Human IgM protein (Fab mu) [FITC]

The potential benefits of probiotics when administering to fish could improve aquaculture production. The objective of this study was to examine the modulation of immune status and gut microbiota of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.) specimens by a probiotic when administered encapsulated. Commercial diet was enriched with Shewanella putrefaciens Pdp11 (SpPdp11, at a concentration of 10(8) cfu g(-1)) before being encapsulated in calcium alginate beads. Fish were fed non-supplemented (control) or supplemented diet for 4 weeks. After 1, 2 and 4 weeks the main humoral and cellular immune parameters were determined. Furthermore, gene expression profile of five immune relevant genes (il1 beta, bd, mhcII alpha, ighm and tcr beta) was studied by qPCR in head kidney. On the other hand, intestinal microbiota of fish was analysed at 7 and 30 days by DGGE. Results demonstrated that administration of alginate encapsulated SpPdp11 has immunostimulant properties on humoral parameters (IgM level and serum peroxidase activity). Although no immunostimulant effects were detected on leucocyte activities, significant increases were detected in the level of mRNA of head-kidney leucocytes for mhcII alpha and tcr beta after 4 weeks of feeding the encapsulated-probiotic diet. The administration of SpPdp11 encapsulated in alginate beads produced important changes in the DGGE patterns corresponding to the intestinal microbiota. Predominant bands related to lactic acid bacteria, such as Lactococcus and Lactobacillus strains, were sequenced from the DGGE patterns of fish fed the probiotic diet, whereas they were not sequenced from fish receiving the control diet. The convenience or not of probiotic encapsulation is discussed. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Several lines of evidence show that autoimmune responses evolving in type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients include the generation of multi-reactive autoantibody (AutoAb) repertoires, but their role in T1D pathogenesis remains elusive. We tested the hypothesis that variants at the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) locus are genetic determinants of AutoAbs against pancreatic antigens and contribute to T1D susceptibility. With this aim, two independent study designs were used: a case-control study and a family-based cohort comprising a total of 240 T1D patients, 172 first-degree relatives (mother and/or father), and 130 unrelated healthy controls living in Portugal. We found that three SNPs in the IGH locus show suggestive association with T1D with the highest nominal association at rs1950942 (in the IGHM-IGHJ gene region) in both the case-control study (P = 9.35E-03) and the family-based cohort (P = 3.08E-03). These SNPs were also associated with IgG AutoAbs against pancreatic antigens and with AutoAb multi-reactivity in T1D patients. Notably, we found that the SNP with the highest association with T1D susceptibility and IgG autoantibody reactivity (rs1950942) was also associated with anti-GAD IgM reactivity in T1D patients (P = 5.98E-03) and in non-affected parents (P = 4.17E-03). This finding implies that IGH association with autoreactive IgM is detectable irrespective of disease status. These results suggest that genetic variants at the IgM gene region of the IGH locus contribute to antibody autoreactivity and are associated with T1D. We propose that the control of autoantibody generation by IGH polymorphisms is a component of the complex architecture of T1D genetic susceptibility.