Bacterial Protein Flagellin Research Articles

Upregulation of TLR5 indicates a favorable prognosis in prostate cancer.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are the key sensors of innate immunity for triggering immune responses against infections. TLRs are well known to be expressed and activated in innate immune cells, such as macrophage and dendritic cells, but we and others have found that some TLRs are also functional in epithelial cells. However, the role of an epithelial TLR in prostate cancer remains elusive. TLR5 expression in messenger RNA and protein level in prostate cancer was determined by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). The activation of TLR5 signaling in epithelial cells was detected upon nuclear factor-κB activation by luciferase assay and western blot analysis, and proinflammatory cytokine activation by RT-qPCR. Distinguishing between the TLR5 and NLRC4 pathways, both recognizing flagellin, is determined by small interfering RNA and proinflammatory cytokine activation. The role of TLR5 in prostate cancer was analyzed by IHC and bioinformatics using a general and single-cell database. In the present study, we show that TLR5, among other TLRs, is exceedingly expressed in human prostate cancer cells. This cancer epithelial cell TLR5 functions to activate the TLR5 signaling pathway in human prostate cancer cells, as it does with innate immune cell TLR5. The bacterial protein flagellin induces a robust immune response in prostate cancer cells in a TLR5-dependent but NLRC4-independent manner. TLR5 is highly expressed in prostate cancer patient specimens, and high TLR5 expression in prostate cancer patients indicates a favorable prognosis. TLR5, as an innate immunity receptor, is a functional TLR in human prostate cancer epithelial cells. TLR5 plays an important role in prostate cancer development and is a new potential prognosis biomarker. TLR5 may represent a novel immunotherapy target against prostate cancer.

Airway Administration of Flagellin Regulates the Inflammatory Response to Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Excessive lung inflammation and airway epithelial damage are hallmarks of human inflammatory lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis (CF). Enhancement of innate immunity provides protection against pathogens while reducing lung-damaging inflammation. However, the mechanisms underlying innate immunity–mediated protection in the lung remain mysterious, in part because of the lack of appropriate animal models for these human diseases. TLR5 (Toll-like receptor 5) stimulation by its specific ligand, the bacterial protein flagellin, has been proposed to enhance protection against several respiratory infectious diseases, although other cellular events, such as calcium signaling, may also control the intensity of the innate immune response. Here, we investigated the molecular events prompted by stimulation with flagellin and its role in regulating innate immunity in the lung of the pig, which is anatomically and genetically more similar to humans than rodent models. We found that flagellin treatment modulated NF-κB signaling and intracellular calcium homeostasis in airway epithelial cells. Flagellin pretreatment reduced the NF-κB nuclear translocation and the expression of proinflammatory cytokines to a second flagellin stimulus as well as to Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Moreover, in vivo administration of flagellin decreased the severity of P. aeruginosa–induced pneumonia. Then we confirmed these beneficial effects of flagellin in a pathological model of CF by using ex vivo precision-cut lung slices from a CF pigz model. These results provide evidence that flagellin treatment contributes to a better regulation of the inflammatory response in inflammatory lung diseases such as CF.

Proteobacteria Contain Diverse flg22 Epitopes That Elicit Varying Immune Responses in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Bacterial flagellin protein is a potent microbe-associated molecular pattern. Immune responses are triggered by a 22-amino-acid epitope derived from flagellin, known as flg22, upon detection by the pattern recognition receptor FLAGELLIN-SENSING2 (FLS2) in multiple plant species. However, increasing evidence suggests that flg22 epitopes of several bacterial species are not universally immunogenic to plants. We investigated whether flg22 immunogenicity systematically differs between classes of the phylum Proteobacteria, using a dataset of 2,470 flg22 sequences. To predict which species encode highly immunogenic flg22 epitopes, we queried a custom motif (11[ST]xx[DN][DN]xAGxxI21) in the flg22 sequences, followed by sequence conservation analysis and protein structural modeling. These data led us to hypothesize that most flg22 epitopes of the γ- and β-Proteobacteria are highly immunogenic, whereas most flg22 epitopes of the α-, δ-, and ε-Proteobacteria are weakly to moderately immunogenic. To test this hypothesis, we generated synthetic peptides representative of the flg22 epitopes of each proteobacterial class, and we monitored their ability to elicit an immune response in Arabidopsis thaliana. The flg22 peptides of γ- and β-Proteobacteria triggered strong oxidative bursts, whereas peptides from the ε-, δ-, and α-Proteobacteria triggered moderate, weak, or no response, respectively. These data suggest flg22 immunogenicity is not highly conserved across the phylum Proteobacteria. We postulate that sequence divergence of each taxonomic class was present prior to the evolution of FLS2, and that the ligand specificity of A. thaliana FLS2 was driven by the flg22 epitopes of the γ- and β-Proteobacteria, a monophyletic group containing many common phytopathogens.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license.

