Institute for Molecular Systems Biology, and her colleagues have now come up with a search aid. In order to help scientists to ...
2013-05-15
PITTSBURGH, May 15, 2013 – Transplant researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine challenge a long-held assumption about how biologic pathways trigger immune system rejection of donor organs in a report published online today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Their study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, suggests a different paradigm is needed to develop better anti-rejection therapies.
Immune system troops called T-cells migrate to transplanted organs, fighting the foreign tissue, explained senior author Fadi Lakkis, M.D., Frank ...
2013-05-15
ATLANTA - In the past, researchers have sought to determine the geographic distribution of many life-threatening conditions, including stroke and cardiac arrest. Now, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have created the first U.S. map that pinpoints hotspots for infection and severe sepsis related-deaths – with notable clusters located in the Midwest, mid-Atlantic, and the South. The research is a critical first step in helping to determine which areas of the country require vital public health resources to fight these deadly ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Researchers identify signals that direct the immune system to reject a transplanted organ
