 |
|
Trapping white blood cells proves novel strategy against chronic viral infections
August 14, 2008Seeing disease-fighting white blood cells vanish from the blood usually signals a weakened immune system.
But preventing white blood cells' circulation by trapping them in the lymph nodes can help mice get rid of a chronic viral infection, researchers at Yerkes National Primate Research Center and the Emory Vaccine Center have found.
Their findings, published this week in the journal Nature, suggest a new strategy for fighting chronic viral infections that could apply to the treatment of human diseases such as hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS.
The team's discoveries grew out of their study of two varieties of a virus that causes meningitis in mice, says senior author John Altman, PhD, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Yerkes Research Center and Emory University School of Medicine.
The first author of the paper was postdoctoral fellow Mary Premenko-Lanier, PhD, with contributions from Sarah Pruett, PhD, assistant director of the Biomarkers Core Lab at Yerkes Research Center and graduate students Nelson Moseley and Pablo Romagnoli.
Standard black laboratory mice can fight off infection by the Armstrong strain of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), but are vulnerable to chronic infection by a variant called clone 13.
Altman and his co-workers found that infecting mice with the Armstrong strain sequesters white blood cells in the lymph nodes, while clone 13 does so less stringently.
"Our hypothesis was that if we could artificially induce conditions like those produced by the Armstrong strain, it would help the immune system clear an infection by clone 13," says Altman.
His team turned to an experimental drug called FTY720, which prevents white blood cells from leaving lymph nodes.
FTY720, also known as fingolimod, desensitizes white blood cells so they can't respond to the chemical messenger sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). S1P also influences heart rate and smooth muscle contraction in the airways.
Scientists had previously thought of FTY720 as something that suppresses the immune system, Altman says. While not approved for sale by the FDA, doctors have tested it for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and preventing kidney transplant rejection.
Even if mice have a stable chronic LCMV clone 13 infection, treatment with FTY720 can still improve their immune response against LCMV enough to have them rid it from their systems, the authors found.
FTY720 appears to prevent "exhaustion" in the group of white blood cells called CD8+ T cells, which are responsible for killing off other cells that become infected by LCMV. Usually, the stress of infection kills some CD8+ T cells and leaves others unable to respond to the virus, Altman says.
It is unclear whether FTY720 resuscitates non-responsive T cells or allows new ones to avoid being killed off, he says.
Altman says he and his co-workers are planning to test FTY720's effects with other viruses.
Emory University
The team's discoveries grew out of their study of two varieties of a virus that causes meningitis in mice, says senior author John Altman, PhD, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Yerkes Research Center and Emory University School of Medicine.
The first author of the paper was postdoctoral fellow Mary Premenko-Lanier, PhD, with contributions from Sarah Pruett, PhD, assistant director of the Biomarkers Core Lab at Yerkes Research Center and graduate students Nelson Moseley and Pablo Romagnoli.
Standard black laboratory mice can fight off infection by the Armstrong strain of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), but are vulnerable to chronic infection by a variant called clone 13.
Altman and his co-workers found that infecting mice with the Armstrong strain sequesters white blood cells in the lymph nodes, while clone 13 does so less stringently.
"Our hypothesis was that if we could artificially induce conditions like those produced by the Armstrong strain, it would help the immune system clear an infection by clone 13," says Altman.
His team turned to an experimental drug called FTY720, which prevents white blood cells from leaving lymph nodes.
FTY720, also known as fingolimod, desensitizes white blood cells so they can't respond to the chemical messenger sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). S1P also influences heart rate and smooth muscle contraction in the airways.
Scientists had previously thought of FTY720 as something that suppresses the immune system, Altman says. While not approved for sale by the FDA, doctors have tested it for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and preventing kidney transplant rejection.
Even if mice have a stable chronic LCMV clone 13 infection, treatment with FTY720 can still improve their immune response against LCMV enough to have them rid it from their systems, the authors found.
FTY720 appears to prevent "exhaustion" in the group of white blood cells called CD8+ T cells, which are responsible for killing off other cells that become infected by LCMV. Usually, the stress of infection kills some CD8+ T cells and leaves others unable to respond to the virus, Altman says.
It is unclear whether FTY720 resuscitates non-responsive T cells or allows new ones to avoid being killed off, he says.
Altman says he and his co-workers are planning to test FTY720's effects with other viruses.
Emory University
White Blood Cells Current Events and White Blood Cells News RSSNew cancer target for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Physician-scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered a molecular mechanism that may prove to be a powerful target for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects lymphocytes, or white blood cells.
Hundreds of genes distinguish patients likely to survive advanced melanoma
Although the chances of surviving advanced melanoma aren't very good with current therapies, some patients can live for years with cancer that has spread beyond the skin to other organs.
Magnetic nanoparticles to simultaneously diagnose, monitor and treat
Whether it's magnetic nanoparticles (mNPs) giving an army of 'therapeutically armed' white blood cells direction to invade a deadly tumour's territory, or the use of mNPs to target specific nerve channels and induce nerve-led behaviour (such as the life-dependant thumping of our hearts), mNPs have come a long way in the past decade.
