Swine MHC, also termed swine leukocyte antigen (SLA), was discovered by Vaiman in 1970 (3). The SLA cluster of genes is divided Wnt activity into three groups of linked genes: SLA class I (SLA-I), SLA class II (SLA-II) and SLA class III (SLA-III). SLA-I has three functional loci: SLA-1, SLA-2 and SLA-3 (4,5). Among these, the SLA-2 locus is easily distinguished

from SLA-1 and SLA-3 by the longer signal peptide than the others. A further dissimilarity to the SLA-1 and SLA-3 loci is in three amino acid residues at the start of the signal peptide (6). The SLA-2 locus might have a more crucial role as an SLA-I molecule (the roles of which include binding and presenting antigen molecules) because it is more polymorphic than the other two SLA-I loci (5,7,8). The Hebao pig is a unique breed reared in China. To study its genetic characteristics, a cloning scheme for Hebao pig SLA-2 was designed and its molecular evolution was analyzed. Hebao pigs were bred on a farm belonging to the Institute of Animal Husbandry of Liaoning Province in China. Fresh spleen tissues were removed from four

pigs for analysis. pMD18-T easy vector, Escherichia coli JM109, avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV) reverse transcriptase, isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG), 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl β-D-galactopyranoside (X-gal), T4 DNA Ligase and EcoR I restriction endonuclease were purchased from Takara Biotechnology

(Dalian, China). The TRIzol Total RNA Extraction Kit was purchased from www.selleckchem.com/products/pci-32765.html Invitrogen (Carlsbad, CA, USA). The GeneClean kit was purchased from BIO 101 (Vista, CA, USA). To amplify the SLA-2 gene from Hebao pig, a pair of primers was used as follows: S1, 5’-AGATGCGGGTCAGGGGCCCTCAAG-3’ (located at sites 24–47 in AF464049); S2, 5’ -CAGTCCCCACAAGGCAGCTGTCTC-3’. (complementary at sites 1119–1142 in AF464049), then, spleens were removed from four slaughtered Hebao pigs. One hundred milligrams of tissue was cut into Dolutegravir pieces and placed in 1.5-mL Eppendorf tubes to which was added 300 μL TRIzol reagent (Invitrogen). Total RNA was extracted from spleen tissues using TRIzol reagent per the manufacturer’s recommendations and the isolated RNA samples were stored at –80° until use for RT-PCR. RT-PCR was carried out according to Gao et al. (9). The PCR products were stored at –20°C for gene cloning. The PCR products were separated on a 1% agarose gel by 1× Tris-acetate-EDTA running buffer electrophoresis. The separated DNA was purified using a DNA recovery kit, and then the purified DNA was ligated to pMD 18-T easy vector according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. The mixture was incubated at 4°C overnight, and then transformed into competent E. coli JM109 coated on LB plates containing ampicillin (100 μg/mL), IPTG (40 μg/mL) and X-gal (200 μg/mL).

The consistent above average home dialysis rates witnessed in New South Wales appear to be the result of renal unit culture, education strategies and policies that support ‘home dialysis first’. “
“Aim:  Hyperphosphataemia is almost inevitable in end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and is associated with increased morbidity

and mortality. In this study we examined whether oral activated charcoal (oAC) reduces serum phosphate level in haemodialysis patients. Methods:  This was an open-label, prospective, uncontrolled study. One hundred and thirty-five haemodialysis patients were included in this study, with cessation of treatment with any phosphate binders during a 2 week washout period. Patients with serum phosphate levels greater than 5.5 mg/dL during the washout period were included for Gefitinib molecular weight treatment with oAC. oAC was started at a dose of 600 mg three times per day with meals and was administered for 24 weeks. oAC dose was titrated up during the 24 week period to achieve phosphate control (3.5–5.5 mg/dL). A second 2 week washout period followed the end of oAC treatment. Results:  In the 114 patients who successfully completed the trial, the mean dose of activated charcoal was PI3K inhibitor 3190 ± 806 mg/day. oAC reduced

mean phosphate levels to below 5.5 mg/dL, with mean decreases of 2.60 ± 0.11 mg/dL (P < 0.01) and 103 (90.4%) of the patients reached the phosphate target. After the second washout period the phosphate levels increased to 7.50 ± 1.03 mg/dL (P < 0.01). Serum intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels declined from 338.75 ± 147.77 pg/mL to 276.51 ± 127.82 pg/mL (P < 0.05) during the study. oAC had 5-FU cost no influence on

