RESUMO
Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), endemic in Latin America, is a progressive systemic mycosis caused by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis (P. brasiliensis), which primarily attacks lung tissue. Dendritic cells (DCs) are able to initiate a response in naïve T cells, and they also participate in Th-cell education. Furthermore, these cells have been used for therapy in several disease models. Here we transfected DCs with a plasmid (pMAC/PS-scFv) encoding a single chain variable fragment (scFv) of an anti-Id antibody that is capable of mimicking gp43, the main antigenic component of P. brasiliensis. First, Balb/c mice were immunized subcutaneously with pMAC/PS-scFv and, after seven days, scFv protein was presented to the regional lymph nodes cells. Moreover, we showed that the DCs transfected with scFv were capable of efficiently activating proliferation of total lymph node cells and inducing a decrease in lung infection. Therefore, our results suggested that the use of scFv-transfected DCs may be a promising therapy in the paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) model.
Assuntos
Antígenos de Fungos/imunologia , Células Dendríticas/imunologia , Proteínas Fúngicas/imunologia , Glicoproteínas/imunologia , Imunoterapia/métodos , Paracoccidioides/imunologia , Paracoccidioidomicose/prevenção & controle , Anticorpos de Cadeia Única/uso terapêutico , Animais , Anticorpos Anti-Idiotípicos/uso terapêutico , Anticorpos Monoclonais/uso terapêutico , Células Dendríticas/transplante , Ativação Linfocitária , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Mimetismo Molecular , Paracoccidioidomicose/terapia , Anticorpos de Cadeia Única/genética , TransfecçãoRESUMO
Guarana (Paullinia cupana var. sorbilis) is a plant native to the central Amazon basin. Roasted seed extracts have been used as medicinal beverages since pre-Colombian times, due to their reputation as stimulants, aphrodisiacs, tonics, as well as protectors of the gastrointestinal tract. Guarana plants are commercially cultivated exclusively in Brazil to supply the national carbonated soft-drink industry and natural product stores around the world. In this report, we describe and discuss the annotation of 15,387 ESTs from guarana seeded-fruits, highlighting sequences from the flavonoid and purine alkaloid pathways, and those related to biotic stress avoidance. This is the largest set of sequences registered for the Sapindaceae family.