title: Antigen-specific response of murine immune system toward a yeast beta-glucan preparation, zymosan.
abstract: Zymosan, a particulate beta-glucan preparation from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, shows various biological activities, including anti-tumor activity. We have previously shown that soluble beta-glucan initiated anti-tumor activity was long-lived and was effective even by prophylactic treatment at 1 month prior to tumor challenge. However, the activity by zymosan was relatively short-lived. Antigen-specific responses of mice to zymosan might be a causative mechanism. In this paper, mice were immunized with zymosan and antibody production and antigen-specific responses of lymphocytes to zymosan were analyzed. Sera of zymosan immune mice contained zymosan-specific IgG assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and FACS. Spleen and bone marrow cells of zymosan-immune mice showed higher cytokine production in response to zymosan. Specificity of zymosan-specific responses were also analyzed using various derivatives prepared from zymosan. These facts strongly suggested that mice recognize zymosan as antigen in addition to non-specific immune stimulant.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Immunopharmacology of Microbial Products, School of Pharmacy, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science, Hachioji, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohno
authors.forename: N N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yadomae
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000908:Antibodies, Fungal / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D015054:Zymosan / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000908:Antibodies, Fungal; D016207:Cytokines; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D015054:Zymosan