serum prealbumin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, serum ferritin, haemoglobin or platelet levels and the levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D were stable during the study. Conclusion:  In this open-label uncontrolled study, oAC effectively controls hyperphosphataemia and hyperparathyroidism in haemodialysis patients. The safety and efficacy of oAC needs to be assessed in a randomized controlled trial. “
“Currently available calcium and aluminium based phosphate binders are dose limited because of potential toxicity, and newer proprietary phosphate binders are expensive. We examined phosphate-binding effects of the bile acid sequestrant colestipol, a non-proprietary drug that is in the same class as sevelamer. The trial was an 8-week prospective feasibility study in stable hemodialysis patients, using colestipol as the only phosphate binder, preceded and followed by a washout phase of all other phosphate binders. The primary study endpoint was weekly measurements of serum phosphate. Secondary endpoints were serum calcium, lipids, and coagulation status. Analyses used random effects mixed models. 30 patients were screened for participation of which 26 met criteria for treatment. At a mean dose of 8.8g/24h of colestipol by study end, serum phosphate dropped from 2.24mmol/L to 1.

enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing swIL-18 and swIFN-α showed the lowest severity of clinical signs. In particular, Tigecycline the clinical score of piglets co-administered Salmonella vaccine expressing swIL-18 and swIFN-α was lower than that of piglets administered Salmonella vaccine expressing either swIL-18 or swIFN-α, with apparent differences at seven days post-challenge

(Table 1). Cumulative daily weight gain was measured to more precisely quantify the alleviation of clinical signs. Consistently, piglets co-administered S. enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing swIL-18 and swIFN-α displayed a significantly increased weight gain, compared to groups that received S. enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing either swIL-18 or swIFN-α (Fig. 4a). However, when changes in body temperature of PrV-infected piglets were monitored, there were no significant differences between the group co-administered with S. enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing swIL-18 and swIFN-α, and the JAK inhibitor group that received S. enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing either swIL-18 or swIFN-α (Fig. 4b). Taken together, these results indicate that co-administration

of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing swIL-18 and swIFN-α results in the enhanced alleviation of clinical severity caused by PrV infection, compared to individual administration of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing either swIL-18 or swIFN-α. To evaluate the effect of orally co-administered S. enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing swIL-18 and swIFN-α on virus shedding from PrV-infected piglets, the amount of PrV in nasal swabs was determined Interleukin-2 receptor daily in all groups by the use of a

conventional plaque assay from 3 to 14 days post-challenge. PrV shedding was detected from 3 days after PrV infection and peaked at 6 days (Fig. 5). Piglets that received S. enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing either swIL-18 or swIFN-α had lower peak levels of PrV shedding at 6 days post-inoculation, when compared to piglets that received no treatment and S. enterica serovar Typhimurium harboring pYA3560. Furthermore, piglets orally co-administered with S. enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing swIL-18 and swIFN-α showed significantly reduced PrV shedding at 6 days post-challenge compared to those administered S. enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing either swIL-18 or swIFN-α. In addition, the co-administration of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing swIL-18 and swIFN-α provided a shortened duration of virus shedding. These results indicate that co-administration of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing swIL-18 and swIFN-α produced enhanced inhibition of virus shedding from PrV-infected piglets. The present study demonstrates that the co-administration of S.

Therefore, we wondered whether TSLP expression

in human IECs was regulated in a similar fashion. Although we also observed that TSLP was regulated by NF-κB in Caco-2 and HT-29 cell lines in response to IL-1, we found contradictory results concerning the precise promoter site responsible for the NF-κB-dependent regulation of TSLP. The in silico analysis of a 4 kb-long region of human TSLP promoter allowed us to identify four potential NF-κB sites. Although human and murine TSLP promoters do not share significant ABT-263 cost sequence homology, one of these putative sites is conserved in mice TSLP promoter as well as in other mammals. Moreover, in mice a site corresponding to NF2 exerts the same biological function as that observed CHIR-99021 in vivo in human

