Award details

Molecular basis of dendritic cell function

Reference	BBS/E/I/00000229
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Christopher Howard
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	The Pirbright Institute
Department	The Pirbright Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	76,740
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/10/1998
End date	30/09/2001
Duration	36 months

Abstract

Dendritic cells are the most effective of the professional antigen presenting cells (APC) and the only APC capable of initiating responses in naive T cells. We have identified a number of different subsets of dendritic cells in cattle afferent lymph draining from the skin. These subsets vary in the capacity to present antigen to and stimulate T cells. A panel of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) raised against dendritc cells has been put together. Some identify molecules apparently uniquely expressed by dendritic cells, others are to molecules expressed at a higher level dendritic cells than other APC, others mark subsets of dendritic cells which vary in their biological activity. Thus, synthesis of a number of potentially novel molecules by dendritic cells or subsets is implied. One such molecule recently cloned and defined by us we have called MyD-1. It is expressed by a dendritic cell subset and mediates the binding of T cells to APC and contains a number of signalling motifs indicating an involvement in the control of T cell responses. The project will use these mAb to screen cDNA libraries, which have been constructed from dendritic cells, monocytes, B and T cells, with the objective of cloning and expressing potentially novel antigens that may affect the function of dendritic cells. The project will also involve using a range of in vitro assays to investigate the biological function of any cloned molecule.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Biochemistry & Cell Biology (BCB)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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