What's in a Vaccine?
It is found that the known TLR pathways do not modulate B cell responses, and so adjuvants containing TLR ligands must depend on other properties.
Abstract
After vaccination, the efficiency with which protective antibodies are produced often depends on the presence of an adjuvant, a substance that promotes activation of antibody-producing B cells. It has been anticipated that Toll-like receptors (TLRs) might be major players in mediating the effects of adjuvants. However, Gavin et al. now find that the known TLR pathways do not modulate B cell responses, and so adjuvants containing TLR ligands must depend on other properties. Such a revision to thinking about the effects of TLR on B cell responses will likely refocus current thinking about vaccine development. A. L. Gavin, K. Hoebe, B. Duong, T. Ota, C. Martin, B. Beutler, D. Nemazee, Adjuvant-enhanced antibody responses in the absence of Toll-like receptor signaling. Science 314, 1936-1938 (2006). [Abstract] [Full Text]