@article{JarickMokhtariSchelleretal.2018,
  author    = {Jarick, Katja J. and Mokhtari, Zeinab and Scheller, Lukas and Hartweg, Julia and Thusek, Sina and Le, Duc-Dung and Ranecky, Maria and Shaikh, Haroon and Qureischi, Musga and Heinze, Katrin G. and Beilhack, Andreas},
  title     = {Photoconversion of Alloreactive T Cells in Murine Peyer's Patches During Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease: Tracking the Homing Route of Highly Proliferative Cells In Vivo},
  series = {Frontiers in Immunology},
  volume    = {9},
  journal   = {Frontiers in Immunology},
  doi       = {10.3389/fimmu.2018.01468},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-323309},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {The regulation of immune cell migration throughout the body is essential to warrant immunosurveillance and to maintain immune homeostasis. Marking and tracking of these cells has proven important to study mechanisms of immune cell trafficking and cell interaction in vivo. Photoconversion is a well-suited technique for intravital application because it enables contactless time- and location-specific marking of cells in the tissue without surgically manipulating the microenvironment of the cells in question. However, in dividing cells the converted fluorescent protein may decline quickly. Here, we provide a detailed description of the photoconversion technique and its applicability to tracking highly proliferating T cells from the priming site of T cell activation to peripheral target organs of effector function in a preclinical model. Dendra2+ T cells were photoconverted in the Peyer's patches during the initiation phase of acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and tracked through the mesenteric lymph nodes and the peripheral blood to the small intestine with flow cytometry and intravital two-photon microscopy. Photoconverted alloreactive T cells preserved the full proliferative capacity, homing, and migration of alloreactive T cells in the intestinal lamina propria. We conclusively proved that photoconversion of highly proliferative alloreactive T cells in the Peyer's patches is an effective tool to study trafficking of alloreactive T cells under physiologic conditions and to GvHD target tissues. This technique can also be applied to the study of immune cell tracking under inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Brede2013,
  author    = {Brede, Christian},
  title     = {Peripheral alloantigen expression directs the organ specific T cell infiltration after hematopoietic cell transplantation},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-85365},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {In acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) alloreactive donor T cells selectively damage skin, liver, and the gastrointestinal tract while other organs are rarely affected. The mechanism of this selective target tissue infiltration is not well understood. We investigated the importance of alloantigen expression for the selective organ manifestation by examining spatiotemporal changes of cellular and molecular events after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). To accomplish this we established a novel multicolor light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) approach for deciphering immune processes in large tissue specimens on a single-cell level in 3 dimensions. We combined and optimized protocols for antibody penetration, tissue clearing, and triple-color illumination to create a method for analyzing intact mouse and human tissues. This approach allowed us to successfully quantify changes in expression patterns of mucosal vascular addressin cell adhesion molecule-1 (MAdCAM-1) and T cell responses in Peyer's patches following allo-HCT. In addition, we proofed that LSFM is suitable to map individual T cell subsets after HCT and detected rare cellular events. We employed this versatile technique to study the role of alloantigen expression for the selective organ manifestation after allo-HCT. Therefore, we used a T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic mouse model of GVHD that targets a single peptide antigen and thereby mimics a major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-matched single antigen mismatched (miHAg-mismatched) HCT. We transplanted TCR transgenic (OT-I) T cells into myeloablatively conditioned hosts that either express the peptide antigen ovalbumin ubiquitously (βa-Ova) or selectively in the pancreas (RIP-mOva), an organ that is normally not affected by acute GVHD. Of note, at day+6 after HCT we observed that OT-I T cell infiltration occurred in an alloantigen dependent manner. In βa-Ova recipients, where antigen was ubiquitously expressed, OT-I T cells infiltrated all organs and were not restricted to gastrointestinal tract, liver, and skin. In RIP-mOva recipients, where cognate antigen was only expressed in the pancreas, OT-I T cells selectively infiltrated this organ that is usually spared in acute GVHD. In conditioned RIP-mOva the transfer of 100 OT-I T cells sufficed to effectively infiltrate and destroy pancreatic islets resulting in 100\% mortality. By employing intact tissue LSFM in RIP-mOva recipients, we identified very low numbers of initial islet infiltrating T cells on day+4 after HCT followed by a massive T cell migration to the pancreas within the following 24 hours. This suggested an effective mechanism of effector T cell recruitment to the tissue of alloantigen expression after initial antigen specific T cell encounter. In chimeras that either expressed the model antigen ovalbumin selectively in hematopoietic or in parenchymal cells only, transplanted OT-I T cells infiltrated target tissues irrespective of which compartment expressed the alloantigen. As IFN-γ could be detected in the serum of transplanted ovalbumin expressing recipients (βa-Ova, βa-Ova-chimeras and RIP-mOva) at day+6 after HCT, we hypothesized that this cytokine may be functionally involved in antigen specific OT-I T cell mediated pathology. In vitro activated OT-I T cells responded with the production of IFN-γ upon antigen re-encounter suggesting that IFN-γ might be relevant in the alloantigen dependent organ infiltration of antigen specific CD8+ T cell infiltration after HCT. Based on these data we propose that alloantigen expression plays an important role in organ specific T cell infiltration during acute GVHD and that initial alloreactive T cells recognizing the cognate antigen propagate a vicious cycle of enhanced T cell recruitment that subsequently culminates in the exacerbation of tissue restricted GVHD.},
  subject      = {Alloantigen},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Zoran2022,
  author    = {Zoran, Tamara},
  title     = {Multilevel analysis of the human immune response to \(Aspergillus\) \(fumigatus\) infection: Characteristic molecular signatures and individual risk factors},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-29851},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-298512},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Although the field of fungal infections advanced tremendously, diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in immunocompromised patients continues to be a challenge. Since IPA is a multifactorial disease, investigation from different aspects may provide new insights, helpful for improving IPA diagnosis. This work aimed to characterize the human immune response to Aspergillus fumigatus in a multilevel manner to identify characteristic molecular candidates and risk factors indicating IPA, which may in the future support already established diagnostic assays. We combined in vitro studies using myeloid cells infected with A. fumigatus and longitudinal case-control studies investigating patients post allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) suffering from IPA and their match controls. Characteristic miRNA and mRNA signatures indicating A. fumigatus-infected monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) demonstrated the potential to differentiate between A. fumigatus and Escherichia coli infection. Transcriptome and protein profiling of alloSCT patients suffering from IPA and their matched controls revealed a distinctive IPA signature consisting of MMP1 induction and LGAL2 repression in combination with elevated IL-8 and caspase-3 levels. Both, in vitro and case-control studies, suggested cytokines, matrix-metallopeptidases and galectins are important in the immune response to A. fumigatus. Identified IPA characteristic molecular candidates are involved in numerous processes, thus a combination of these in a distinctive signature may increase the specificity. Finally, low monocyte counts, severe GvHD of the gut (grade ≥ 2) and etanercept administration were significantly associated with IPA diagnosis post alloSCT. Etanercept in monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) infected with A. fumigatus downregulates genes involved in the NF-κB and TNF-α pathway and affects the secretion of CXCL10. Taken together, identified characteristic molecular signatures and risk factors indicating IPA may in the future in combination with established fungal biomarkers overcome current diagnostic challenges and help to establish tailored antifungal therapy. Therefore, further multicentre studies are encouraged to evaluate reported findings.},
  subject      = {Aspergillus fumigatus},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ShaikhVargasMokhtarietal.2021,
  author    = {Shaikh, Haroon and Vargas, Juan Gamboa and Mokhtari, Zeinab and Jarick, Katja J. and Ulbrich, Maria and Mosca, Josefina Pe{\~n}a and Viera, Estibaliz Arellano and Graf, Caroline and Le, Duc-Dung and Heinze, Katrin G. and B{\"u}ttner-Herold, Maike and Rosenwald, Andreas and Pezoldt, Joern and Huehn, Jochen and Beilhack, Andreas},
  title     = {Mesenteric Lymph Node Transplantation in Mice to Study Immune Responses of the Gastrointestinal Tract},
  series = {Frontiers in Immunology},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Frontiers in Immunology},
  issn      = {1664-3224},
  doi       = {10.3389/fimmu.2021.689896},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-244869},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Mesenteric lymph nodes (mLNs) are sentinel sites of enteral immunosurveillance and immune homeostasis. Immune cells from the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) are constantly recruited to the mLNs in steady-state and under inflammatory conditions resulting in the induction of tolerance and immune cells activation, respectively. Surgical dissection and transplantation of lymph nodes (LN) is a technique that has supported seminal work to study LN function and is useful to investigate resident stromal and endothelial cell biology and their cellular interactions in experimental disease models. Here, we provide a detailed protocol of syngeneic mLN transplantation and report assays to analyze effective mLN engraftment in congenic recipients. Transplanted mLNs allow to study T cell activation and proliferation in preclinical mouse models. Donor mLNs proved viable and functional after surgical transplantation and regenerated blood and lymphatic vessels. Immune cells from the host completely colonized the transplanted mLNs within 7-8 weeks after the surgical intervention. After allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT), adoptively transferred allogeneic CD4+ T cells from FVB/N (H-2q) mice homed to the transplanted mLNs in C57BL/6 (H-2b) recipients during the initiation phase of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD). These CD4+ T cells retained full proliferative capacity and upregulated effector and gut homing molecules comparable to those in mLNs from unmanipulated wild-type recipients. Wild type mLNs transplanted into MHCII deficient syngeneic hosts sufficed to activate alloreactive T cells upon allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, even in the absence of MHCII+ CD11c+ myeloid cells. These data support that orthotopically transplanted mLNs maintain physiological functions after transplantation. The technique of LN transplantation can be applied to study migratory and resident cell compartment interactions in mLNs as well as immune reactions from and to the gut under inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Muhammad2009,
  author    = {Muhammad, Khalid},
  title     = {Longterm impact of anti-CD20 mediated transient B cell depletion on memory B cells in patients with rheumatoid arthritis},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-36319},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2009},
  abstract  = {B-Lymphozyten leisten unterschiedliche Beitr{\"a}ge zur Pathophysiologie der Rheumatoiden Arthritis. Sie produzieren Autoantik{\"o}rper, pr{\"a}sentieren Autoantigene und sch{\"u}tten verschiedene Zytokine, die am proinflammatorischen Prozess beteiligt sind, aus. Aufbauend auf diesen Ergebnissen wurden in den letzten Jahren Therapien entwickelt, die gezielt B-Lymphozyten ansteuern um direkt oder indirekt in den autoimmunen Krankheitsverlauf einzugreifen. Die zeitlich begrenzte B-Zell-Depletion mit Rituximab (anti CD20-Antik{\"o}rper) hat dabei in den letzten Jahren einen hohen Stellenwert erlangt und wird im klinischen Alltag insbesondere bei der Behandlung von Patienten mit rheumatoider Arthritis angewandt. Rituximab induziert im peripheren Blut bemerkenswerte Ver{\"a}nderungen in der Hom{\"o}ostase der B-Zell-Subpopulationen. Nach Therapie mit dem anti-CD20 Antik{\"o}rper Rituximab beginnt die Repletionsphase mit der peripheren Aussaat von transitionalen unreifen B-Zellen. Im weiteren Verlauf kommt es zu einer Normalisierung des naiven B-Zell-Pools. Das B-Zell Ged{\"a}chtnis und in besonderem Maße die IgD+CD27+ Ged{\"a}chtniszellen erholen sich nach Therapie nur langsam. In einer prospektiven klinischen Studie hat unsere Arbeitsgruppe gezeigt, dass die Gesamtzahl der Ged{\"a}chtniszellen gut mit der Dauer der klinischen Antwort auf Rituximab korreliert. Es ist wenig {\"u}ber die speziellen molekularen Ver{\"a}nderungen innerhalb der Ged{\"a}chtnis B-Zellen nach Rituximab Therapie bekannt. Um die Ver{\"a}nderungen im peripheren Blut zu verstehen untersuchten wir die somatische Mutationsfrequenz und das Muster der Ig-VH3 Gen Rearrangements, indem wir pr{\"a}- und posttherapeutisch bei 18 Patienten einzelne B-Zellen isolierten und den individuellen B-Zellrezeptor durch eine Einzelzell RT-PCR amplifizierten und sequenzierten. Wir verglichen das Mutationsmuster nach erfolgreicher B-Zelldepletion in den neu rezirkulierenden Ged{\"a}chtnis B-Zellen mit dem Mutationsmuster von vier Gesunden Blutspendern und sechs nicht-RA Patienten, die eine Hochdosis Chemotherapie mit anschließender autologer oder allogener Stammzelltransplantation erhalten hatten. Zun{\"a}chst haben wir die Zusammensetzung der Ged{\"a}chtniszellen im peripheren Blut analysiert. Der Ph{\"a}notyp der peripheren pr{\"a}-switch (IgD+CD27+) und post-switch (IgD-CD27+) Ged{\"a}chtniszellen zeigte keine quantitativen Unterschiede in RA-Patienten im Vergleich zu Gesunden. Bei der direkten Analyse des B-Zell Immunglobulin Rezeptors fanden sich jedoch zwischen klassengeswitchten und ungeswitchten Ged{\"a}chtnis B-Zellen signifikante Unterschiede in der Anzahl der Mutationen in der variablen Region der Ig Rezeptors. Die Population der IgD+CD27+ Ged{\"a}chtniszellen beinhaltete sowohl nicht mutierte, wenig mutierte und stark mutierte (Median= 9 Mutationen pro Sequenz) rearrangierte Ig- Rezeptoren, wohingegen die IgD-CD27+ Ged{\"a}chtniszellen einen durchgehend hoch mutierten (Median = 18 Mutationen pro Sequenz) Rezeptor aufwiesen. Der Unterschied zwischen beiden Gruppen war signifikant (Mutationsfrequenzen 3.83±0.19\% vs. 7.1±0.53\%; P=0.0001). Grundlegende Ver{\"a}nderungen wurden bei den rezirkulierenden ungeswitchten Ged{\"a}chtniszellen (IgD+CD27+) nach vor{\"u}bergehender B-Zell Depletion mit Rituximab festgestellt. Diese Zellen wurden bis 6 Jahre nach Rituximab beobachtet und zeigten eine stark verz{\"o}gerte Zunahme an Mutationen im Ig-Rezeptor. Ein Jahr nach einmaliger Gabe von Rituximab waren 84\% der einzelnen zirkulierenden IgD+/CD27+ B-Zellen unmutiert. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt fanden sich keine stark mutierten Ig-VH3 Gen Rearrangements (P=0.0001). Mit zunehmendem Abstand zur B-Zell depletierenden Therapie konnten in der Repopulationsphase zunehmende Zahlen an Mutationen in den B-Zell Ig Rezeptoren festgestellt werden. Beispielsweise waren w{\"a}hrend des 2. Jahres der Regeneration (P=0.0001) 7.8\%, sowie nach 4 Jahren nur 14\% der Ig Rezeptoren mutiert. Sogar 6 Jahre nach Behandlung, waren VH Mutationen in IgD+ Ged{\"a}chtniszellen noch deutlich vermindert. Selbst nach dieser Zeit fanden sich in der pr{\"a}-switch Ged{\"a}chtnispopulation nur 27\% hochmutierte Sequenzen w{\"a}hrend vor der passageren B-Zelldepletion 52\% ein hohe Zahl an Mutationen trugen (P=0.0001). Die posttherapeutische Analyse der CDR3 L{\"a}nge der regenerierten IgD+ Ged{\"a}chtniszellen ergab eine erh{\"o}hte CDR3 L{\"a}nge, die signifikant mit der Anzahl der nicht mutierten VH Genrearrangements w{\"a}hrend der Repletionsphase korreliert. Interessanterweise regenerierten Patienten nach Hochdosis Chemotherapie und allogener Stammzelltransplantation ihre IgD+ Ged{\"a}chtniszellen mit einer deutlich h{\"o}heren Anzahl an Mutationen. Ein Jahr nach Transplantation zeigten die Ig Rezeptoren schon 22\% hoch mutierte und 42\% unmutierte VH Rearrangements. Das zeigt, dass eine gegen CD20 gerichtete Behandlung nicht nur eine Verz{\"o}gerung der Produktion der ungeswitchten Ged{\"a}chtniszellen zur Folge hat, sondern dar{\"u}ber hinaus einen signifikanten Effekt auf die Mutationsrate im pr{\"a}switch Ged{\"a}chtnis B-Zellpool besitzt. Im Gegensatz zum Mutationsmuster der IgD+ Ged{\"a}chtniszellen regenerierten die klassengeswitchten Ged{\"a}chtniszellen nach anti-CD20 Depletion im peripheren Blut mit quantitativ normalen Mutationen im Ig Rezeptor. Interessanterweise fand sich allerdings eine {\"A}nderung der exprimierten Isotypen mit deutlicher Dominanz IgA exprimierender B Zellen. Weitere Analysen der klassengeswitchten Ged{\"a}chtnis B-Zellen zeigen außerdem eine Therapie induzierte qualitative Ver{\"a}nderung dieses B-Zellpools. So waren posttherapeutisch die Mutationen in bestimmten T-Zell abh{\"a}ngigen Mutationshotspots, dem RGYW/WRCY Motiv, signifikant vermehrt (Mutationstargeting vor Therapie 27\% vs. 43\% nach Rituximab, P=0.0003). Dies weist darauf hin, dass die Mechanismen der Affinit{\"a}tsreifung im klassengeswitchten B-Zellged{\"a}chtnis vor und nach B-Zelldepletion unterschiedlich funktionieren. Der Mutationsmechanismus selbst ist allerdings in diesen Zellen quantitativ nicht eingeschr{\"a}nkt. Zusammenfassend zeigt unsere Arbeit zum erstem mal, dass es nach einer passageren B-Zelldepletion mit anti-CD20 Antik{\"o}rpern zu einer {\"u}ber Jahre hinweg nachweisbaren ausgepr{\"a}gten Verz{\"o}gerung in der Aquisition von somatischen Mutationen in rearrangierten VH Genen der IgD+ Ged{\"a}chtniszellen kommt. Demgegen{\"u}ber erholt sich das klassengeswitchte B-Zellged{\"a}chtnis mit uneingeschr{\"a}nkter Zahl von Mutationen im Ig Rezeptor. Diese Resultate zeigen, dass anti-CD20 gerichtete Therapien in besonderem Maße IgD+ Ged{\"a}chtniszellen beeinflussen. Der Selektionsdruck durch Antigene und/oder die Selektion der Ig Rezeptoren erscheint unter diesen Bedingungen speziell bei IgD-Ged{\"a}chtnis B-Zellen reduziert. Die Daten unterst{\"u}tzen die Hypothese, dass pr{\"a}-switch Ged{\"a}chtnis B-Zellen im Vergleich zu post-switch Ged{\"a}chtnis B-Zellen andere Bedingungen f{\"u}r die Aktivierung der Mutationsmaschinerie ben{\"o}tigen. Die Resultate er{\"o}ffnen neue Wege f{\"u}r das Verst{\"a}ndnis der Pathophysiologie der B-Zell Ged{\"a}chtnisentwicklung und k{\"o}nnen helfen neue zielgerichtete Therapien zur Behandlung von Autoimmunerkrankungen zu konzipieren.},
  subject      = {Rheumatoider arthritis},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{PenaMosca2024,
  author    = {Pe{\~n}a Mosca, Mar{\´i}a Josefina},
  title     = {Local regulation of T-cell immunity in the intestinal mucosa},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-35266},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-352665},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2024},
  abstract  = {After priming in Peyer's patches (PPs) and mesenteric lymph nodes (mLN) T- cells infiltrate the intestine through lymphatic draining and homing through the bloodstream. However, we found that in mouse models of acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), a subset of alloreactive T-cells directly migrates from PPs to the adjacent intestinal lamina propria (LP), bypassing the normal lymphatic drainage and vascular trafficking routes. Notably, this direct migration occurred in irradiated and unirradiated GvHD models, indicating that irradiation is not a prerequisite for this observed behavior. Next, we established a method termed serial intravascular staining (SIVS) in mouse models to systematically investigate the trafficking and migration of donor T- cells in the early stages of acute GvHD initiation. We found that the direct migration of T-cells from PPs to LP resulted in faster recruitment of cells after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). These directly migrating T-cells were found to be in an activated and proliferative state, exhibiting a TH1/TH17-like phenotype and producing cytokines such as IFN-γ and TNF-α. Furthermore, we observed that the directly migrating alloreactive T-cells expressed specific integrins (α4+, αE+) and chemokine receptors (CxCR3+, CCR5+, and CCR9+). Surprisingly, blocking these integrins and chemokine-coupled receptors did not hinder the direct migration of T- cells from PPs to LP, suggesting the involvement of alternative mechanisms. Previous experiments ruled out the involvement of S1PR1 and topographical features of macrophages, leading us to hypothesize that mediators of cytoskeleton reorganization, such as Coro1a, Dock2, or Cdc42, may play a role in this unique migration process. Additionally, we observed that directly migrating T-cells created a local inflammatory microenvironment, which attracts circulating T-cells. Histological analysis confirmed that alloreactive PPs-derived T-cells and bloodborne T-cells colocalized. We employed two experimental approaches, including either photoconversion of T-cells in PPs or direct transfer of activated T-cells into the vasculature, to demonstrate this colocalization. We hypothesize that cytokines released by migrating T-cells, such as IFN-γ and TNF-α, may play a role in recruiting T-cells from the vasculature, as inhibiting chemokine-coupled receptors did not impair recruitment.},
  subject      = {T-Lymphozyt},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Berberich2024,
  author    = {Berberich, Oliver},
  title     = {Lateral Cartilage Tissue Integration - Evaluation of Bonding Strength and Tissue Integration \(in\) \(vitro\) Utilizing Biomaterials and Adhesives},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-34602},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-346028},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2024},
  abstract  = {Articular cartilage defects represent one of the most challenging clinical problem for orthopedic surgeons and cartilage damage after trauma can result in debilitating joint pain, functional impairment and in the long-term development of osteoarthritis. The lateral cartilage-cartilage integration is crucial for the long-term success and to prevent further tissue degeneration. Tissue adhesives and sealants are becoming increasingly more popular and can be a beneficial approach in fostering tissue integration, particularly in tissues like cartilage where alternative techniques, such as suturing, would instead introduce further damage. However, adhesive materials still require optimization regarding the maximization of adhesion strength on the one hand and long-term tissue integration on the other hand. In vitro models can be a valuable support in the investigation of potential candidates and their functional mechanisms. For the conducted experiments within this work, an in vitro disc/ring model obtained from porcine articular cartilage tissue was established. In addition to qualitative evaluation of regeneration, this model facilitates the implementation of biomechanical tests to quantify cartilage integration strength. Construct harvesting for histology and other evaluation methods could be standardized and is ethically less questionable compared to in vivo testing. The opportunity of cell culture technique application for the in vitro model allowed a better understanding of cartilage integration processes. Tissue bonding requires chemical or physical interaction of the adhesive material and the substrate. Adhesive hydrogels can bind to the defect interface and simultaneously fill the gap of irregularly shaped defect voids. Fibrin gels are derived from the physiological blood-clot formation and are clinically applied for wound closure. Within this work, comparisons of different fibrin glue formulations with the commercial BioGlue® were assessed, which highlighted the need for good biocompatibility when applied on cartilage tissue in order to achieve satisfying long-term integration. Fibrin gel formulations can be adapted with regard to their long-term stability and when applied on cartilage disc/ring constructs improved integrative repair is observable. The kinetic of repairing processes was investigated in fibrin-treated cartilage composites as part of this work. After three days in vitro cultivation, deposited extracellular matrix (ECM) was obvious at the glued interface that increased further over time. Interfacial cell invasion from the surrounding native cartilage was detected from day ten of tissue culture. The ECM formation relies on molecular factors, e.g., as was shown representatively for ascorbic acid, and contributes to increasing integration strengths over time. The experiments performed with fibrin revealed that the treatment with a biocompatible adhesive that allows cartilage neosynthesis favors lateral cartilage integration in the long term. However, fibrin has limited immediate bonding strength, which is disadvantageous for use on articular cartilage that is subject to high mechanical stress. The continuing aim of this thesis was to further develop adhesive mechanisms and new adhesive hydrogels that retain the positive properties of fibrin but have an increased immediate bonding strength. Two different photochemical approaches with the advantage of on-demand bonding were tested. Such treatment potentially eases the application for the professional user. First, an UV light induced crosslinking mechanism was transferred to fibrin glue to provide additional bonding strength. For this, the cartilage surface was functionalized with highly reactive light-sensitive diazirine groups, which allowed additional covalent bonds to the fibrin matrix and thus increased the adhesive strength. However, the disadvantages of this approach were the multi-step bonding reactions, the need for enzymatic pretreatment of the cartilage, expensive reagents, potential UV-light damage, and potential toxicity hazards. Due to the mentioned disadvantages, no further experiments, including long-term culture, were carried out. A second photosensitive approach focused on blue light induced crosslinking of fibrinogen (RuFib) via a photoinitiator molecule instead of using thrombin as a crosslinking mediator like in normal fibrin glue. The used ruthenium complex allowed inter- and intramolecular dityrosine binding of fibrinogen molecules. The advantage of this method is a one-step curing of fibrinogen via visible light that further achieved higher adhesive strengths than fibrin. In contrast to diazirine functionalization of cartilage, the ruthenium complex is of less toxicological concern. However, after in vitro cultivation of the disc/ring constructs, there was a decrease in integration strength. Compared to fibrin, a reduced cartilage synthesis was observed at the defect. It is also disadvantageous that a direct adjustment of the adhesive can only be made via protein concentration, since fibrinogen is a natural protein that has a fixed number of tyrosine binding sites without chemical modification. An additional cartilage adhesive was developed that is based on a mussel-inspired adhesive mechanism in which reactivity to a variety of substrates is enabled via free DOPA amino acids. DOPA-based adhesion is known to function in moist environments, a major advantage for application on water-rich cartilage tissue surrounded by synovial liquid. Reactive DOPA groups were synthetically attached to a polymer, here POx, to allow easy chemical modifiability, e.g. insertion of hydrolyzable ester motifs for tunable degradation. The possibility of preparing an adhesive hybrid hydrogel of POx in combination with fibrinogen led to good cell compatibility as was similarly observed with fibrin, but with increased immediate adhesive strength. Degradation could be adjusted by the amount of ester linkages on the POx and a direct influence of degradation rates on the development of integration in the in vitro model could be shown. Hydrogels are well suited to fill defect gaps and immediate integration can be achieved via adhesive properties. The results obtained show that for the success of long-term integration, a good ability of the adhesive to take up synthesized ECM components and cells to enable regeneration is required. The degradation kinetics of the adhesive must match the remodeling process to avoid intermediate loss of integration power and to allow long-term firm adhesion to the native tissue. Hydrogels are not only important as adhesives for smaller lesions, but also for filling large defect volumes and populating them with cells to produce tissue engineered cartilage. Many different hydrogel types suitable for cartilage synthesis are reported in the literature. A long-term stable fibrin formulation was tested in this work not only as an adhesive but also as a bulk hydrogel construct. Agarose is also a material widely used in cartilage tissue engineering that has shown good cartilage neosynthesis and was included in integration assessment. In addition, a synthetic hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel (HA SH/P(AGE/G)) was used. The disc/ring construct was adapted for such experiments and the inner lumen of the cartilage ring was filled with the respective hydrogel. In contrast to agarose, fibrin and HA-SH/P(AGE/G) gels have a crosslink mechanism that led to immediate bonding upon contact with cartilage during curing. The enhanced cartilage neosynthesis in agarose compared to the other hydrogel types resulted in improved integration during in vitro culture. This shows that for the long-term success of a treatment, remodeling of the hydrogel into functional cartilage tissue is a very high priority. In order to successfully treat larger cartilage defects with hydrogels, new materials with these properties in combination with chemical modifiability and a direct adhesion mechanism are one of the most promising approaches.},
  subject      = {Knorpel},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Lother2015,
  author    = {Lother, Jasmin},
  title     = {Interaktion dendritischer Zell-Subtypen mit dem human pathogenen Schimmelpilz \(Aspergillus fumigatus\)},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-140940},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {Die invasive Aspergillose (IA) z¨ ahlt zu den seltenen, bei immunsupprimierten Patienten jedoch mit einer hohen Letalit¨ at verbundenen Infektionskrankheiten. Sie wird, wie alle Aspergillosen, durch den humanpathogenen Schimmelpilz Aspergillus fumigatus ausgel¨ ost. Bis heute ist die oft nicht effektive Therapie einer IA mit hohen Nebenwirkungen und Kosten verbunden. Die Entwicklung von Pathogen-spezifischen Immuntherapien soll durch die Forschung im Bereich der immunologischen Infektionsbiologie vorangetrieben werden. Fur neuen Erkenntnisse wird die Interaktion von humanen Immunzellen mit ¨ A. fumigatus analysiert. In der vorliegenden Studie wurde mit dendritischen Zellen (DCs) gearbeitet, da diese Pilzmorphologien von A. fumigatus phagozytieren k¨ onnen und uber Antigenpr ¨ ¨ asentation das adaptive Immunsystem aktivieren. Es wurden aus humanen Monozyten differenzierte DCs (moDCs) verwendet, mit welchen viele Forschergruppen aufgrund ihrer verfugbar ¨ großen Anzahl arbeiten. Allerdings dauert die Generierung von moDCs funf Tage. Aus ¨ dem peripheren Blut entstammende CD1c-positive myeloide DCs (mDCs) oder CD303- positive plasmazytoide DCs (pDCs) k¨ onnen dagegen direkt nach der Isolation verwendet werden. Die beiden DC-Populationen werden aus verschiedenen Vorl¨ auferzellen des h¨ amatopoetischen Systems im Knochenmark gebildet. Ihr Ph¨ anotyp und ihre Immunfunktionen unterscheiden sich untereinander und auch von denen der moDCs. In Interaktionsstudien konnte analysiert werden, dass die drei verwendeten DC-Subtypen (moDCs, mDCs, pDCs) unterschiedlich auf A. fumigatus reagieren. moDCs und mDCs reiften in direktem Kontakt zu Aspergillus, sie sekretierten ein relativ ¨ ahnliches Zytokinprofil und exprimierten die bekannten Aspergillus-Rezeptoren Dectin-1, TLR2 und TLR4. Im Kontrast dazu verblieben pDCs trotz Aspergillus-Kontakt unreif und sekretierten nahezu keine Zytokine. Da moDCs und mDCs eine Immunreaktion auf den Pilz zeigten, wurden sie mit verschiedenen Aspergillus-Antigenen beladen und n¨ aher untersucht. Bevor verschiedene Aspergillus-Antigene zur Beladung der DCs eingesetzt werden konnten, wurden diese analysiert und aufgereinigt. Hierfur wurde ein routinierter Arbeitsprozess ¨ etabliert. Zwei der vier verfugbaren Proteinantigene waren mit Endotoxin kontaminiert. ¨ Da schon geringe Mengen an Endotoxinen auf DCs einen stimulatorischen Effekt ausubten, ¨ wurden die Proteine mittels Affinit¨ atschromatografie von den verunreinigenden Endotoxinen befreit. In den Stimulationsexperimenten wirkten die beiden Proteinantigene CcpA und SHMT immunogen auf moDCs und mDCs. CcpA induzierte eine st¨ arkere Maturierung und Zytokinfreisetzung als SHMT. Auff¨ allig war, dass mDCs im Vergleich zu moDCs die Expression von MHC Klasse II st¨ arker erh¨ ohten und mehr IL18 freisetzten. Die mit CcpA oder SHMT beladenen moDCs und mDCs aktivierten autologe T-Zellen zur IFNg Sekretion und zur Proliferation. Zudem wurden durch die beiden Proteine Aspergillus-spezifische, CD154- positive T-Zellen induziert. Diese Aspergillus-spezifische Immunogenit¨ at von CcpA und SHMT macht die beiden Proteine zu interessanten Kandidaten fur einen Vakzinierungs- ¨ Cocktail einer DC-Immuntherapie. Aspergillus Lysat induzierte als weiteres Antigen eine T-Zell Immunantwort mit CD154-positiven T-Zellen. Zudem war die Proliferation und IFNg Sekretion von T-Zellen induziert, obwohl moDCs und mDCs nicht reiften und nur wenige Zytokine sekretierten. Die beiden Aspergillus-Proteine CpcB und fg-gap induzierten die Reifung und Zytokinsekretion von moDCs und mDCs nicht. Demzufolge sind CpcB und fg-gap fur eine DC-Immuntherapie nicht empfehlenswert. ¨ Ein Vakzinierungs-Cocktail enth¨ alt in der Regel Adjuvantien, welche die Immunreaktion verst¨ arken. Adjuvante Effekte auf moDCs konnten die getesteten Aspergillus-RezeptorLiganden Zymosan, Pam3CSK4, LPS ultrapur und R848 ausl¨ osen. Hyalurons¨ aure konnte keine Verbesserung der Reifung oder Vitalit¨ at von moDCs und mDCs bewirken. Die Antigen-bedingte Reifung der DCs fur n ¨ ¨ otige Restimulationen w¨ ahrend der Therapie konnte mittels einer tiefgekuhlten Lagerung in CryoStor Einfriermedium stabil beibehalten ¨ werden. Die beiden immunogenen Aspergillus-Proteine, die adjuvanten Rezeptor-Agonisten und die stabile Lagerung in CryoStor k¨ onnen als elementare Grundsteine fur einen Vakzinierungs- ¨ Cocktail einer anti-fungalen DC-Immuntherapie mit moDCs oder mDCs angesehen werden.},
  subject      = {Dendritische Zellen},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{MuellerLeisse2016,
  author    = {M{\"u}ller-Leisse, Johanna},
  title     = {Influence of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and neutrophil granulocytes on natural killer cell homeostasis and function},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-140734},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) are phagocytic cells of the innate immune system that efficiently kill bacteria. However, they also have regulatory effects on other immune cells and contribute to immunosuppression in cancer, which worsens the outcome. In particular, this has been demonstrated for a subset of granulocytic cells called myeloid- derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), but its distinction from PMNs is controversial. Most authors have explored the suppressive effects of MDSCs on T cells, but recent data suggest that NK cells are also affected. NK cells are crucial for the combat of tumor cells, in particular leukemic cells. There is hardly data available on the interaction between NK cells and suppressive granulocytic cells. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to explore the effects of MDSCs and PMNs on the NK cell function against the leukemia cell line K562. In co-culture experiments, I demonstrate that granulocytic MDSCs and PMNs had similar effects on NK cell function and homeostasis. On the one hand, they positively influenced the survival and maturation of NK cells. On the other, they inhibited the activation, cytotoxicity and cytokine production of NK cells, both IFNγ and TNFα, in response to K562 target cells. Furthermore, I show a down-regulation of the activating receptor NKp30 on NK cells in the presence of MDSCs or PMNs, which may form part of the underlying suppressive mechanisms. However, there is also evidence for the involvement of other molecules. Further investigations are needed to confirm a relevant suppression of NK cells by granulocytic cells in cancer patients, and to identify therapeutic targets. The recognition that regular PMNs have similar effects on NK cells as MDSCs could simplify future experiments, since MDSCs are heterogeneous and laborious to isolate and identify. NKcells and granulocytes are among the first immune cells to reconstitute after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and NK cells may be particularly exposed to suppressive effects of granulocytes this scenario. Modulating these suppressive effects of granulocytes on NK cells therapeutically may yield a better NK cell function and an improved cancer prognosis. },
  subject      = {Nat{\"u}rliche Killerzelle},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Dagvadorj2016,
  author    = {Dagvadorj, Nergui},
  title     = {Improvement of T-cell response against WT1-overexpressing leukemia by newly developed anti-hDEC205-WT1 antibody fusion proteins},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-149098},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Wilms tumor protein 1 (WT1) is a suitable target to develop an immunotherapeutic approach against high risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML), particularly their relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). As an intracellular protein traversing between nucleus and cytoplasm, recombinant expression of WT1 is difficult. Therefore, an induction of WT1-specific T-cell responses is mostly based on peptide vaccination as well as dendritic cell (DC) electroporation with mRNA encoding full-length protein to mount WT1-derived peptide variations presented to T cells. Alternatively, the WT1 peptide presentation could be broadened by forcing receptor-mediated endocytosis of DCs. In this study, antibody fusion proteins consisting of an antibody specific to the human DEC205 endocytic receptor and various fragments of WT1 (anti-hDEC205-WT1) were generated for a potential DC-targeted recombinant WT1 vaccine. Anti-hDEC205-WT1 antibody fusion proteins containing full-length or major parts of WT1 were not efficiently expressed and secreted due to their poor solubility and secretory capacity. However, small fragment-containing variants: anti-hDEC205-WT110-35, anti-hDEC205-WT191-138, anti-hDEC205-WT1223-273, and anti-hDEC205-WT1324-371 were obtained in good yields. Since three of these fusion proteins contain the most of the known immunogenic epitopes in their sequences, the anti-hDEC205-WT191-138, anti-hDEC205-WT1223-273, and anti-hDEC205-WT1324-371 were tested for their T-cell stimulatory capacities. Mature monocyte-derived DCs loaded with anti-hDEC205-WT191-138 could induce ex vivo T-cell responses in 12 of 16 blood samples collected from either healthy or HSC transplanted individuals compared to included controls (P < 0.01). Furthermore, these T cells could kill WT1-overexpressing THP-1 leukemia cells in vitro after expansion. In conclusion, alongside proving the difficulty in expression and purification of intracellular WT1 as a vaccine protein, our results from this work introduce an alternative therapeutic vaccine approach to improve an anti-leukemia immune response in the context of allogeneic HSCT and potentially beyond.},
  subject      = {Akute myeloische Leuk{\"a}mie},
  language  = {en}
}