| Budget Amount *help |
¥4,680,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,080,000)
Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000)
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Mucosal immune responses in the nasopharynx associated with NKT cell activation were examined. Mice were administered galactosylceramide (GalCer) intranasally as a ligand for NKT cells, without any antigen. After nasal immunization, dendritic cells (DCs) increased in nasal-associated lymphoid tissue. Antibody-producing cells, mainly those that produce immunoglobulin A, significantly increased in the nasal passage (NP). Interleukin (IL)-17-producing Th 17 cells were also induced in the NP. Bacterial challenges with live Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae resulted in enhanced clearances of both bacterial species from the nasopharynx. It is interesting that bacterial clearance was impaired by IL-17 neutralization. These results suggest that the activation of NKT cells by nasal administration of GalCer induced protective immunity in the nasopharynx, possibly involving the interaction with DCs and induction of Th17 cells.
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