THE BIOLOGY OF HUMAN DEC-205: A POTENTIAL ANTIGEN LOADING RECEPTOR FOR DENDRITIC CELLS

Funded Activity Summary

Dendritic Cells (DC) represent a unique subset of white blood cells which play a critical role in initiating the immune response. Foreign material from bacteria-viruses and potentially cancer cells are recognised by DC, taken inside, processed and presented with other signals to T and B Lymphocytes for a response. Several DC surface molecules may beinvolved in the recognition of foreign material. We have cloned human DEC-205, a molecule which is predicted to bind the sugar groups associated with bacteria-viruses and to act as a foreign material recognition and loading receptor. This project seeks to synthesise components of DEC-205 to test the binding capacities of its different components to different sugars and other molecules. We will also establish its expression pattern and how this is regulated on different white blood cell types. It is also possible that DEC-205 transmits signals which activate the DC, and we will test for that possibility. Finally, we will attempt to exploit this knowledge for loading cancer target molecules into DC via DEC-205 to initiate a cancer vaccine response.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2000

End Date: 01-01-2002

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $227,017.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Clinical chemistry (incl. diagnostics)

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Allergy | Allograft rejection | Antigen loading | Cancer | DEC-205 | Dendritic Cells | Immunology | Leukaemia/ lymphoma | Ligand | Tumour immunotherapy

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