@phdthesis{Wegner2015,
  author    = {Wegner, Julia},
  title     = {Restoring tissue-like functionality in circulating CD8 T-cells: mechanistic studies and application in immunomonitoring of cancer patients},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-124177},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are the only source of human lymphoid cells routinely available for immunologic research and for immunomonitoring of T-cell responses to microbial and tumor-associated antigens. However the large majority of human T-cells resides in tissues, especially in lymphatic organs, while only 1 \% of the body's T-cells circulate in the blood stream. Previous work in mice and humans had indicated that CD4 T-cells transiently lose antigen sensitivity when cellular contacts are lost, e.g. by leaving lymphoid organs such as lymph nodes (LNs) and entering the circulation. In this study, these findings were extended to CD8 T-cells. Thus, CD8 T-cell responses of the human tonsil show a significant drop in sensitivity to viral antigens if tissue-exit was simulated by keeping cells in dispersed culture at body temperature for two hours. Conversely, tissue-like functionality in blood-derived CD8 T-cells was restored by applying the simple and robust RESTORE protocol. Indeed, application of the RESTORE protocol, i.e. pre-culturing PBMCs for two days at a high cell density before initiation of antigenic stimulation, demonstrated that CD8 T-cell responses to a broad range of viral and to tumor-associated antigens are greatly underestimated, and sometimes even remain undetected if conventional, unprocessed PBMC cultures are used. The latter finding is particularly striking with regard to the appearance of Wilms tumor 1 (WT1)-specific CD8 T-cell responses in leukemia patients after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. My studies on the mechanism of the RESTORE protocol show that HD preculture of PBMCs does not involve antigen-or cytokine-driven clonal expansion of T-cells. Moreover, the gain in antigen sensitivity cannot be explained by a decreased activity of regulatory T-cells during the preculture step. The increased antigen sensitivity of CD8 T-cells from HD precultures of PBMCs is associated with tonic T-cell receptor signaling as indicated by enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of the CD3 ζ chains and the tyrosine kinase Lck, thereby preparing T-cells for full responses. The upregulation of genes involved in aerobic glycolysis in "restored" CD8 memory T-cells relative to fresh cells might be an essential requirement for increased T-cell functionality including the regulation of IFN-γ production. Taken together, the RESTORE protocol, which was initially described for the CD4 T-cell response to the antibody TGN1412 permits a more meaningful monitoring of CD8 T-cell responses to viral infections and tumors. Furthermore, when generating T-cell lines for adoptive T-cell therapy, the RESTORE protocol allows the generation of CD8 T-cell lines with an improved representation of clones responding to low antigen concentrations.},
  subject      = {Antigen CD8},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Scholz2006,
  author    = {Scholz, Alexander},
  title     = {Manipulation der humoralen Immunreaktivit{\"a}t gegen humanes Xenoantigen im Modell "Ratte-anti-Mensch" durch eine Antigen-Cyclophosphamid-Kombinationsbehandlung},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-18384},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2006},
  abstract  = {Die Organtransplantation stellt f{\"u}r Patienten mit terminalem Organversagen h{\"a}ufig die einzige lebensrettende Maßnahme dar. Aufgrund des Mangels an Allotransplantaten wird als L{\"o}sung die Xenotransplantation angestrebt. Sie geh{\"o}rt zu den großen Herausforderungen der modernen Medizin, da die Transplantationstechnik und besonders die Integration des Spenderorgans in den Wirt mit sehr komplexen Problemen verbunden sind. Hauptgrund f{\"u}r viele Misserfolge sind die immunologischen Prozesse, die Transplantat-Abstoßungen und mit ihnen auch den Verlust des neuen Organs verursachen k{\"o}nnen. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war es, ein Behandlungsprotokoll im xenogenen Modell Ratte-anti-Mensch zu entwickeln, mit dessen Hilfe die durch das Xenotransplantat induzierten Antik{\"o}rper (XA-IgG, XA-IgM) - ggf. auch die nat{\"u}rlichen xenoreaktiven Antik{\"o}rper (vorwiegend NXA-IgM) - im Empf{\"a}nger wirkungsvoll gehemmt werden. Die in anderen in vivo Modellen erfolgreiche Kombinationsbehandlung, aus einer zeitlich korrelierten Injektion von Xenoantigen (XAg; hPBL) und Cyclophosphamid (Cy), bildete die Grundlage der hiesigen Untersuchungen. Sie beruht auf dem Prinzip der Stimulation/Deletion Cy-sensitiver B-Zellklone. Allerdings wurde das XAg nicht i. p. sondern i. v. appliziert, um seine schnellere und direktere Verf{\"u}gbarkeit im Empf{\"a}nger zu gew{\"a}hrleisten. Es zeigte sich, dass die einmalige i. v. Applikation von XAg in LEW Ratten einen starken Titer-Anstieg der XA-IgG und XA-IgM. Die Kombinationsbehandlung aus XAg i. v. und Cy i. p. hemmt die Neubildung der XA-IgG vollst{\"a}ndig {\"u}ber 200 Tage, die der XA-IgM jedoch nur unvollst{\"a}ndig. Die Neubildung der NXA wird nicht gehemmt. Die i. v. Sensibilisierung ist der i. p. Sensibilisierung im Sinne der Effektverst{\"a}rkung (Hemmung) {\"u}berlegen. Die Wiederholung der Kombinationsbehandlung am Tag +40 stabilisiert die starke Hemmung nach der ersten Kombinationsbehandlung. Die langfristige Applikation von niedrig dosiertem XAg {\"u}ber 30 Tage induziert sehr hohe XA-Titer und zeigt keine tolerogenen Eigenschaften. Die Kombinationsbehandlung, bestehend aus wiederholten niedrigen Antigengaben haben jedoch keinen Antik{\"o}rper-senkenden Effekt oder Reaktionslosigkeit zur Folge. Die Kombinationsbehandlung, bestehend aus wiederholten hohen Antigengaben ist die Hemmung etwas st{\"a}rker als nach Kombinationsbehandlung mit dem niedrig dosierten XAg. Dauerhafte humorale Reaktionslosigkeit (Toleranz) wird auch mit diesem Protokoll nicht erreicht.},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{SoutoCarneiro2000,
