The article that inspired this research proposal described the use of engineered human embryonic kidney cells, coated in a porous algal sheath, in the selective mediation of psoriatic inflammation in an experimental mouse model. The engineered converter cells were able to detect the presence of psoriasis related pro-inflammatory markers TNF (tumor necrosis factor) and IL-22 (an interleukin) in combination, through linked receptors (Di Domizio and Gillet 2015). TNF receptor signals first activate IL-22 receptors (IL-22R), which in turn switches a signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) on. The STAT3 responsive promoter finally drives the manifestation of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 (Di Domizio and Gillet 2015). This study concluded that converter cell activity can be tuned to specific inflammation markers without affecting normal immune system response to pathogens (Di Domizio and Gillet 2015). While there are still far too many hurdles to bring this study to human trial, it did highlight the potential treatment of any number of chronic inflammatory conditions. It is therefore logical to apply this reasoning to the chronic inflammatory autoimmune condition of rheumatoid arthritis. Can engineered converter cells be designed to prevent synovial joint damage from induced rheumatoid arthritis synovial joint damage in a mouse model experiment?
Hypothesis and Prediction
Treatment with engineered converter cells that have been tuned to detect and
The organs that make up the lymphatic and immune system are the tonsils, spleen, thymus gland, lymph nodes, and lymphatic vessels. White blood cells (leukocytes), red blood cells (erythrocytes), plasma, and platelets (thrombocytes) make up the blood. Lymphocytes are leukocytes (white blood cells) that help the body fight off diseases. Two types of lymphocytes are B cells and T cells. Lymphocytes recognize antigens, or foreign substances/matter, in the body. Lymphocytes are a classification of agranulocytes, or cells (-cytes) without (a-) granules (granul/o) in the cytoplasm. B cells are created from stem cells, which are located in the bone marrow. B cells respond to antigens by becoming plasma cells. These plasma cells then create antibodies. Memory B cells produce a stronger response with the next exposure to the antigen. B cells fight off infection and bacteria while T cells defend against viruses and cancer cells. A hormone created by the thymus gland called thymosin changes lymphocytes into T cells. The thymus gland is active when you are a child and slowly shrinks, as you get older. T cells bind to the antigens on the cells and directly attack them. T cells secrete lymphokines that increase T cell production and directly kill cells with antigens. There are three types of T cells: cytotoxic T cells, helper T cells, and memory T cells.
When a virus invades the human body there is an assortment of responses from the immune system relying largely on the particular pathogen type. Viruses invade the host with the purpose of replication to ensure survival. My cytosolic virus is a single stranded RNA virus. The virus is surrounded by an envelope with a lipid membrane. Inside the envelope are matrix proteins, integrase, protease, reverse transcriptase and the RNA genome. All viruses contain three proteins necessary for their survival; one for replication, one for packaging and delivering it to more host cells and a protein that modifies the function or structure of the host
The Immune framework is a progression of complex procedures which has developed to shield the body from assault by remote pathogens. These pathogens can enter our body through the skin or covering of the inner organs. The invulnerable framework can shield us from intracellular and extracellular living beings and also from ourselves, halting malignancies and immune system illnesses from spreading in our bodies (Bastian, 1993). There are two lines of guard, the versatile (particular) and natural (non-particular insusceptibility), however both are united in their objective to annihilate pathogens they have distinctive approaches to handle this. Intrinsic resistance is the first line of protection while versatile insusceptibility is the 2nds line
Defending the host against pathogens and toxins is the major function of the immune system, a task essential to any organism. Composed primarily of individual cells rather than forming into organs, the cells of the immune system spread throughout the body.
