Although many macrophages and DC subsets are renewed from bone ma

Although many macrophages and DC subsets are renewed from bone marrow progenitors, there are notable exceptions. For example, neither microglia nor Langerhans cells (LCs) are dependent on the bone marrow for their renewal in the steady state and possibly during inflammation. Blood monocytes have been considered as precursors for macrophages and dendritic

cells but, LY2606368 as Kevin Woollard explained, evidence now indicates that blood monocytes are instead effectors of the inflammatory response. Human CD14+ monocytes, which can express CD16 when activated, specialize in phagocytosis and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and secrete inflammatory cytokines in response to a broad range of microbial cues. In contrast, human monocytes that lack CD14 but express CD16 (CD14dim monocytes) are weak phagocytes and do not produce ROS or cytokines in response to cell surface TLRs. Instead, they selectively produce this website the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF, IL-1b, and CCL3 in response to viruses and immune complexes containing nucleic acids via a unique TLR7-8/MyD88/MEK pathway 1. CD14dim monocytes may be involved in the innate local surveillance of tissues and the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Diana Dudziak (Erlangen, Germany) then presented data on dendritic cells (DCs) as master regulators of the immune response. DCs in either an immature or mature state are capable of presentation

of antigen; T cells recognizing peptide MHC-complexes on immature DCs undergo deletion or anergic responses, whereas T cells recognizing peptide MHC complexes on mature DCs undergo proliferative responses, leading to T cell memory, indicating that immune responses are tightly regulated by the state of DCs. Given that DCs are very potent antigen presenters, the idea arose that it might be possible to target antigens to DCs in vivo as a new vaccination strategy. By targeting Thymidine kinase antigens to the main murine DC subpopulations it was shown that antigen-loaded CD11c+CD8− DCs induce a pronounced CD4 helper T-cell response whereas antigen loaded CD11c+CD8+ induce a prominent CD8 T-cell response

in C57BL/6 mice 2. By antigen targeting of DC subpopulations under tolerogenic conditions de novo differentiation of peripheral antigen-specific regulatory T cells was induced when the antigen was presented by CD11c+CD8+ DCs; however, after the transfer of antigen-specific regulatory T cells into mice that had been targeted with antigen to CD11c+CD8− DCs, the transferred regulatory T-cell population was found to be expanded in vivo. These results further indicate that the specific antigen presentation by different DC subpopulations might influence the outcome of immune reactions. Jens Geginat (Milan, Italy) nicely described the identification and characterization of two distinct subsets of human Foxp3− IL-10-secreting T cells with regulatory properties 3.

PolyI:C was purchased from GE Healthcare company, and solved in m

PolyI:C was purchased from GE Healthcare company, and solved in milliQ water. For polyI:C treatment, polyI:C (50 μg/mL)

was mixed with DEAE-dextran (0.5 mg/mL) (Sigma) in the culture medium, and the cell culture supernatant was replaced with the medium containing polyI:C and DEAE-dextran. Using DEAE-dextran, polyI:C is incorporated into the cytoplasm to activate RIG-I/MDA5. VSV Indiana strain or poliovirus type 1 Mahoney strain were used for virus assay. this website Vero derived cell (Vero-SLAM) was used for propagation and plaque assay for VSV indiana strain or poliovirus type 1 Mahoney strain. HEK293 cells were infected with viruses at MOI=0.001 in a 24-well plate. The virus titers of culture media at indicated hours post infection in the figures were determined by plaque assay using Vero-SLAM cells. In some experiments that require rapid virus propagation, high MOI (0.1∼1) was used for infection. HEK293FT cells were transfected in a 6-well plate with plasmids encoding DDX3, IPS-1, RIG-I or MDA5 as indicated in the figures. Twenty-four hours after tranfection, the total cell lysate

was prepared by lysis buffer (20 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.5) containing 125 mM NaCl, 1 mM EDTA, 10% glycerol, 1% NP-40, 30 mM NaF, 5 mM Na3Vo4, 20 mM IAA and 2 mM PMSF), and the protein was immunoprecipitated Selleckchem MK-2206 with anti-HA polyclonal (Sigma) or anti-FLAG M2 mAb (Sigma). The precipitated samples were resolved on SDS-PAGE, blotted onto a nitrocellulose sheet and stained with anti-HA (HA1.1) monoclonal (Sigma), anti-HA polyclonal or anti-FLAG M2 mAb. HeLa cells were plated onto cover glass in a 24-well plate. In the CYTH4 following day, cells were transfected with indicated plasmids using Fugene HD (Roch). The amount of DNA was kept constant by adding empty vector. After 24 h, cells were fixed with 3% of paraformaldehyde in PBS for 30 min, and then permeabilized with PBS containing 0.2% of Triton X-100 for 15 min. For the polyI:C stimulation, 100 ng of polyI:C were transfected into HeLa cell in 24-well plates together with IPS-1 or DDX3 expressing vectors, and 24 h after

