Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 25, 2026

Chemical Conjugation of a Purified DEC-205-Directed Antibody with Full-Length Protein for Targeting Mouse Dendritic Cells In Vitro and In Vivo
10:35

Chemical Conjugation of a Purified DEC-205-Directed Antibody with Full-Length Protein for Targeting Mouse Dendritic Cells In Vitro and In Vivo

Published on: February 5, 2021

4.1K

Ligation of Dectin-2 with a novel microbial ligand promotes adjuvant activity for vaccination

Huafeng Wang1, Taek-Jin Lee1, Scott J Fites1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States of America.

Plos Pathogens
|August 10, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Researchers discovered a novel fungal glycoprotein, Blastomyces Eng2 (Bl-Eng2), that acts as a potent vaccine adjuvant. This Dectin-2 ligand enhances cellular immunity, protecting against lethal fungal infections by boosting Th17 and Th1 cell responses.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Microbiology
  • Vaccinology

Background:

  • Cellular immunity, particularly Th17 and Th1 cells, is crucial for combating fungal infections, unlike antibody-focused vaccines.
  • Intracellular microbes like fungi and Mycobacterium tuberculosis rely on C-type lectin receptors, including Dectin-2, for immune engagement.
  • Developing effective adjuvants that promote cellular immunity is a key challenge in vaccine development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize novel ligands for Dectin-2 that can serve as vaccine adjuvants.
  • To evaluate the potential of a newly discovered glycoprotein, Blastomyces Eng2 (Bl-Eng2), as an adjuvant for vaccines targeting fungal infections.

Main Methods:

  • Investigated Bl-Eng2's interaction with Dectin-2 using reporter cell assays.
  • Assessed Bl-Eng2's ability to induce cytokine production (IL-6) in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs).
  • Evaluated the adjuvant efficacy of Bl-Eng2 in a pan-fungal subunit vaccine model in mice, assessing immune cell responses and protection against fungal challenge.

Main Results:

  • Bl-Eng2 was identified as a novel Dectin-2 ligand, triggering significant signaling in Dectin-2 reporter cells.
  • Bl-Eng2 induced IL-6 production in human PBMCs and BMDCs from wild-type mice, but not from Dectin-2 or Card9 knockout mice, confirming Dectin-2-dependent signaling.
  • In vivo, Bl-Eng2 as an adjuvant amplified antigen-specific Th17 and Th1 cell populations, enhanced myeloid cell activation and fungal killing, and conferred protection against lethal fungal challenge.

Conclusions:

  • Bl-Eng2 is a potent Dectin-2 ligand with significant adjuvant properties for vaccines requiring cellular immunity.
  • Ligation of Dectin-2 by Bl-Eng2 represents a promising novel adjuvant strategy for enhancing protection against fungal and potentially other intracellular microbial infections.
  • This discovery opens new avenues for developing vaccines that effectively elicit cellular immune responses critical for pathogen clearance.

More Related Videos

Immunostimulatory Agent Evaluation: Lymphoid Tissue Extraction and Injection Route-Dependent Dendritic Cell Activation07:04

Immunostimulatory Agent Evaluation: Lymphoid Tissue Extraction and Injection Route-Dependent Dendritic Cell Activation

Published on: September 16, 2018

10.8K
Evaluating the Immune Response of a Nanoemulsion Adjuvant Vaccine Against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA Infection07:32

Evaluating the Immune Response of a Nanoemulsion Adjuvant Vaccine Against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA Infection

Published on: September 1, 2023

2.4K

Related Concept Videos

Vaccinations01:51

Vaccinations

Overview
52.2K
Ligand Binding and Linkage00:49

Ligand Binding and Linkage

Allosteric proteins have more than one ligand binding site; the binding of a ligand to any of these sites influences the binding of ligands to the other sites. When a protein is allosteric, its binding sites are called coupled or linked.  In the case of enzymes, the site that binds to the substrate is known as the active site and the other site is known as the regulatory site. When a ligand binds to the regulatory site, this leads to conformational changes in the protein that can influence...
5.7K
Adherens Junctions01:24

Adherens Junctions

Strong contact points between adjacent cells anchor them to each other, forming tissues. Such anchoring junctions are of two types –  adherens junctions and desmosomes. Adherens junctions are abundant in tissues such as  epithelium and endothelium, forming a continuous zone of adhesion called the adhesion belt. In other tissues, such as  heart muscle, they appear as clusters, linking the cells to produce coordinated heart muscle contraction.
Adherens Junctions are Dynamic
6.9K
Microorganisms in Medicine and Therapeutics01:29

Microorganisms in Medicine and Therapeutics

Microorganisms play a fundamental role in vaccine development, gene therapy, and therapeutic production. Their biological properties are harnessed to advance medicine and public health. Beyond immunization, microorganisms contribute to gut health, antibiotic synthesis, and genetic disease treatment.Live Attenuated and Inactivated VaccinesLive attenuated vaccines, such as the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, utilize weakened forms of pathogens to closely resemble natural infections.
1.2K
Antigens Involved in Adaptive Immunity01:26

Antigens Involved in Adaptive Immunity

An antigen is any substance the immune system identifies as foreign and potentially harmful to the body, prompting an immune response. Antigens have two functional properties: immunogenicity and reactivity. Immunogenicity is the ability of an antigen to stimulate a specific immune response. At the same time, reactivity describes the antigen's ability to react with the cells and antibodies produced in response to it.
Complete Antigens
Complete antigens possess both immunogenicity and...
1.7K
Immunoglobulin-like Cell Adhesion Molecules01:31

Immunoglobulin-like Cell Adhesion Molecules

Immunoglobulin-like cell adhesion molecules or Ig-CAMs are a versatile group of cell surface glycoproteins belonging to the immunoglobulin protein superfamily. Ig-CAMs possess the characteristic immunoglobulin protein domains and other domains such as the fibronectin type III domain. The Ig domains are glycosylated to varying degrees in different Ig-CAMs.
Ig-CAMs exhibit either homophilic binding (to other Ig-CAMs) or heterophilic binding (to other ligands such as integrins). While most Ig-CAMs...
4.5K