TSLP regulation and expression (P. Chambon, unpublished data and [36]). In our study, we used different strategies to demonstrate that NF2, a newly identified NF-κB responsive element located in the proximal region of TSLP promoter, is functionally important for the NF-κB-dependent regulation of human TSLP in IECs. We also demonstrated the functional importance of NF2 in regulating TSLP expression in other epithelial cells, including lung, cervical and kidney epithelial cells. Despite the fact that both NF1 and NF2 sites showed similar binding capacities for p65 and p50 subunits of NF-κB, as revealed by EMSA experiments using nuclear extracts from IL-1-, TNF- or PMA- stimulated Caco-2 and HT-29 cells, they produced a different impact on TSLP modulation. First, we assumed that both NF1 and NF2 sites were necessary to support the full transcriptional activity

of NF-κB complexes in response to the different ligands. However, TSLP promoter lacking a functional NF1 site was still able to respond to IL-1 in IECs as well as in other epithelial cells, including the lung cell line, A549, which has Idoxuridine been used in the previously published paper [16]. By contrast, all the IL-1-induced activity was lost following NF2 site mutation, demonstrating the absolute requirement of NF2 for the NF-κB-dependent regulation of TSLP driven by IL-1. We speculate that the presence of two NF-κB sites, one of which fails to respond to inflammatory agonist IL-1, could be necessary for constitutive expression of TSLP, while the other responses to upregulate TSLP expression under specific conditions. Overall, our data did not reveal other regulatory elements, other than NF2, that are absolutely essential for the IL-1-induced expression of TSLP. In accordance with previous studies [16, 17], we showed that TSLP promoter contains several putative AP-1 binding sites. These sites either cooperate with NF-κB sites to mediate the effects of IL-1 via ERK pathway or are involved in PKC signaling via PMA.

The patients were grouped into the following categories: International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IB (n = 16) and stage IIA–IIIB (n = 24). All tissues were subjected to immunohistochemical staining for IL-32 as described previously27

and clinically correlated with FIGO stage and survival, and the following results were obtained. In the serial section, immunohistochemical staining for COX-2 was also conducted to determine whether IL-32 and COX-2 are co-localized in cervical cancer cells. This study was approved by the Chungnam National University Hospital. The IL-32γ and COX-2 were amplified from the genomic DNA of human CaSki cells via PCR, using the following primers, respectively: IL-32γ: 5′-CTGGAATTCATGTGCTTCCCGAAG-3′ (forward), 5′-GAAGGTCCTCTCTGATGACA-3′ (reverse); COX-2: 5′-CCCAAGCTTGGGCTCAGACAGCAAAGC CTA-3′ (forward), 5′-CTAGTCTAGACTAGCTACAGTTCAGTCGAACGTTCTTT-3′ (reverse). Interleukin-32γ PLX4032 Torin 1 concentration was cloned into the EcoRI and XhoI sites of pCDNA3.1 using EcoRI and SalI, and COX-2 was ligated with pCDNA3.1 vector using the HindIII and XbaI sites. The promoters of IL-32 and COX-2 were amplified via PCR from human genomic DNA. The IL-32 promoter (−746/+25) was constructed as previously reported.21 The COX-2 promoter (−880/+9) used the following primers: 5′-CGGGATCCAAATTCTGGCCATCGCCGCTT-3′ (forward), 5′-CCAAGCTTTGACAATTGGTCGCTAA

CCGAG-3′

(reverse) cloned into the MluI and HindIII sites of the pGL3-basic vector, and the inserted sequences were confirmed via DNA sequencing. Both pTarget/E7 and pTarget/E7 antisense (E7AS) were described in a previous report.25,28 C33A/pOPI3, C33A/E7, SiHa and CaSki cells were seeded on six-well plates at a density of 3 × 105 cells per well, then grown to confluence, reaching approximately 80% at the time of transfection. For each well, plasmid DNA (1 μg) was introduced into the cells using an identical volume of Lipofectamine 2000 reagent (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. The pTarget Reverse transcriptase and pTarget/E7AS plasmid were transfected into C33A/E7, SiHa and CaSki cells to confirm the E7 oncogene-specific effect on IL-32 and COX-2 expression in HPV-expressing cervical cancer cells. The pGL3 basic, pGL3b/IL-32 promoter, and pGL3b/COX-2 promoter were respectively co-transfected with pTarget, pTarget/E7 and pTarget/E7AS into C33A/pOPI3, C33A/E7, SiHa and CaSki cells to determine the specific effects of E7 on the transcriptional activities of IL-32 and COX-2. Additionally, pCDNA3.1, pCDNA3.1/COX-2, pCDNA3.1/IL-32γ, siCONTROL and siIL-32 (Dharmacon, Lafayette, CO) were respectively transfected into SiHa and CaSki cells to evaluate expression between COX-2 and IL-32 by the HPV E7 oncogene. Interleukin-32γ is the most active form of IL-32 isoforms.