  author    = {Souto-Carneiro, Maria Margarida},
  title     = {Molecular and functional analyses of human synovial B-lymphocytes in rheumatoid arthritis},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-2308},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2000},
  abstract  = {B-cells of the rheumatoid synovial tissue are a constant part of and, in some histopathological subtypes, the dominant population of the inflammatory infiltrate, located in the region of tissue destruction. The pattern of B-cell distribution and the relationship to the corresponding antigen-presenting cells (follicular dendritic reticulum cells: FDCs) show a great variety. B-cells may exhibit (i) a follicular organization forming secondary follicles; (ii) follicle-like patterns with irregularly formed FDC networks, and (iii) a diffuse pattern of isolated FDCs. Molecular analysis of immunoglobulin VH and VL genes from human synovial B-cell hybridomas and synovial tissue demonstrates somatic mutations due to antigen activation. The FDC formations in the synovial tissue may therefore serve as an environment for B-cell maturation, which is involved in the generation of autoantibodies. An autoantibody is defined as "pathogenic" if it fulfills the Witebsky-Rose-Koch criteria for classical autoimmune diseases: definition of the autoantibody; induction of the disease by transfer of the autoantibody; and isolation of the autoantibody from the disease-specific lesion. B-cells from rheumatoid synovial tissue show specificity for FcIgG, type II collagen, COMP, sDNA, tetanus toxoid, mitochondrial antigens (M2), filaggrin and bacterial HSPs. The contributions of these antigens to the pathogenesis of RA are still hypothetical. A possible contribution could derive from crossreactivity and epitope mimicry: due to crossreaction, an antibody directed originally against a foreign infectious agent could react with epitopes from articular tissues, perpetuating the local inflammatory process. The characteristic distribution pattern, the localisation within the area of tissue destruction, the hypermutated IgVH and IgVL genes, and their exclusive function to recognize conformation-dependent antigens suggest a central role for B-cells in the inflammatory process of rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, the analysis of synovial B-cell hybridomas and experimental expression of synovial IgVH and IgVL genes will help to characterise the antigens responsible for the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. In the present study 55 IgVH genes amplified from 3 different anatomical regions of a RA patient were analysed adding further information on synovial B-cell maturation and recirculation in RA. This analysis demonstrated somatically mutated IgVh genes in all different regions with amino acid deletions and mixed IgVh molecules, suggesting the existence of a novel pathway to generate (auto)antibody specificities. The comparison of amino acid sequences of amplified genes belonging to the VH1 family (with predominantly the same germline counterpart) exhibited a strong homology, indicating an apparently conserved mutational pattern. This suggests that the number of antigens activating B-cells in the different locations is restricted. The most striking result was the finding of clonally related sequences in different anatomical regions indicating a recirculation of activated B-cells between the different affected joints. Also in the present study a synovial B-cell hybridoma was analyzed for its specific recognition of cartilage antigens. A heptameric peptide of cartilage oligomeric protein (COMP) could be defined as the target structure. The IgVH-gene (IgHV4-59*01) of the IgG2l hybridoma has somatically mutated genes with high R/S values in the CDR regions (9:2). Thus, indicating that this hybridoma originates from a synovial B-cell which has been antigen activated/selected for its affinity. To analyse the presence of the clonotypic IgHV4-59*01 sequences in other cases of RA and osteoarthritis (OA) synovitis, primers specific for the CDR3 rearrangement of this hybridoma were used. The clonotypic and clone related sequences (98 per cent ± 1 per cent homology) could only be detected in synovitis of RA cases but not in OA cases indicating that this B-cell is specific to RA synovitis. The identified heptameric peptide of COMP was used in a peptide ELISA to analyse whether there is a specific binding in RA serum samples. Serum samples (IgG) from RA patients (n=22) showed a significant higher efficiency to the COMP heptamer than the OA sera (n=24) and the age matched healthy controls (n=20) (for both p<1x10-4, Students t-test). The specificity of this B-cell hybridoma may therefore be defined as RA specific. Since COMP is restricted to cartilage and tendons which are organs specifically affected in RA this COMP specific autoantibody represents the first organ specific autoantibody in RA. The IgG2 COMP specific autoantibody with somatically mutated IgVH genes is different from germline encoded, antigen clearing IgM autoantibodies and may therefore be directly involved as an "arthritogenic autoantibody" in cartilage and tendons destruction by complement activation.},
  subject      = {Rheumatoide Arthritis},
  language  = {en}
}