Immunology

Amyloid beta (AB) peptide has a central role in the neurodegeneration of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Immunization of AD transgenic mice with AB_-42 peptide reduces both the spatial memory impairments and AD-like neuropathologic changes.

FOXP3, a forkhead family transcription factor specially expressed in regulatory T (Treg) cells, controls the expression of many key immune-regulatory genes. Treg cells are a population of T lymphocytes that have critical roles in the immune system homeostasis and tolerance to self and foreign antigens, the body's response to cancer and infectious agents.

Vimentin is a fundamental 10 nm type III intermediate filament (IF) protein found in many mesenchymal and epithelia tissues, tissue culture cells, and developing neuronal and astrocytic precursor cells of the central nervous system.

Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) is a member of the toll-like receptor family that plays a key role in pathogen recognition and activation of innate immunity. Scientists using TLR9 antibodies have found the protein is highly conserved from Drosophila to humans, with a high degree of structural and functional homology (1,2).

 Perforin is a calcium-dependent pore forming cytolytic protein. Perforin is partially homologous to the terminal components of the membrane attack complex of complement and produces pores of up to 20nm in diameter on target membranes.

Myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MYD88) encodes a cytosolic adapter protein that plays an essential role in innate and adaptive immune responses.

Perforin, also known as the pore-forming protein, pfp, is a 70 kD cytolytic protein expressed in the cytoplasmic granules of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and natural killer (NK) cells.

The myeloid differentiation protein MyD88 (myeloid differentiation primary response protein) was originally identified and characterized as a primary upregulated response gene in interleukin-6 mediated myeloid differentiation.

Originally identified as autoantigens from a Scleroderma Polymyositis Syndrome patient (1), the Ku protein family consists of nuclear proteins found in eukaryotes. Autoantibodies to both Ku subunits were subsequently found in other autoimmune diseases such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Ku70 is a 70 kDa protein that was shown to be involved in multiple cellular pathways, mainly involving DNA repair and recombination. Among these are the non-homologus end repairs of DNA double strand breaks. Ku70 was first identified as an autoantigen in the serum of patients with Scleroderma Ploymyosistosis Syndrome (1).