Adjuvants in the Driver’s Seat: How Magnitude, Type, Fine Specificity and Longevity of Immune Responses Are Driven by Distinct Classes of Immune Potentiators

The mechanism by which vaccine adjuvants enhance immune responses has historically been considered to be the creation of an antigen depot. From here, the antigen is slowly released and provided to immune cells over an extended period of time. This “depot” was formed by associating the antigen with s...

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Main Authors: Elke S. Bergmann-Leitner, Wolfgang W. Leitner
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2014-04-01
Series:Vaccines
Subjects:
Th1
Th2
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/2/2/252
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spelling doaj-c87d345b489b4c78af2dcce37a45bd0a2020-11-24T22:58:05ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2014-04-012225229610.3390/vaccines2020252vaccines2020252Adjuvants in the Driver’s Seat: How Magnitude, Type, Fine Specificity and Longevity of Immune Responses Are Driven by Distinct Classes of Immune PotentiatorsElke S. Bergmann-Leitner0Wolfgang W. Leitner1US Military Malaria Research Program, Malaria Vaccine Branch, 503 Robert Grant Ave, 3W65, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USADivision on Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 6610 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USAThe mechanism by which vaccine adjuvants enhance immune responses has historically been considered to be the creation of an antigen depot. From here, the antigen is slowly released and provided to immune cells over an extended period of time. This “depot” was formed by associating the antigen with substances able to persist at the injection site, such as aluminum salts or emulsions. The identification of Pathogen-Associated Molecular Patterns (PAMPs) has greatly advanced our understanding of how adjuvants work beyond the simple concept of extended antigen release and has accelerated the development of novel adjuvants. This review focuses on the mode of action of different adjuvant classes in regards to the stimulation of specific immune cell subsets, the biasing of immune responses towards cellular or humoral immune response, the ability to mediate epitope spreading and the induction of persistent immunological memory. A better understanding of how particular adjuvants mediate their biological effects will eventually allow them to be selected for specific vaccines in a targeted and rational manner.http://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/2/2/252vaccineadjuvantinfectious diseaseimmune epitopeimmune mechanismTh1Th2Th17mucosal immunity
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Elke S. Bergmann-Leitner
Wolfgang W. Leitner
spellingShingle Elke S. Bergmann-Leitner
Wolfgang W. Leitner
Adjuvants in the Driver’s Seat: How Magnitude, Type, Fine Specificity and Longevity of Immune Responses Are Driven by Distinct Classes of Immune Potentiators
Vaccines
vaccine
adjuvant
infectious disease
immune epitope
immune mechanism
Th1
Th2
Th17
mucosal immunity
author_facet Elke S. Bergmann-Leitner
Wolfgang W. Leitner
author_sort Elke S. Bergmann-Leitner
title Adjuvants in the Driver’s Seat: How Magnitude, Type, Fine Specificity and Longevity of Immune Responses Are Driven by Distinct Classes of Immune Potentiators
title_short Adjuvants in the Driver’s Seat: How Magnitude, Type, Fine Specificity and Longevity of Immune Responses Are Driven by Distinct Classes of Immune Potentiators
title_full Adjuvants in the Driver’s Seat: How Magnitude, Type, Fine Specificity and Longevity of Immune Responses Are Driven by Distinct Classes of Immune Potentiators
title_fullStr Adjuvants in the Driver’s Seat: How Magnitude, Type, Fine Specificity and Longevity of Immune Responses Are Driven by Distinct Classes of Immune Potentiators
title_full_unstemmed Adjuvants in the Driver’s Seat: How Magnitude, Type, Fine Specificity and Longevity of Immune Responses Are Driven by Distinct Classes of Immune Potentiators
title_sort adjuvants in the driver’s seat: how magnitude, type, fine specificity and longevity of immune responses are driven by distinct classes of immune potentiators
publisher MDPI AG
series Vaccines
issn 2076-393X
publishDate 2014-04-01
description The mechanism by which vaccine adjuvants enhance immune responses has historically been considered to be the creation of an antigen depot. From here, the antigen is slowly released and provided to immune cells over an extended period of time. This “depot” was formed by associating the antigen with substances able to persist at the injection site, such as aluminum salts or emulsions. The identification of Pathogen-Associated Molecular Patterns (PAMPs) has greatly advanced our understanding of how adjuvants work beyond the simple concept of extended antigen release and has accelerated the development of novel adjuvants. This review focuses on the mode of action of different adjuvant classes in regards to the stimulation of specific immune cell subsets, the biasing of immune responses towards cellular or humoral immune response, the ability to mediate epitope spreading and the induction of persistent immunological memory. A better understanding of how particular adjuvants mediate their biological effects will eventually allow them to be selected for specific vaccines in a targeted and rational manner.
topic vaccine
adjuvant
infectious disease
immune epitope
immune mechanism
Th1
Th2
Th17
mucosal immunity
url http://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/2/2/252
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