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Popular Abstract in Swedish Immunsystemet består av en specifik och en ospecifik del som samarbetar när ett immunsvar sätts igång. Den specifika delen utgörs av T och B celler som med specifika ytreceptorer, så kallade antigen-receptorer, känner igen och aktiveras av främmande ämnen (antigen). För att T celler skall aktiveras av antigen, krävs det att dendritiska celler inom den ospecifika delen aImmunological self-tolerance is a state of the whole organism where deleterious responses are either avoided or regulated. Breaking of immunological tolerance will lead to autoimmune disease or chronic inflammatory conditions. T cell maturation in the thymus generates a peripheral T cell pool with an enormous TCR repertoire, from which specific T cells are selected and activated upon encounters wi

All virulent group A streptococcal isolates bind fibrinogen, a property that is closely linked to expression of type-specific antiphagocytic surface molecules designated M proteins. Here we show that although the M proteins from two different strains, M1 and M5, both bind fibrinogen with high affinity, they interact with different regions in the ligand. Moreover, mapping experiments demonstrated t

Oestrogen is not only a sex hormone but also an important regulator of the immune system. Expression of the heavy chain of IgM (mu) is essential for B-cell differentiation. However, a small number of IgA-positive B cells can be found in mice lacking the mu chain (mu MT-/-). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of oestrogen on this alternative B-cell pathway in mu MT-/- mice. Our re

Moraxella catarrhalis is a major cause of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema. M. catarrhalis–specific UspA1 and the epithelial carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule (CEACAM1) were required to induce apoptosis. M. catarrhalis–induced apoptosis was significantly enhanced in HeLa cells stably transfected with CEACAM1, compared with HeLa cells

Several microbial pathogens have been reported to interact with glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) on cell surfaces and in the extracellular matrix. Here we demonstrate that M protein, a major surface-expressed virulence factor of the human bacterial pathogen, Streptococcus pyogenes, mediates binding to various forms of GAGs. Hence, S. pyogenes strains expressing a large number of different types of M prot

In a number of autoimmune diseases, for example, rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, it is known that autoantibodies are present before the clinical onset. Recently we have shown that autoantibodies can be found many years before symptom onset in primary Sjögren's syndrome. This implies that screening for autoantibodies may be used to identify individuals at risk of developing s

We have recently shown in both herpesviruses and phages that packaged viral DNA creates a pressure of tens of atmospheres pushing against the interior capsid wall. For the first time, using differential scanning microcalorimetry, we directly measure the energy powering the release of pressurized DNA from the capsid. Furthermore, using a new calorimetric assay to accurately determine the temperatur

Klimatet förändras, och det är människans aktiviteter som är orsaken. Utsläpp av växthusgaser från fossila bränslen och ohållbar markanvändning på global, regional och lokal nivå driver den pågående uppvärmningen. Hur dessa drivkrafter utvecklas framöver avgör hur stora klimatförändringarna blir på sikt. Därmed återfinns klimatproblematikens orsaker, men även dess lösningar, i hur vi bygger och ut

This thesis takes as its point of departure an elective course in English: 'Drama in Practice - Shakespeare on Stage'. The course combines theory and practice in that it contains (on the one hand) lectures and written work about one of Shakespeare’s comedies, and (on the other hand) an on-stage part with rehearsals of the same play, culminating in a performance, in costume, before an audience. The

This chapter explores the role of the dissident intellectual in the post-dictatorship era. More specifically, it looks at the reaction in the Romanian cultural press and in the daily newspapers to the awarding of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature to Herta Müller, a Romanian-born German writer. Müller is known for her anti-Communist stance as well as her critique of those Romanian political and in