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M Vordermeier

Publications and source records attributed to M Vordermeier.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Advanced granulomatous lesions in Mycobacterium bovis-infected cattle are associated with increased expression of type I procollagen, gammadelta (WC1+) T cells and CD 68+ cells.

The pathognomonic characteristic of tuberculosis (TB) is the formation of a tuberculous granuloma. The objective of this study was to classify lymph node granulomas from experimentally infected calves into different histopathological stages and characterize them further by studying cell types and markers of fibrosis associated with each of the stages. Four stages of granuloma were identified and mRNA and protein expression for cell markers, cytokines and pro-fibrotic markers were studied by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in-situ hybridization (ISH). In advanced stage granulomas, there was an increase in the expression of TGF-beta, and of type I procollagen as demonstrated by IHC and ISH. As the granulomas advanced, there were fewer CD3+T cells and they tended to be more prominent towards the periphery of the lesions, with a steady increase in the number of CD68+ cells and gammadelta (WC1+) T cells. Granuloma classification and application of cell cytokine markers will assist in improving understanding of the pathogenesis of bovine TB and may help to identify the immunopathology of active disease versus contained or inactive disease. Such disease correlates may help to inform the development of improved diagnostic methods and support vaccine development programmes.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Improving peptide-based assays to differentiate between vaccination and Mycobacterium bovis infection in cattle using nanoparticle carriers for adsorbed antigens.

The development of diagnostic tests to differentiate between vaccinated animals and those infected with Mycobacterium bovis is required so that test and slaughter control strategies can continue alongside vaccination. In this work, the peptide antigen, ESAT-6, p45, derived from the N-terminal sequence of the ESAT-6 protein, was adsorbed onto a range of microparticulate and nanoparticulate substrates to enhance the in vitro immune response of blood lymphocytes previously sensitised to M. bovis. Two types of hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles (both approximately 300 nm in linear dimension), carbonate hydroxyapatite nanospheres (CHA, approximately 50 nm), two sizes of polystyrene nanospheres ( approximately 500 and 40 nm), calcium carbonate microparticles (0.3-1.0 microm) and glass microspheres (1.0-3.0 microm) were incubated in a solution of the peptide in PBS. Peptide adsorption increased on the nanoparticle carriers in the order HA (2.5+/-0.12%w/w), CHA (4.9+/-0.12) polystyrene (500 nm, 6.8+/-0.15%, 40 nm, 9.2+/-0.07) and these systems exhibited fairly low levels of desorption (approximately 10-15% peptide release) over a 24-h incubation period in PBS at 37 degrees C. HA, CHA and polystyrene carriers with adsorbed peptide were subsequently tested in the BOVIGAM assay to investigate the efficiency of the immune response of blood lymphocytes in terms of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production. A general elevation of IFN-gamma production resulted for particle-bound peptide relative to free peptide at high peptide concentrations (>10 microg/ml). Only HA-adsorbed peptide resulted in consistently higher immune responses at low peptide concentration (<0.1 microg/ml) compared with the free peptide, indicating that peptide antigens adsorbed to hydroxyapatite nanoparticles may be useful, in diagnostic assays, for differentiating between tuberculosis (TB)-infected and vaccinated animals.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2004

The interferon-gamma field trial: background, principles and progress.

Since November 2002, the State Veterinary Service and the Veterinary Laboratories Agency have been conducting a field trial to assess the interferon-gamma test as an ancillary parallel test to the tuberculin skin test in herds with confirmed tuberculosis breakdowns. Here, Martin Vordermeier, Tony Goodchild, Richard Clifton-Hadley and Ricardo de la Rua describe the background to the trial, discuss the principle of the test and provide an update of progress so far

Animals↗
PubMed2003

DNA injection in combination with electroporation: a novel method for vaccination of farmed ruminants.

Injection of plasmid DNA encoding antigens into rodents followed by electroporation improved the immune response when compared with injection without electroporation (Widera et al. J Immunol 2000;164:4635-40; Zucchelli et al. J Virol 2000;74:11598-607; Kadowaki et al. Vaccine 2000;18:2779-88). The present study describes the extension of this technology to farm animals, by injecting plasmid DNA encoding mycobacterial antigens (MPB70, Ag85B and Hsp65) into the muscles of goats and cattle using two different types of electrodes, both allowing DNA delivery at the site of electroporation. The animals were vaccinated under local anaesthesia without any observed immediate or long-term distress or discomfort, or any behavioural signs of muscle damage or pathological changes after the electroporation. DNA-injected and electroporated goats showed increased humoral response after the primary vaccination when compared with nonelectroporated animals. Improved T-cell responses following electroporation were observed in hsp65 DNA-vaccinated cattle. DNA injection with or without electroporation did not compromise the specificity of the tuberculin skin test. In conclusion, a protocol applying in vivo electroporation free of side effects to farmed ruminants was established. In addition, we show that DNA vaccination in combination with electroporation can improve the primary immune responses to the encoded antigens.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Immune reactions of CD4- and CD8-positive T cell subpopulations in spleen and lymph nodes of guinea pigs after vaccination with Bacillus Calmette Guerin.

Vaccination of guinea pigs with Mycobacterium bovis BCG confers partial resistance against infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Induction of immunity is associated with a strong T cell response. The reactions of the cytotoxic and helper T lymphocyte subsets after BCG vaccination were analyzed by cytofluorometry and in functional tests. The relative number of CD8(+) T cells in the spleen increased substantially after injection of BCG. In vitro restimulation after immunization induced a strong proliferative response but no cytotoxic reactions of CD8(+) T cells against BCG-infected macrophages. A specific induction of IFN-gamma and RANTES mRNA was observed after vaccination particularly in CD8(+) but not in CD4(+) T cells of the lymph nodes.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Expression of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis 19-kilodalton antigen in Mycobacterium smegmatis: immunological analysis and evidence of glycosylation.

The gene encoding a 19-kDa antigen from Mycobacterium tuberculosis was expressed as a recombinant protein in the rapid-growing species Mycobacterium smegmatis. The recombinant antigen was expressed at a level approximately ninefold higher than in M. tuberculosis and, like the native antigen, was found in the pellet fraction after high-speed centrifugation of bacterial extracts. The 19-kDa antigen in crude bacterial extracts, and the purified recombinant antigen, bound strongly to concanavalin A, indicating the possibility of posttranslational glycosylation. The recombinant antigen stimulated T-cell proliferation in vitro when added to assays either in the form of whole recombinant bacteria or as a purified protein. Homologous expression of mycobacterial antigens in a rapid-growing mycobacterial host may be particularly useful for the immunological characterization of proteins which are subject to posttranslational modification.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1986

A defined fragment of bacterial protein I (OmpF) is a polyclonal B-cell activator.

Protein I from the outer membrane of Escherichia coli and other members of the family Enterobacteriaceae is a potent mitogen and polyclonal B-lymphocyte activator. To determine the part of the polypeptide responsible for biological activity, we cleaved the molecule into defined polypeptide fragments of approximate molecular weights 24,000, 15,000, 9,000, 7,000, and 3,000 by using the cyanogen bromide method. The fragments were purified by gel permeation chromatography and by preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. They were investigated for mitogenicity and for the induction of immunoglobulin synthesis in lymphocyte cultures from several inbred mouse strains. The fragment of molecular weight 24,000 turned out to be a potent polyclonal B-lymphocyte activator comparable to native protein I. The low-molecular-weight fragments exhibited only marginal effects. Neither purified T lymphocytes nor thymocytes were activated. Our results show that a defined fragment of protein I is responsible for its lymphocyte-stimulating activity.

Animals↗