the transfection, the cells were fixed and stained for confocal microscopic analysis. Permeabilized cells were blocked with PBS containing 1% BSA and were labeled with anti-Flag M2 mAb (Sigma), anti-HA polyclonal Ab (Sigma) or Mitotracker in 1% BSA/PBS for 1 h at room temperature. The cells were then washed with 1% BSA/PBS and treated for 30 min at room temperature with Alexa-conjugated Ab (Molecular Probes). Thereafter, micro-cover glass was mounted onto slide glass using PBS containing 2.3% DABCO and 50% of glycerol. The stained cells were visualized at ×60 magnification under a FLUOVIEW (Olympus, Tokyo, Japan). The authors thank Dr. M. Sasai, Dr. T. Ebihara, Dr. K. Funami, Dr. A. Matsuo, Dr. A. Ishii, Dr. A. Watanabe and Dr. M. Shingai in our laboratory for their critical discussions.

The observed trough level-dependent effect of sotrastaurin on Tre

The observed trough level-dependent effect of sotrastaurin on Treg numbers CP 690550 suggests that PKC inhibition shifts signalling pathways within the T cells towards a more regulator phenotype (Fig. 5). The pathway responsible might be the inhibition of mTOR activation via NF-κB [23] blockade by sotrastaurin. NF-κB is important for mTOR activation, which is a negative regulator of Treg cell expansion. Therefore, blockade of the PKC–NF-κB activation pathway by sotrastaurin could lead to a differential effect

on T cells with a regulatory phenotype [24-27]. Our work focused on the effects of the novel immunosuppressant sotrastaurin on the development and function of CD4+CD25highFoxP3+ Tregs. We conclude that PKC inhibition potently blocks effector T cell function while leaving the inhibitory function

of Tregs intact. The clinical study was supported financially by Novartis. None declared. A. de W. was involved in recruiting GW-572016 datasheet study patients, performed the experiments and wrote the manuscript. M. K. treated the study patients. R. K. and J. Z. performed the experiments. W. W. was the principal investigator in our centre for the clinical trial and revised the manuscript. C. B. designed and supervised the experiments and revised the manuscript. “
“In jawed vertebrates the V-(D)-J rearrangement is the main mechanism generating limitless variations of antigen-specific receptors, immunoglobulins (IGs), and T-cell receptors (TCRs) from few genes. Once the initial diversity is established in primary lymphoid organs, further diversification occurs in IGs by somatic hypermutation, a mechanism from which rearranged TCR genes were thought to be excluded. Here, we report the locus organization Depsipeptide and expression of the T-cell receptor gamma (TCRG) genes in the Arabian camel (Camelus dromedarius). Expression data provide evidence that dromedary utilizes only two TCRG V-J genomic arrangements and, as expected, CDR3 contributes the major variability in the V domain. The data also suggest that diversity might be generated by mutation in the

productively rearranged TCRGV genes. As for IG genes, the mutational target is biased toward G and C bases and (A/G/T)G(C/T)(A/T) motif (or DGYW). The replacement and synonymous substitutions (R/S) ratios in TCRGV regions are higher for CDR than for framework region, thus suggesting selection toward amino acid changes in CDR. Using the counterpart human TCR γδ receptor as a template, structural models computed adopting a comparative procedure show that nonconservative mutations contribute to diversity in CDR2 and at the γδ V domain interface. To respond to the wide spectrum of antigenic determinants presented by an almost limitless variety of diverse and evolving pathogens, the metazoan immune system developed a striking variation of immune receptor molecules and diversification mechanisms [1].

They also suggest that infants represent information about not on

They also suggest that infants represent information about not only whether a 3-Methyladenine in vivo stimulus is familiar or unfamiliar but also whether it has been seen recently. “
“Recent research suggests that 12-month-old infants use shape to individuate the number of objects present in a scene. This study addressed the question of whether infants would also rely on shape when shape is only a temporary attribute of an object. Specifically, we investigated whether infants realize that shape changes reliably indicate identity changes only in the case of rigid objects, but not in the case of deformable plastic objects. Twelve-month-old infants observed how either a rigid

or a plastic Talazoparib mw object was placed in a box. When searching the box, they retrieved either an object with the same (no-switch event) or with a different shape (switch event). Infants correctly inferred two distinct objects in the switch event in the case of rigid objects, but

not in the case of plastic objects. A control experiment confirmed that this result was not due to a lack of salience of the shape transformation. Thus, infants’ re-searching behavior indicated that they viewed shape as being diagnostic in the individuation process of rigid objects only. “
“Comprehending spoken words requires a lexicon of sound patterns and knowledge of their referents in the world. Tincoff and Jusczyk (1999) demonstrated that 6-month-olds link the sound patterns “Mommy” and “Daddy” to video images of their parents, but not to other adults. This finding suggests that comprehension emerges at this young age and might take the form of very specific word-world links, as in “Mommy” referring only to the infant’s mother and “Daddy” referring only to the infant’s father. The current study was designed to investigate if 6-month-olds also show evidence of comprehending words that can refer to categories of objects. The results show that 6-month-olds link the sound patterns “hand” and “feet” to videos of an adult’s hand and feet. This finding suggests

that very early comprehension has a capacity Phosphoprotein phosphatase beyond specific, one-to-one, associations. Future research will need to consider how developing categorization abilities, social experiences, and parent word use influence the beginnings of word comprehension. “
“Previous research has shown that caregiver protective behavior may exacerbate toddler distress in specific contexts. This study sought to extend this work to examine associations between these variables and toddler cortisol reactivity. Ninety-three 24-month-old toddlers were observed across six novel contexts designed to elicit distress. Toddlers were asked to give saliva samples at the beginning and end of the laboratory procedure. Toddler sadness, toddler fear and caregiver protective behavior were coded.

parapertussis infection in human populations, and our results sug

parapertussis infection in human populations, and our results suggest that concurrent B. pertussis infection may do the same. However, as far as we know, B. parapertussis infections have not emerged at high levels in the era of pertussis vaccine use, although diagnostics for B. parapertussis infections need to be improved before the picture is clear. Coinfection with these two closely related pathogens may be more common than documented in human pertussis disease and the less virulent of the pair may benefit from the immunomodulatory properties of B. pertussis. Of course, whether this mouse model is representative of human infection is

unclear. Some aspects of B. parapertussis infection in mice more closely resemble those of B. bronchiseptica than B. pertussis (Heininger et al., 2002), and it is possible that B. pertussis is better adapted to the human host Ku0059436 than B. parapertussis and would outcompete

it in a mixed infection in a learn more human. Human volunteer experiments may be necessary to resolve these issues. This work was supported by NIH grant AI063080. We thank Galina Artamonova and Aakanksha Pant for conducting some of the preliminary mouse infection studies and Charlotte Mitchell for technical advice with BAL. “
“Vaccines are very effective at preventing infectious disease but not all recipients mount a protective immune response to vaccination. Recently, gene expression profiles of PBMC samples in vaccinated individuals have been used to predict the development of protective immunity. However, the magnitude of change in gene expression that separates vaccine responders and nonresponders is likely to be small and distributed across networks of genes, making the selection of predictive and biologically relevant genes difficult.

Here we apply a new approach to predicting vaccine response based on coordinated upregulation of sets of biologically informative genes in postvaccination gene expression profiles. We found Alectinib in vitro that enrichment of gene sets related to proliferation and immunoglobulin genes accurately segregated high responders to influenza vaccination from low responders and achieved a prediction accuracy of 88% in an independent clinical trial. Many of the genes in these gene sets would not have been identified using conventional, single-gene level approaches because of their subtle upregulation in vaccine responders. Our results demonstrate that gene set enrichment method can capture subtle transcriptional changes and may be a generally useful approach for developing and interpreting predictive models of the human immune response. Vaccination is one of the most effective methods of preventing human disease. However, many vaccines are not universally protective and even widely used vaccines, such as those against influenza, fail to achieve protective immunity in a significant proportion of vaccinated subjects [1].

Losartan was administered orally in the above studies, but in our

Losartan was administered orally in the above studies, but in our study, was continuously administered subcutaneously using an osmotic pump. In the rat, the concentrations

of losartan in the blood and tissue vary widely among individuals after oral administration, because the absorption of losartan is visibly affected by the timing of administration, such as before or after eating feed.31 In addition, oral treatment is also affected by first-pass metabolism, and bioavailability is low. Therefore, the concentration of losartan in bladder tissue stabilizes after 14-day repeated oral administration.32 The continuous subcutaneous infusion is assumed to produce stable concentrations of the drug in the blood and tissue at an early stage of treatment. Losartan blood concentrations were not monitored in the two studies Forskolin cited above, or in our study. However, the dose and method of administration of losartan that we used in our study was reported to prevent injury progression after myocardial infarction in rats.30 In addition, because the contractile response of bladder strips to 0.1 µM AngII disappeared in the losartan group, it is believed that the signaling from the AT1s that were expressed in the bladder was sufficiently blocked. The histological characteristics of the hypertrophic bladder growth in BOO rats, as revealed

by Elastica-Masson staining, included a marked increase in collagen fibers in the bladder smooth muscle layer and resulting muscle division. Buparlisib concentration 5-FU Losartan treatment decreased these hypertrophic characteristics, and the collagen-to-muscle ratio also decreased

to sham levels. Consistent with these results, HB-EGF mRNA levels that were increased in obstructed bladders were reduced by losartan treatment. In a previous study, HB-EGF mRNA and protein levels were reported to increase in murine bladder tissue in response to urethral ligation, and these increases in HB-EGF mRNA were mainly confined to the bladder muscle layer.33 In cardiovascular studies, locally overexpressed HB-EGF after myocardial infarction increased the level of fibrosis through a mitogenic effect on fibroblasts and exacerbated remodeling at the subacute and chronic stages post-myocardial infarction.34 The combined observations suggest that AT1s are activated by BOO, at least partially, and this activation upregulates HB-EGF and induces fibrosis through induction of the proliferation of fibroblasts in the bladder muscle layer. The urodynamic findings of our study; a shortened micturition interval, a decrease in urine volume per void volume and development of residual urine, indicated that BOO decreased bladder function. However, bladder capacity is greater in the losartan group than in the sham group. The reason for this may be due to bladder hypertrophy induced as a compensatory response to obstruction before treatment with losartan.

Consequently, only the last value of OD = 3·5 was maintained in e

Consequently, only the last value of OD = 3·5 was maintained in each dilution series, while the previous maximum determinations were omitted (Fig. 1b). Subsequently, all OD values were divided by 3·6, which is just higher than the maximum selleck OD of 3·5. The value of 3·6 was chosen to transform the OD data to

values above 0, but below 1, as required for the subsequent logistic transformation, y’ = ln[y/(1–y)], as illustrated in Fig. 1c. A background level of OD = 0·15 was observed, and values below the corresponding logistically transformed value of −3·135 were omitted from further analysis. A linear regression was fitted to the remaining data points and dilution factors were compared at 50% of the maximum OD of 3·5, i.e. at OD = 1·75 (equal to a transformed value of −0·056), as indicated in Fig. 1d. In this example, the dilution factor check details of the calibrator serum was 24·911 = 30·1 while the dilution factor of the donor serum was 22·397 = 5·3, and hence the control serum was diluted 30·1/5·3 = 5·7 times more than the donor serum. Consequently, the functional activity of the MBL pathway of the donor was 100%/5·7 = 17·5% of the activity of the control serum. In order to determine the normal level of activity for the three pathways of complement, sera from 150 healthy Danish blood donors were analysed using the methods described in the Materials and methods

section. Complement activity of the AP and the CP was measured in all donors, and the activity data followed a normal distribution (AP: W = 0·99, P = 0·25;

CP: W = 0·99, P = 0·17, Shapiro–Wilk test) (Fig. 2a). The mean percentage activity level for the AP was 91% (range 54·8–129·2%) and for the CP was 101% (range 57·4–161·9%) (Fig. 2b). The lower cut-off value of normal AP and CP functional pathway activity was defined as the mean – 1·96 × standard deviation (SD), resulting in a lower cut-off value of normal pathway activity for the AP at 59% and at 61% for CP, respectively. In contrast, the MBL pathway activity data did not follow a normal distribution (P = 0·003; Shapiro–Wilk test). The data showed Axenfeld syndrome a large variation with a bimodal distribution (Fig. 2a). The mean activity for the MBL pathway was 66·3% (range: 0–209·1%) (Fig. 2b). The MBL activity of the donor sera was correlated highly to the serum MBL concentration (r2 = 0·70, P < 0·0001) (Fig. 3). Given the relatively high frequency of individuals with MBL deficiency in the general population, it is somewhat troublesome to define a normal MBL activity range without taking into consideration individuals with somatic mutations in the MBL2 gene leading to MBL structures with very low binding avidities. In an attempt to define a meaningful cut-off value for normal MBL pathway activity, 22 donors with MBL pathway activities between 0 and 43% were MBL genotyped (Table 1).

A 50 bp or 200 bp DNA ladder marker (TaKaRa) was included in all

A 50 bp or 200 bp DNA ladder marker (TaKaRa) was included in all gels to determine the size of the amplified DNA fragments. The selected VNTR loci and their characteristics are shown in Table 2. The forward primers for the PCR were labeled at the 5′ end with either FAM or HEX or TAMRA. The reverse primers were synthesized unlabelled (Table 2) (20–22). The final protocol selleck kinase inhibitor consisted of three multiplex PCR. M1 contained 10 pmol TR1, 8 pmol TR3, 6 pmol TR5, and 8 pmol TR6 of the primer sets;

M2 contained 2.5 pmol TR2, 10 pmol TR7 and 15 pmol TR9 of the primer sets. M3 contained 10 pmol TR4 and 10 pmol TR8 of the primer-sets. M1 and M3 were performed according to standard PCR cycling as above. For M2, the initial denaturation at 95°C for 10 min was followed by 35 cycles: denaturation at 95°C for 1 min, 58°C for 40 s, and 72°C for 2 min; and a final extension of 10 min at 72°C. PCR fragments from M1 and M2 were analyzed using multicolored capillary electrophoresis (20–22). The amplicons of M1 and M2 were diluted in water to 1:120. After denaturation by heating, the amplicons were separated by capillary electrophoresis on an ABI 3730xl genetic analyzer with a GeneScan 500 LIZ size standard (Applied Biosystems, Tokyo,

Japan). Data were collected and the lengths of the amplicons determined according to color and size using GeneMapper software v. 4.0 (Applied Biosystems). Because the fragments from M3 PCR amplification are larger GPCR Compound Library than 500 bp (at the upper limitation for the GeneScan 500 LIZ size marker), the PCR fragments from M3 were resolved using horizontal agarose gel electrophoresis; and the sizes of the PCR amplification were deduced by visual inspection using a flanking reference DNA ladder. Whereas, because the unit sizes of the repeat TR8 and TR4 were 231 bp and 90 bp, respectively, they were determined directly. All of the tandem repeat loci patterns generated from TRF and the repeat copy numbers (alleles) of GZ1, P1/7, SC84 and 89/1591 were rounded to the nearest whole numbers. The number of repeat units for the nine VNTR loci and the calculated sizes of amplicons for S.

suis strains P1/7, SC84 and GZ1 were used as the standards to infer the number of repeat units check details for each locus in the isolates tested. All amplicons of different lengths in each locus were subjected to nucleotide sequence determination to verify the repeat sequence and the number of repeat units (20, 23). The primers (without the dye label) used for nucleotide sequence determination were the same as the primer sets used for PCR amplification. In those instances where no amplification was observed at a particular locus despite multiple attempts, the allele was denoted as “0”, whereas a decimal allele was designated to describe a locus allele that contained both flanking sequences but non-whole number repeat units. In each strain, the sequence of TR9 was also determined in both directions to confirm the results of the capillary electrophoresis.

All three patients who received these surgical interventions reac

All three patients who received these surgical interventions reached full recovery from fungal

pleural infections (two due to Aspergillus spp.). In summary, drainage with chest tubes and in some cases surgical (thoracoscopic) debridement is indicated in Aspergillus pleural empyema, which occurs mostly after pneumonectomies.[86-91] Aspergillus arthritis is a rare clinical disease most frequently present in immunocompromised patients. Knee and shoulder are the joints most frequently affected; however, the wrist and sacroiliac joint have also been reported. The infection of selleck screening library joints by Aspergillus spp. is caused mostly by haematogenous spread in disseminated IA; however, cases have been reported after medical injections into the joint.[57] Contamination and infection during surgery have also been reported in patients without underlying immunosuppression or other predisposing risk factors. Diagnostic imaging, such as magnetic resonance imaging which can show bone marrow oedema, should be performed early. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography may show uptake of 18-Fluoro-deoxiglucose (standard uptake value 9.0 against

the contralateral side 1.5) in the suspected joint, confirming the presence of articular and extra-articular inflammation. Clinical presentation consists of pain, swelling and instability in the affected joint. Drainage selleck products should be performed to gain synovial fluid for diagnostic methods. While debridement Paclitaxel and drainage are indicated in Aspergillus arthritis, joint replacement can only be recommended in selected cases.[92-94, 94-100] Steinfeld et al. [99] reported of two cases of Aspergillus arthritis of the knee that were managed by surgical intervention after the poor response to antifungal therapy alone. Arthroscopic debridement with a motorised shaver was performed and both patients showed good response. In immunocompetent patients with Aspergillus arthritis, antifungal therapy without surgical intervention has been reported to result in full recovery.[96]

In Aspergillus prosthetic joint infection change of prosthesis may help to save the extremity.[100, 101] Aspergillus skin and soft-tissue infections primarily occur in immunocompromised patients. However, primary cutaneous aspergillosis has recently also been reported on a tattoo in an immunocompetent patient who underwent home tattooing.[102] In immunocompromised patients, IA can manifest in skin and soft tissue, either as primary cutaneous Aspergillus infection or as secondary cutaneous manifestations of an underlying disseminated Aspergillus infection. Primary cutaneous aspergillosis mostly arises around intravenous line site, burns, bruises or surgical wounds, which represent potential ports of entry in patients with neutropenia.

The cDNA was then divided and used for PCR amplification of antiv

The cDNA was then divided and used for PCR amplification of antiviral protein and cytokine expression. Real-time RT-PCR assays were performed on LightCycler

System 480 (Roche Molecular Diagnostics, Mannhein, Germany) using SYBR Green PCR Master Mix (Roche Molecular Diagnostics). MxA, PKR, OAS, SLPI, IFN-α, IFN-β, IFN-λ, and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) were amplified using specific primers purchased from Operon (Ebersberg, Germany). The primer sequences are shown below. MxA (5′-GCTACACACCGTGACGGATATGG-3′/5′-CGAGCTGG ATTGGAAAGCCC-3′), PKR (5′-GCCTTTTCATC KU-60019 concentration CAAATGG AATTC-3′/5′-GAAATC TGTTCTGGGCTCATG-3′), OAS (5′-CATCCGCCTAGTCAAGCACTG-3′/5′-CCACCACCCAAGTTT CCTGTAG-3′), SLPI (5′-TTCCCCTGTGAAAGCTTGATTC-3′/5′-GATATCAGTGGTGGAGCCAAGTC-3′), IFN-α (5′-GGATGAGACCCTCCTAGACAAAT-3′/5′-ATGATTTCTGCTCTGACAACCTC-3′), IFN-β (5′-GATTCATCTAGCACTGGCTGG-3′/5′-CTTCAGGTAATGCAGAATCC-3′),

SCH 900776 solubility dmso IFN-λ (5′-GGACGCCTTGGAAGAGTCACT-3′/5′-AGAAGCCTCAGGTCCCAATTC-3′), and GAPDH (5′-GAAGGCTGGGGCTCATTT-3′/5′-CAGGAGGCATTGCTGATGAT-3′). Amplification conditions, sequences, and concentrations of the primers were similar to those of RT-PCR. After 45 reaction cycles, the melting curve analysis was performed at 95°C for 5 s, 65°C for 1 min, and heating to 97°C using a ramp rate of 0.11°C/sec with continuous monitoring of fluorescence. The melting peak generated represented the specific amplified product. All samples had only a single peak, indicating a pure product and no primer/dimer formation. Amplicons of a single band with the expected sizes were also confirmed in all reactions by agarose gel electrophoresis. The amplification efficiencies were high (close to 100%) when multiple standard curves were performed using serial mRNA dilutions. For periodontal tissue specimens, the relative mRNA expression of antiviral proteins and cytokines was normalized to corresponding GAPDH for each sample, using the formula = 2−ΔCT, where ΔCT

= CT-geneX-CT-GAPDH. The relative quantification of mRNA expression in Fossariinae periodontitis tissues was presented as the mean fold increase ± SEM, using the mean value obtained from the healthy tissue as a reference (relative quantification = 1). For HGEC culture, fold differences in mRNA expression levels of antiviral proteins and cytokines between sample A and sample B was calculated using the ΔΔCT method [[47]]. Levels of gene of interest were normalized to corresponding GAPDH for each sample, and the fold increase between sample A and sample B was calculated as follows: Fold increase = 2−ΔΔCT, where The excised periodontal tissues were immediately washed in normal saline solution, placed in the optimum cutting temperature embedding compound, snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored at −80°C. Single immunohistochemical staining was performed via Polymer/HRP and DAB+ chromagen system (DAKO EnVision™ G/2 Doublestain System, Glostrup, Denmark) on the frozen sections.