When our bodies are under attack from foreign organisms,such as bacteria and viruses,our immune system orchestrates a complex fight-back involving many separate parts.One important component of this response is a type of cell called the B-lymphocyte–it is this cell that is at the forefront of
Post-translational modification of proteins by N-phosphorylation of the basic amino acid residues plays important roles in biological processes. The high-energy P–N bond might have contributed to the evolution of prebiotic chemistry. N-phosphoryl amino acids(PAAs) can serve as interesting small molecular models for the study of P–N bonds in prebiotic chemical evolution. PAAs are capable of simultaneously producing several important biomolecules such as polypeptides and oligonucleotides under mild reaction conditions. In this review, we describe the chemistry of PAAs, discusse their likely prebiotic origins and their reactivity and how they relate to biological P–N bond species. We also depict a possible prebiotic scenario mediated by PAAs in which PAAs may have acted as one of the essential forces driving prebiotic biomolecules to the first protocell.
Alzheimer's disease(AD) is one of the most common types of dementia whose hallmarks include neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques. The latter are mainly composed of amyloid-β proteins(Aβ), and it's suggested that Aβ may be the causative factor in AD pathogenesis. Immunotherapy targeting Aβ for preventing aggregation of Aβ and mildly clearing amyloid plaques has been a hot topic since 1999. Although the first clinical trial of Aβ vaccine, AN-1792, failed in phase II, its results suggested some key points in the design of Aβ vaccines. Avoiding the possible toxic Aβ specific T cell response and inducing a Th2 type cellular immune response may be beneficial for Aβ immunotherapy. Many associations and research groups are working on Aβ vaccine and some progress has been made in recent years. In this review, we have provided a detailed summary of past Aβ vaccines, which have been sorted by the immunogen, and we also discuss some recent progress and future perspectives.