(Shizuoka, Japan). Animals were given food and ultrafiltered water ad libitum, and were maintained on a 12-h/12-h light/dark cycle with lights on from 08:00 to 20:00 hours. The P. aeruginosa las quorum-sensing signal 3-oxo-C12-HSL was purchased from Sigma (St. Louis, MO). A stock solution of 10 mM 3-oxo-C12-HSL was prepared by dissolution in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and stored in a −20 °C freezer. Just before administration to the animals, the stock solution was diluted to 10 μM with 0.9% sodium chloride. A pure DMSO solution diluted with 0.9% sodium chloride was used in a similar manner as a control. For in vitro experiment for immunocytochemistry analysis, 100 mM 3-oxo-C12-HSL

stock solution was used. Full-thickness wounds were created in both lateroabdominal regions using sterile scissors under sedation with an intraperitoneal injection of Somnopentyl Acalabrutinib mouse (pentobarbital sodium; Selleck BMN 673 Kyoritsu Seiyaku Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) (30 mg kg−1 body weight). The subcutaneous fat layer was completely dissected to expose the fascia. To investigate the effects of 3-oxo-C12-HSL on wound healing, we allowed granulation tissue to develop under moist conditions

using a transparent film dressing occlusion, and then challenged the granulation tissue with 3-oxo-C12-HSL on day 5 after wounding. Specifically, 100 μL of 10 μM 3-oxo-C12-HSL solution or control DMSO solution was administered to the surface of the granulation tissue using a micropipette.

This concentration was derived from the previous study, which demonstrated that the 10 μM 3-oxo-C12-HSL to the dermis could induce inflammatory cell infiltration and cyclooxygenase (Cox)-2 induction (Smith et al., 2002a). The wound was covered with transparent film dressing after the administration. The wound area was measured every day until 9 days after wounding using image analysis software (imagej version 1.42; NIH, Bethesda, MD) and expressed as relative values to the initial wound area (Pietramaggiori et al., 2008). The experimental protocol was approved by the Animal Research Committee of The University of Tokyo. All animals were treated according to the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of the NIH. Wound samples were http://www.selleck.co.jp/products/Fludarabine(Fludara).html collected at 24 h after the 3-oxo-C12-HSL challenge. The collected samples were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde in phosphate buffer, dehydrated with alcohol, cleared with xylene and processed for embedding in paraffin. Sections were prepared at 5-μm interval for hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. α-Smooth muscle actin immunostaining was performed as follows: the sections were incubated for 10 min with 3% H2O2 to quench the endogenous peroxidase activity. Between each set of the following steps, the sections were washed three times with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) for 5 min each.

Dialysis treatment results in prolongation of life for most patients. However, patients

on dialysis face limited survival combined with considerable loss of Health Related Quality Of Life (HRQOL). In addition, dialysis treatment itself generates considerable burden on daily life in terms of chores to be completed, time taken to obtain dialysis, expense of treatment and hospitalization for surgical procedures or complications. QOL is greatly influenced by HRQOL, and is probably just as, if not a more important determinant of successful treatment as is survival. This guideline subtopic aims to explore the evidence base and assist discussions about QOL with patients as they consider dialysis as an option for treatment. this website Due to the lack of systematic evidence, the recommendations are presented as ‘Suggestions For Clinical Care’. Databases searched: MeSH terms and text words for haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and pre-dialysis were combined with MeSH terms and text words for QOL, psychological stress or adaptation, depression, anxiety and combined with MeSH terms and text words for randomized controlled trial and systematic review. Transplantation topics were removed from the search and it was limited to 1997–2008 year of publication. The search

was carried out in Medline (1950–January, Week 1, 2008). The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled PARP inhibitor Trials (CENTRAL) was also searched for clinical trials not indexed in Medline. Date of search: 10 January 2008. While there is a considerable amount of published literature on QOL, there is a paucity of longitudinal studies across the continuum from the earlier stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) through to dialysis and survival on dialysis. Individual studies have, however, looked at various factors like stage of kidney disease, QOL at the start of and with continued dialysis, age,

