Engineered rice protects against rotavirus
For children and immune compromised adults in developing countries, diarrheal disease induced by rotavirus can be life threatening. Current rotaviral vaccines are highly effective in the Western world, but are not as effective in developing countries. Additionally, these vaccines are not appropriate for use outside of a very narrow age window or in immune compromised individuals. In the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation Yoshikazu Yuki and colleagues at the University of Tokyo report the development of a strain of rice that produces a rotavirus-specific antibody. Both normal and immune deficient mice fed the engineered rice were protected against rotavirus. The researchers also report that the rice maintains its efficacy even after long-term storage and heat exposure. This study provides a low cost, efficient strategy for prevention of rotavirus infection.
TITLE: Rice-based oral antibody fragment prophylaxis and therapy against rotavirus infection
AUTHOR CONTACT: Daisuke Tokuhara
The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, UNK, JPN
Phone: 81-3-5449-5271; Fax: 81-3-5449-5411; E-mail: tokuhara@ims.u-tokyo.ac.jp
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/70266?key=de80321a713532149b56
Tumor microenvironment allows cancer cells to hide from the immune system
Cancer progression is aided by the ability of tumors to evade recognition by the immune system. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Gerard Blobe and colleagues at Duke University identify a mechanism by which tumors evade detection. Using mouse models of breast cancer and melanoma, they show that loss of the Type III TGF-β receptor (TGFBR3) in tumors promotes cancer progression by altering signaling in tumor-associated immune cells. This study supports the use of TGF-β inhibitors to enhance the efficacy of therapies that promote immune-mediated elimination of tumor cells.
TITLE: Type III TGF-β receptor downregulation generates and immunotolerant tumor microenvironment
AUTHOR CONTACT: Gerard C. Blobe
Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
Phone: (919) 668-1352; Fax: (919) 681-6906; E-mail: blobe001@mc.duke.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65745?key=f673123b974c4089ed3b
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
TITLE: Retinoids activate the irritant receptor TRPV1 and produce sensory hypersensitivity
AUTHOR CONTACT: Hongzhen Hu
University of Texas Health Science at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
Phone: 713-500-7525; E-mail: Hongzhen.Hu@uth.tmc.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/66413?key=07980efc5faef311fc46
TITLE: Age-dependent hepatic lymphoid organization directs successful immunity to hepatitis B
AUTHOR CONTACT: Jody Baron
University of California, San Francisco, San Francsico, CA, USA
Phone: 415 476 5728; Fax: 415 476 0659; E-mail: jody.baron@ucsf.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/68182?key=4813eaa63d2ce5b8fb76
TITLE: Increased Fanconi C expression contributes to the emergency granulopoiesis response
AUTHOR CONTACT: Elizabeth Eklund
Northwestern University and Jesse Brown VHA Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
Phone: 312 503 3207; Fax: 312 908 5717; E-mail: e-eklund@northwestern.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/69032?key=1ae6052432e2d7e84f1e
TITLE: Nanoparticle-based flow virometry for the analysis of individual virions
AUTHOR CONTACT: Jean-Charles Grivel
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, Bethesda, MD, USA
Phone: 301 496 1298; Fax: 301 480 0857; E-mail: mailto:grivelj@mail.nih.gov
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67042?key=a318cc3a6f46bf3f4469
Journal
Journal of Clinical Investigation