Subdominant H60 antigen-specific CD8 T-cell response precedes dominant H4 antigen-specific response during the initial phase of allogenic skin graft rejection

In allogeneic transplantation, including the B6 anti-BALB.B settings, H60 and H4 are two representative dominant minor histocompatibility antigens that induce strong CD8 T-cell responses. With different distribution patterns, H60 expression is restricted to hematopoietic cells, whereas H4 is ubiquitously expressed. H60-specific CD8 T-cell response has been known to be dominant in most cases of B6 anti-BALB.B allo-responses, except in the case of skin transplantation. To understand the mechanism underlying the subdominance of H60 during allogeneic skin transplantation, we investigated the dynamics of the H60-specific CD8 T cells in B6 mice transplanted with allogeneic BALB.B tail skin. Unexpectedly, longitudinal bioluminescence imaging and flow cytometric analyses revealed that H60-specific CD8 T cells were not always subdominant to H4-specific cells but instead showed a brief dominance before the H4 response became predominant. H60-specific CD8 T cells could expand in the draining lymph node and migrate to the BALB.B allografts, indicating their active participation in the anti-BALB.B allo-response. Enhancing the frequencies of H60-reactive CD8 T cells prior to skin transplantation reversed the immune hierarchy between H60 and H4. Additionally, H60 became predominant when antigen presentation was limited to the direct pathway. However, when antigen presentation was restricted to the indirect pathway, the expansion of H60-specific CD8 T cells was limited, whereas H4-specific CD8 T cells expanded significantly, suggesting that the temporary immunodominance and eventual subdominance of H60 could be due to their reliance on the direct antigen presentation pathway. These results enhance our understanding of the immunodominance phenomenon following allogeneic tissue transplantation.     

Association between the microbiomes of tonsil and saliva samples isolated from pediatric patients subjected to tonsillectomy for the treatment of tonsillar hyperplasia

Oral microbes have the capacity to spread throughout the gastrointestinal system and are strongly associated with multiple diseases. Given that tonsils are located between the oral cavity and the laryngopharynx at the gateway of the alimentary and respiratory tracts, tonsillar tissue may also be affected by microbiota from both the oral cavity (saliva) and the alimentary tract. Here, we analyzed the distribution and association of the microbial communities in the saliva and tonsils of Korean children subjected to tonsillectomy because of tonsil hyperplasia (n = 29). The microbiome profiles of saliva and tonsils were established via 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Based on the alpha diversity indices, the microbial communities of the two groups showed high similarities. According to Spearman’s ranking correlation analysis, the distribution of Treponema, the causative bacterium of periodontitis, in saliva and tonsils was found to have a significant positive correlation. Two representative microbes, Prevotella in saliva and Alloprevotella in tonsils, were negatively correlated, while Treponema 2 showed a strong positive correlation between saliva and tonsils. Taken together, strong similarities in the microbial communities of the tonsils and saliva are evident in terms of diversity and composition. The saliva microbiome is expected to significantly affect the tonsil microbiome. Furthermore, we suggest that our study creates an opportunity for tonsillar microbiome research to facilitate the development of novel microbiome-based therapeutic strategies.Subject terms: Comparative genomics, Metagenomics     

Asymmetric synthesis of homo-apioneplanocin A from d-ribose

Homo-apioneplanocin A was efficiently synthesized via stereoselective hydroxymethylation, regio- and chemoselective hydroboration, and chemoselective oxidation as key steps from d-ribose.     

WKB Wave Function of the General Time-Dependent Quadratic Hamiltonian System

We derived the WKB wave function for the general time-dependent quadratic Hamiltonian system using a unitary transformation method. We applied our research to sinusodially drived Caldirola–Kanai oscillator and confirmed that the time evolution of our approximated WKB wave function is similar to that of the exact one. This wave function can be used to analyze the interference between the probability amplitudes contributed by the area of overlap in phase space of quantum states.     

Preparation and characterization of acrylic‐based black particles of poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) by dispersion polymerization for electrophoretic displays

Ultrafine black particles, ranging in diameter from 1 to 3 μm, were prepared by dispersion polymerization in a methanol/water mixture with vinyl monomers, nonpolymerizable Sudan black B dyes, and fluorescein isothiocyanate labeled charge control additives. Both the ratio of the methanol to the water dispersion medium and the polymeric stabilizer concentration had significant effects on the particle size. The important role of the stabilizer concentration lay in the particle formation step, during which it determined the particle stability and final particle size. These could affect the extent of the aggregation of nuclei by changing the adsorption rate of the stabilizer and the viscosity of the dispersion medium, resulting in smaller particles. The fluorescent‐labeled charge control additives strongly affected the electrophoretic mobility. A small concentration of fluorescent‐labeled charge control additives increased the electrophoretic mobility. However, a further addition reduced the electrophoretic mobility of the polymer particles. The concentration dependence of the fluorescent‐labeled charge control additives on the deposition behavior in the polymer particles was successfully imaged and thereafter quantified by image analysis. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5608–5616, 2004     

Cellulose dimethylphenylcarbamate-bonded carbon-clad zirconia for chiral separation in high performance liquid chromatography.

Porous zirconia particles are very robust material and have received considerable attention as a stationary phase support for HPLC. We prepared cellulose dimethylphenylcarbamate-bonded carbon-clad zirconia (CDMPCCZ) as a chiral stationary phase (CSP) for separation of enantiomers of a set of 14 racemic compounds in normal phase (NP) and reversed-phase (RP) liquid chromatography. Retention and enantioselectivity on CDMPCCZ were compared to those on CDMPC-coated zirconia (CDMPCZ) to see how the change in immobilization method of the chiral selector affects the retention and chiral selectivity. In NPLC, retention was longer and the number of resolved racemates was smaller on CDMPCCZ than on CDMPCZ. However, chiral selectivity factors for some resolved racemates were better on CDMPCCZ than on CDMPCZ. The longer retention on CDMPCCZ is likely due to strong, non-chiral discriminating interactions with the carbon layer on CDMPCZ. In RPLC only two racemates were resolved on CDMPCCZ, but retention times were shorter than, and resolutions were comparable to, those in NPLC, indicating a potential for improving chromatographic performance of the CDMPCCZ column in RPLC with optimized column preparation and separation conditions.