Journal of Undergraduate Research
Keywords
mucosal vaccines, immune response, mucosal tissues
College
Life Sciences
Department
Microbiology and Molecular Biology
Abstract
Mucosal surfaces are the main portals through which pathogens enter the body of an organism. Previous research has shown that mucosal immunity effectively prevents the entry of pathogens at these surfaces, thus disrupting an infection before it begins; this immunity can be achieved by mucosal vaccination (1). The homing mechanisms of lymphocytes in the mucosal immune system, however, are not yet fully understood. This mentored research project was designed to deepen the understanding of how the mucosal immune system operates. We sought to evaluate the efficacy of mucosal vaccination in producing localized immune responses by attempting to reproducibly create a robust immune response in one select mucosal tissue. We hypothesized that by increasing the expression of CCR10 on antigen specific IgA antibody secreting cells (ASC), the immune response of antibody production would be highly concentrated in specific mucosal tissues and not evenly distributed among regional mucosal tissues or evenly throughout the entire mucosal system.
Recommended Citation
Vance, Kaitlyn and Wilson, Dr. Eric
(2014)
"Mucosal Vaccines and the Ability to Produce Immune Responses in Select Mucosal Tissues,"
Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2014:
Iss.
1, Article 788.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2014/iss1/788