ADAMTS5 mental status and other psychosocial factors. Rocco et al.1 showed in the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease study that QOL was impaired in those with CKD and correlated with glomeruler filtration rate (GFR). In a cross-sectional study comparing QOL (scored by using the SF-36 Health Survey) between end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients aged 70 years or older, and age-matched controls with other chronic medical conditions, Loos et al.2 showed that physical function and vitality were significantly lower in ESKD patients at first dialysis. There are no studies addressing the question of whether the QOL of patients with CKD improves with the start of dialysis per se. There are also no data supporting the use of QOL measures to recommend acceptance or denial of dialysis treatment. Other studies also show that HRQOL is significantly reduced in dialysis patients when compared with the general population.

elegans, are ‘microbivores’, find more feeding mainly on a variety of bacterial species. From a microbial perspective, predation avoidance is a highly selected trait that has been postulated to be the evolutionary origin of a variety of virulence-related factors. An ensuing evolutionary arms race led to the evolution

of defence mechanisms (immune systems) in microbivores to counteract the detrimental effects of feeding on potential pathogens. This arms race may also be the underlying mechanism leading to the establishment of stable symbiotic relationships such as those between gut microbiota and their human hosts. Soil bacteria that provided nutrients and new metabolic capabilities to primitive animals such as C. elegans may have been the evolutionary precursors to the

metazoan microbiota. C. elegans has been an important resource for biological exploration since its adoption in the 1970s. In the laboratory, C. elegans is simply propagated and maintained on agar plates with lawns of non-pathogenic Selleckchem Navitoclax Escherichia coli as food source [3]. Each adult animal (∼1 mm in length) produces ∼300 genetically identical progeny in its 3-day life cycle, facilitating the establishment and maintenance of large populations of animals. C. elegans is diploid and hermaphroditic, which is an advantage in genetic analysis, because individual hermaphroditic worms automatically self. Gene expression in C. elegans

can be knocked down easily via RNA interference (RNAi) by simply feeding worms live E. coli expressing double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) corresponding to C. elegans genes (almost 90% of the genome is available as a dsRNA expression library). Transgenic C. elegans can be generated by microinjection of DNA into the adult gonad. C. elegans are transparent, greatly facilitating characterization of gene expression patterns and real-time observation of infectious processes, e.g. by green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter expression. Moreover, all adult C. elegans have 959 cells, the developmental aminophylline lineages of which have been traced completely to the fertilized egg. Many bacterial and fungal pathogens of clinical importance cause intestinal infections in C. elegans that result in death of the animals [4]. C. elegans can be infected in the laboratory by transferring the animals from their normal food source (non-pathogenic E. coli) to agar plates containing lawns of the microbial pathogen that is being studied [3]. Ingestion of the pathogen leads to an intestinal infection characterized by the collapse of the intestinal epithelial cells, the proliferation (or accumulation) of the pathogenic microbe in the C. elegans alimentary tract and premature death of the infected animals.

Here, we have evaluated the effects of simvastatin blockade of the mevalonate pathway on the induction of Foxp3-expressing iTregs in vitro. We demonstrate HKI-272 ic50 that simvastatin itself can mediate induction of Foxp3+ T cells and can also synergize with low levels of TGF-β in the induction of functional Foxp3+ Tregs. The effects of simvastatin are secondary to a blockade of protein

geranylgeranylation, are mediated 24 hr after TCR stimulation, and are associated with TCR-specific DNA demethylation of the Foxp3 promoter and TCR-specific induction of Smad6 and Smad7 proteins. The implications of these results for the use of simvastatin as an immunosuppressive drug will be discussed.

DO11.10 TCR transgenic RAG2 deficient (−/−), 5CC7 TCR transgenic RAG2−/−, and B10.A mice were obtained from Taconic Farms (Germantown, NY). The Foxp3-GFP-Knock-in (Foxp3gfp) mice were provided by Dr V. Kuchroo (Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA). All the mice were maintained under pathogen-free conditions in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease animal facility. Mice were used between 4 and 8 weeks of age. Recombinant human IL-2 and recombinant mouse TGF-β were purchased from Peprotech (Rocky Hill, NJ). Simvastatin, geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate and farnesyl pyrophosphate were purchased from selleck chemical Alexis Biochemicals (Plymouth Meeting, PA) and mevalonate, FTI-276 (farnesyl transferase inhibitor), and GGTI-2133 (geranylgeranyltransferase I inhibitor) were purchased from Sigma (St Louis, MO). Allophycocyanin-conjugated anti-Foxp3 (FJK-16s), fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated

anti-CD4 (L3T4), anti-CD3ε antibody (145-2C11) and anti-CD28 antibody were purchased from eBioscience, Inc. (San Diego, CA). Anti-phospho-Smad3 antibody and anti-Smad3 antibody were purchased from Cell Signaling Technology (Danvers, MA). Anti-Smad6/7 (N-19) antibody was purchased from Santacruz Biotechnology (Santa Cruz, CA). For neutralization of TGF-β, anti-TGF antibody (1D11) was obtained from R&D Systems (Minneapolis, MN). CD4+ T cells were purified from mouse lymph nodes or spleen using magnetic beads (Miltenyi Biotec, Auburn, CA). Foxp3gfp CD4 T cells were isolated by fluorescence-activated Aspartate cell sorting (FACSAria). Foxp3+ Tregs were induced by stimulating CD4+ Foxp3− T cells (1 × 106) with plate-bound anti-CD3 (1–2 μg, 145-2C11) and plate-bound anti-CD28 antibody (1–2 μg) in the presence of a given concentration of TGF-β1 and/or simvastatin for 72 hr in RPMI-1640 supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum, penicillin (100 U/ml), streptomycin (100 μg/ml), l-glutamine (2 mm), HEPES (10 mm), non-essential amino acids (0.1 mm), sodium pyruvate (1 mm) and 2-mercaptoethanol (50 μm).

Cells were incubated with the antibodies for a minimum of 30 min at 4 °C in darkness followed by two washes with PBS. Pelleted cells were resuspended in PBS containing 5% FCS (Sigma-Aldrich, St Louise, MO, USA) at the concentration of 10 × 106 cells/ml and using BD Bioscience FACSAria sorted with respect to their CD19 and CD25 expression rendering two highly purified (>98.5%) B-cell populations, CD19+ CD25+ and CD19+ CD25−. Gating strategy for sorting is shown in Fig. 1. Supernatant preparation for cytokine measurements.  CD19+ CD25+ or CD19+ CD25− B cells were plated at a concentration of 2.5 × 105/ml

in a volume of 100 μl per well in round-bottom 96-well plates (TPP, Switzerland). selleck products Iscove’s medium containing, 10% FCS, 1% gentamicin, 1%l-glutamine

and 1% mercaptoetanol (all from Sigma-Aldrich, and hereafter called complete Iscove’s medium) was used. The different B-cell populations were stimulated with either 3 μm backbone protected CpG-PS (5′-TCGTCGTTTTGTCGTTTTGTCGTT-3′, Scandinavian Gene Synthesis AB, Köping, Sweden), 5 μg/ml E-coli LPS (Sigma-Aldrich, St Louis, MO, USA) or 0.5 μg/ml Pam3Cys (EMC Microcollections, Tübingen, Germany) in a humidified atmosphere containing 5% CO2 at 37° for 12, 48 and 72 h. Neat cells incubated at the same conditions were used as controls. Supernatants collected were stored this website at −70° until used. IL-6 bioassay.  To measure IL-6 levels in the supernatants, we used a cell line B13.29 (B9 cells)

which depend on IL-6 for its growth [11]. In flat-bottom 96-well plates, 5 × 103 B9 cells per well were incubated (TPP, Switzerland) in complete Iscove’s medium. Supernatants were diluted 1:25 or 1:250 and added in triplicates to the B9 cells. Recombinant mouse IL-6 (National Institute of Biological Standards PAK6 and Control, Hertfordshire, UK) was used as a standard. After 72 h of culture, cells were pulsed with 1 μCi 3H-thymidine (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech) and harvested after 6 h on glass fibre filter (Walluc Oy, Turku, Finland). The incorporated 3H-thymidine was measured using a β-scintillation counter. Cytometric Bead Array.  To measure the release of IL-2, IL-4, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF), we used Cytometric Bead Array flex set (BD Bioscience) according to the manufactures protocol. Analyses were made on the supernatants from 24 to 72 h. IL-10 ELISA.  Mouse IL-10 ELISA was purchased from R&D systems (Abingdon, UK) and performed according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. The optical density of the samples was determined using wavelengths 540–570 nm on a SpectraMax Plus (Molecular Devices, Sunnyvale, CA, USA). Mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR).  Spleen cells from C57BL/6 mice were sorted as described previously and irradiated with 2500 rad.