One of the most important response systems we have as animals is that of our immune system and its response to invading pathogens, antigens, and it’s rejection of foreign material. The details behind the functioning of this response went largely overlooked from a genetic perspective primarily until the early 1970’s however. Baruj Benacerraf with his collaborators Jean Dausset and George Davis Snell explored just this, publishing a series of findings that lead to the “…discovery of the major histocompatibility complex genes which encode cell surface protein molecules important for the immune system 's distinction between self and non-self” ("Baruj Benacerraf - Biographical") which eventually lead to their winning and sharing of the Nobel Peace prize in Physiology or Medicine. Early that decade he and Hugh O. McDevitt published an article on the Histocompatibility-Linked Immune Response Genes. Working from the discovery of autosomal genes correlating to antibody synthesis with dominant phenotypes of capable of producing the responding antibodies to an antigen and responses to “non-self” cells such as grafts, their studies explored injecting guinea pigs with a variety of antigens to identify distinct immune response genes. To clarify, The American Heritage® Science Dictionary defines histocompatibility as “A state or condition in which the absence of immunological interference permits the grafting of tissue or the transfusion of blood without rejection”. Thusly this
Chronic stress puts your health at risk. (2016, April 21). Retrieved August 10, 2017, from
At this very moment, an army is attacking you. You are fighting this war without lifting a finger. You are asleep. Eating. Talking. Breathing. Anything you do, you are fighting an army. It's called Influenza. Or pneumonia. Maybe it's bronchitis. Or maybe, gastroenteritis is putting all of its power together and planning a sneak attack. But don't worry. You have an army, too. It's called your Immune System. And it may lose battles, the enemy may overcome you, but your immune system will not go down without a fight. The immune system is a complex army... inside your body! Inside of
In this study, the immune system of rats was systemically suppressed with DEX to evaluate the effects on VEGF expression and leukocyte accumulation within the ovary. Half the rats received DEX to transiently suppress their immune system, while the remaining rats were exposed to the appropriate vehicle (Control). To prevent possible bacterial infection, DEX-suppressed rats received tetracycline, an antibiotic. Since DEX-suppressed rats receive tetracycline, Control rats also received tetracycline as an appropriate control. A total of 6, twenty-one day old female Sprague-Dawley rats (Charles River Laboratory, Wilmington, MA) were utilized as follows:
Stem cell therapy for curing arthritis has already been tested on animals and has been extremely successful. Doctors are now using it to treat arthritis in humans. The biggest advantage of stem cell therapy is that unlike in surgery; this procedure can be conducted within a day and there is minimal downtime. Patients can return to work within just a day or two and they are saved from taking so many leaves from work. Surgery comes with an increased risk of getting infected and in case of stem cells; patients really don’t have to
c. Capable of stimulating an excessive polyclonal response that involves 2-20% of toat# CD4 T cells in circulation. After proliferation T-cells with bound superantigen die by apoptosis, removing many memory T-cells
The lymphatic and immune system are made up of, Lymph nodes, lymphatic vessels, spleen, thymus gland and tonsils. They pick up excess tissue fluid, cleanse it and return it to the circulatory system. The component that comprise blood are plasma, erythrocytes, leukocyte and platelets. The way they work is, blood transports gases, nutrient and waste to all areas of the body either attached to erythrohemocys or dissolved in the plasma white blood cells fight infection and disease that can hurt the body. The platelets help stop the blood by clotting the cut so you don’t bleed out and die.
A third class of immune-mediated food reactions involves a mixture of IgE mediated and non-IgE-mediated responses. Atopic dermatitis and eosinophilic esophagitis are two examples of mixed-immune food allergy.
The vertebrate immune system is composed of a constellation of diverse immune cell types, each with an exquisite ability to protect the host from infectious agents, cancers, and other immunopathologies. Central to the success of this elegant complex system is the arm of adaptive immunity, dominated by the effects of T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes. In terms of evolutionary history, an immunological “big bang” resulted in the adoption of T/B lymphocyte receptors as dominant anti-pathogen defense system by the vertebrate lineage (Flajnik, 2014; Pancer & Cooper, 2006). The result is the near virtual conservation of the adaptive lymphocyte lineage in jawed vertebrates, underscoring the importance of lymphocyte-mediated immune protection across
TNF-α being a key inflammatory mediator triggers an increase in synovial proliferation and also production of other secondary mediators. TNF-α also induces osteoclast differentiation. Overproduction of TNF-α in affected joint causes a cascade of secondary mediators involved in the recruitment of inflammatory cells which leads to joint destruction (27). The actions of IL-1β include induction of knee joint inflammation, cartilage damage and bone resorption (28). Cyclooxygenase (COX) is strongly induced by IL-1β and plays an important role in the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, down-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and NF-κB may be an appropriate therapeutic strategy for rheumatoid arthritis (29). The current study revealed increased serum levels of both IL-1β and TNF-α in the RA control groups. These results run parallel to several reports showed that progression of RA is accelerated by pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. TNF-α and IL-1β are reported to be associated with the progression of RA (30). Also, it was observed significantly high levels of IL-1β
The immune system is the combination of defense responses against the disease-producing organism, called pathogens, which play a fundamental role in body 's abilities to maintain its state of homeostasis. The resistance against the pathogens can be fighted thanks to two collaborative systems: nonspecific and specific resistance. Nonspecific resistance consists of defense mechanism that provides a protection response to a wide range scale of invaders. This includes nonspecific, mechanical barriers and defenses. Whereas, specific resistance focuses on particular types of pathogens by providing immune responses to the body.