Study reveals a 'missing link' in immune response to disease
The immune system's T cells have the unique responsibilities of being both jury and executioner. They examine other cells for signs of disease, including cancers or infections, and, if such evidence is found, rid them from the body. Precisely how T cells shift so swiftly from one role to another, however, has been a mystery.
Immunotherapy demonstrates long-term success in treating lymphoma
Targeted immunotherapy has been an attractive new therapeutic area for a number of cancers because it has the potential to destroy tumor cells without damaging surrounding normal tissue. New study results demonstrate high success rates using specialized white blood cells to prevent or treat lymphoma associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV-lymphoma) in patients who have received a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT).
Bacteria 'launch a shield' to resist attack
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark along with other collaborators in Denmark and the US found that the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa can 'switch on' production of molecules that kill white blood cells - preventing the bacteria being eliminated by the body's immune system.
Taking medicine for HIV proves hard to swallow for many people
Highly active antiretroviral therapy has increased the longevity and quality of life for people living with human immunodeficiency virus. But it requires strict adherence in taking the medicine, something that is extremely difficult for many individuals to do.
Scientists create NICE solution to pneumonia vaccine testing problems
Medical clinics the world over could benefit from new software* created at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where a team of scientists has found a way to improve the efficiency of a pneumonia vaccine testing method developed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
The bowels of infection
Current research suggests that latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may exacerbate inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The related report by Onyeagocha et al, "Latent cytomegalovirus infection exacerbates experimental colitis," appears in the November 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.
Herbal tonic for radiotherapy
Antioxidant extracts of the leaves of the Gingko biloba tree may protect cells from radiation damage, according to a study published in the International Journal of Low Radiation.
More White Blood Cells Current Events and White Blood Cells News Articles
 |
White Blood Cells by The White Stripes 2008 reissue of White Blood Cells, the third album by alternative rock band The White Stripes. The band's commercial breakthrough, this 2001 album went gold,spinning off the Top 20 Modern Rock hits 'Fell In Love With A Girl' and 'Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground.' White Blood Cells peaked at number 61 on the Billboard 200 and it reached number 55 in the UK, being bolstered in both territories by the "Fell in Love with a Girl" single. The album was dedicated to Loretta Lynn, creating a friendship between Lynn and both Jack and Meg White. In 2004, Jack White would produce Lynn's comeback hit album Van Lear Rose.16 tracks. |
 |
White Blood Cells The White Stripes (Primary Contributor) |
 |
White Blood Cells by The White Stripes, White Stripes This, the much anticipated third album by Detroit's critically acclaimed brother and sister duo, The White Stripes was recorded in early February this year at the legendary Easley Studio in Memphis, Tennessee and if The White Stripes were the Velvet Underground this would be their Loaded. It's becoming apparent that THE WHITE STRIPES ARE the great white hope and they have developed an enthusiastic following across the country and around the world. White Blood Cells has 15 original tracks performed by Jack and Meg White, no orchestras, session musicians or studio trickery has been employed. 2001 release. |
 |
White Blood Cells by The White Stripes This, the much anticipated third album by Detroit's critically acclaimed brother and sister duo, The White Stripes was recorded in early February this year at the legendary Easley Studio in Memphis, Tennessee and if The White Stripes were the Velvet Underground this would be their Loaded. It's becoming apparent that THE WHITE STRIPES ARE the great white hope and they have developed an enthusiastic following across the country and around the world. White Blood Cells has 15 original tracks performed by Jack and Meg White, no orchestras, session musicians or studio trickery has been employed. 2001 release. |
|
|
We're Going To Be Friends (Album Version) The White Stripes (Primary Contributor) |
 |
White Blood Cells by The White Stripes This, the much anticipated third album by Detroit's critically acclaimed brother and sister duo, The White Stripes was recorded in early February this year at the legendary Easley Studio in Memphis, Tennessee and if The White Stripes were the Velvet Underground this would be their Loaded. It's becoming apparent that THE WHITE STRIPES ARE the great white hope and they have developed an enthusiastic following across the country and around the world. White Blood Cells has 15 original tracks performed by Jack and Meg White, no orchestras, session musicians or studio trickery has been employed. 2001 release. |
![White Blood Cells [Limited Edition with Bonus DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41GD20A6GCL._SL160_.jpg) |
White Blood Cells [Limited Edition with Bonus DVD] by The White Stripes Limited Edition features 2 previously unreleased tracks, "Hand Springs" & "Lafayette Blues" and 4 videos, "Fell in Love with a Girl," "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground," "Hotel Yorba" & "We're Going To Be Friends". |
![White Blood Cell (Leukocyte) Corporeals Plush [Toy]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21DhVOsTFsL._SL160_.jpg) |
White Blood Cell (Leukocyte) Corporeals Plush [Toy] by Giant Microbes Don't let his cute looks fool you -- this highly trained killer takes out enemy cells with extreme prejudice. Learn how to stay on his good side. |
|
|
Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground (Album Version) The White Stripes (Primary Contributor) |
 |
Elephant by The White Stripes Double colored vinyl. One white. One red. |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |