The Role Of Non-classical MHC Class I Molecules In Adaptive Immunity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$443,834.00
Summary
Specialised proteins called MHC class Ia molecules (MHC-Ia) stimulate killer T cells to lyse virus infected cells. In contrast, the function of the closely related MHC-Ib is uncertain. Recent findings have demonstrated that MHC-Ib can also be recognised by T cells and this interaction is important in the control of viral infections. However, despite the similarity to MHC-Ia, it is unclear how this interaction occurs. This project aims to investigate how killer T cells recognise MHC-Ib molecules.
Functional Suicide Of Selected Dendritic Cells By Cytochrome C: An In Vivo Model Lacking Cross-presentation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$597,476.00
Summary
Certain white blood cells (dendritic cells) activate the immune system, especially its T cells. Infection of such cells elicits killer T cell responses. However not all infections infect dendritic cells. In such cases, the infectious material is eaten by dendritic cells and moved to certain areas within the cell. This process is called cross-presentation and how important it is during various diseases remains moot. We now have a model of testing this by eliminating these cross-presenting cells.
Antigen Selection In The MHC-restricted Cellular Immune Response
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$175,570.00
Summary
The body's white cells eliminate microorganisms through the actions of immune lymphocytes and other cells which conspire to kill and neutralise these unwanted guests. When microorganisms hide inside the cells of the body they are still detected by a set of T lymphocytes which have specific receptors for scrutinising the surface of cells for any changes which might signal an intracellular infection. The immune system is ever vigilant in its search for signs of infection which are generally appare ....The body's white cells eliminate microorganisms through the actions of immune lymphocytes and other cells which conspire to kill and neutralise these unwanted guests. When microorganisms hide inside the cells of the body they are still detected by a set of T lymphocytes which have specific receptors for scrutinising the surface of cells for any changes which might signal an intracellular infection. The immune system is ever vigilant in its search for signs of infection which are generally apparent when molecules called antigens are released by microorganisms and captured by the body's cells. This activates lymphocytes resulting in an immune response capable of eliminating the microorganisms. Scrutiny of the body's cells by lymphocytes occurs continuously even when there is no infection present in the body. Following infection of a cell, microbial antigens reveal the infection by their appearance on the cell surface where they are detected by the immune system's lymphocytes. This occurs through a mechanism called antigen presentation. During antigen presentation the proteins inside the cell, including those of any invading microorganism, are first degraded into shorter molecules called peptides. This event is called antigen processing. A fraction of the peptides created by antigen processing are captured by specialised receptors present on all cells. These receptors are called HLA or histocompatibility molecules. This project examines the molecular events which mediate the capture of peptide antigens by HLA molecules. The main focus is on those peptide antigens which elicit killer T cell responses by the immune system. A knowledge of how these peptides are selected for presentation and how they are captured and carried to the cell surface is fundamental to understanding immune responses to microorganisms, tumours, allergens, transplants and self tissues as in autoimmunity. Therefore the study is of great general relevance.Read moreRead less
Protecting Web Services from Distributed Denial of Service Attacks. Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks bring a tremendous threat to web services on the Internet. Large amount of web services were pulled down worldwide by the DDoS attacks, with huge losses in business. Effective approaches to defeat DDoS attacks are desperately demanded. Most existing DDoS defense systems aim to only protect the victim network and are not fully integrated. In this project we propose a novel defense syst ....Protecting Web Services from Distributed Denial of Service Attacks. Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks bring a tremendous threat to web services on the Internet. Large amount of web services were pulled down worldwide by the DDoS attacks, with huge losses in business. Effective approaches to defeat DDoS attacks are desperately demanded. Most existing DDoS defense systems aim to only protect the victim network and are not fully integrated. In this project we propose a novel defense system to protect web services from DDoS attacks. Our system is one of the first systems that have a mixture deployment in both victim end and attack source end, and integrated capabilities of intrusion surveillance, traffic control, and traceback, thus achieve better control results over other mechanisms.Read moreRead less
Interest-based negotiation: theory and practice. The results of the project will provide theoretically sound technologies that can better support distributed resource and task allocation in complex problem solving settings. The combination of theoretical and practical outcomes from the research will enable these technologies to be applied in decision-making settings beyond those studied directly in the project. The project contributes to Australia's ability to compete in the emerging internation ....Interest-based negotiation: theory and practice. The results of the project will provide theoretically sound technologies that can better support distributed resource and task allocation in complex problem solving settings. The combination of theoretical and practical outcomes from the research will enable these technologies to be applied in decision-making settings beyond those studied directly in the project. The project contributes to Australia's ability to compete in the emerging international market for knowledge-based software applications. The project's key connections and integration with European research will also strengthen research collaboration and training opportunities for Australian based students. Read moreRead less
Methylation Sensitive Genes And The Transition To Allergic Disease: A Twin Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$493,843.00
Summary
Australia has amongst the highest reported prevalence allergic conditions (including asthma) in the world. Despite this, little is known about how these conditions arise. Mounting evidence implicates environmentally induced disruption of the genetic blueprint via a process known as epigenetics. We are combining the strengths of a unique collection of identical twins where one of a pair is sensitive to house dust mite, with cutting edge genomics, to characterise the pathways leading to allergy in ....Australia has amongst the highest reported prevalence allergic conditions (including asthma) in the world. Despite this, little is known about how these conditions arise. Mounting evidence implicates environmentally induced disruption of the genetic blueprint via a process known as epigenetics. We are combining the strengths of a unique collection of identical twins where one of a pair is sensitive to house dust mite, with cutting edge genomics, to characterise the pathways leading to allergy in children.Read moreRead less
Antigen-presenting cells control immune responses. Different types of these cells do different jobs and affect different diseases. We wish to control these processes by determining how the cells live and die. In particular we are interested in controlling the local immune responses during rejection of islet transplantation, which can cure type 1 diabetes.