MEDEA-interacting protein LONG-CHAIN BASE KINASE 1 promotes pattern-triggered immunity in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Arabidopsis LONG-CHAIN BASE KINASE 1 (LCBK1) interacts with MEDEA, a component of PCR2 complex that negatively regulates immunity. LCBK1 phosphorylates phytosphingosine and thereby promotes stomatal immunity against bacterial pathogens. Arabidopsis polycomb-group repressor complex2 (PRC2) protein MEDEA (MEA) suppresses both pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI). MEA represses the expression of RPS2 and thereby attenuates AvrRpt2 effector-mediated ETI. However, the mechanism of MEA-mediated PTI diminution was not known. By screening the Arabidopsis cDNA library using yeast-2-hybrid interaction, we identified LONG-CHAIN BASE KINASE1 (LCBK1) as an MEA-interacting protein. We found that lcbk1 mutants are susceptible to virulent bacterial pathogens, such as Pseudomonas syringae pv maculicola (Psm) and P. syringae pv tomato (Pst) but not the avirulent strain of Pst that carries AvrRpt2 effector. Pathogen inoculation induces LCBK1 expression, especially in guard cells. We found that LCBK1 has a positive regulatory role in stomatal closure after pathogen inoculation. WT plants close stomata within an hour of Pst inoculation or flg22 (a 22 amino acid peptide from bacterial flagellin protein that activates PTI) treatment, but not lcbk1 mutants. LCBK1 phosphorylates phytosphingosine (PHS). Exogenous application of phosphorylated PHS (PHS-P) induces stomatal closure and rescues loss-of-PTI phenotype of lcbk1 mutant plants. MEA overexpressing (MEA-Oex) plants are defective, whereas loss-of-function mea-6 mutants are hyperactive in PTI-induced stomatal closure. Exogenous application of PHS-P rescues loss-of-PTI in MEA-Oex plants. Results altogether demonstrate that LCBK1 is an interactor of MEA that positively regulates PTI-induced stomatal closure in Arabidopsis.

Staining and automated image quantification of callose in Arabidopsis cotyledons and leaves.

Callose is a β-1,3-glucan polysaccharide that is deposited at discrete sites in the plant cell wall in response to microbial pathogens, likely contributing to protection against pathogen infection. Increased callose deposition also occurs in response to the 22-amino acid peptide flg22, a pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) derived from bacterial flagellin protein. Here, we provide protocols for callose staining using aniline blue in cotyledon and leaf tissue of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Aniline blue stain utilizes a fluorochrome that complexes with callose for its visualization by microscopy using an ultraviolet (UV) filter. For robust quantification of callose deposits, we outline an automated image analysis workflow utilizing the freely available Fiji (Fiji Is Just ImageJ; NIH) software and a Trainable Weka Segmentation (TWS) plugin. Our methodology for automated analysis of large batches of images can be easily adapted to quantify callose in other tissues and plant species, as well as to quantify fluorescent structures other than callose.

Features of immune response against influenza infection in animals vaccinated with recombinant cross-protective vaccine

Generating cross-reactive vaccines aimed at targeting all human influenza A virus subtypes is among high priority tasks in contemporary vaccinology. Such vaccines will be primarily demanded during pre-pandemic period as well as used to prime some population cohorts prior to vaccination with standard vaccines containing area-relevant epidemic virus. Unlike routine approach universal vaccines do not induce a sterilizing immunity, but significantly ameliorate overt infection and probable complications. Our study was aimed at evaluating characteristics of immune response in experimental animals primed with a candidate universal vaccine challenged with sublethal influenza A virus infection. Mice were immunized intranasally with the recombinant protein FlgH2-2-4M2e containing conservative peptides derived from two influenza A virus proteins: M2 protein ectodomain and 76–130 amino acid sequence from the second hemagglutinin (HA2) subunit genetically linked to bacterial flagellin protein, which is a ligand for Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5). Control mice received saline. Two weeks after immunization, mice from both groups were infected with a sublethal dose of A/Aichi/2/68 AN3N2 influenza virus strain. Level of immunoglobulins G and A in the blood sera and bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) were determined two weeks after immunization and 1 month post infection. Percentage of lung CD4+ T and CD4+ Tem (CD44+CD62L–) cells secreting cytokines TNFα, IFNγ, IL-2 was determined. Immunized vs. control mice responded to sublethal infection with the influenza virus by insignificant weight loss and more pronounced production of vaccine peptide-specific (M2e and aa76–130 HA2) and pan-influenza A/Aichi/2/68 virus IgG and A in the blood sera and BAL. After challenge the number of CD4+ T cells secreting cytokines TNFα and/or IL-2 in immunized mice significantly exceeded counterpart T cells in unimmunized animals that was true for both CD4+T and CD4+ Tem cells. Memory CD4+ T cells were previously shown to play a key role in the prime-boost event and heterosubtypic immune response. Thus, we were able to demonstrate a priming effect for recombinant cross-protective vaccine used in our experiment.

Growth of Cu2O nanoparticles decorated onto dendritic structured bacterial flagellin protein for potential enhancement of electrochemical conductivity

Abstract Cuprous oxide nanoparticles (Cu2O NPs) were synthesized by a simple precipitation method using copper acetate as precursor and NaOH as reducing agent. Cu2O NPs possessed a cubic lattice structure with Pn-3m space group. The average crystallite size of the Cu2O NPs was found to be between 3 and 4 nm. A unique physical shearing method was used to decorate the synthesized Cu2O NPs onto bacterial flagellin protein (BFP). The dendritic-like morphology of Cu2O NPs decorated BFP was confirmed by electronic microscopy. The unique morphological structure of Cu2O NPs decorated onto BFP could deliver an efficient electrochemical conductivity for applications in the field of flexible and bio-nanoelectronic devices.

Kinetics and Structure of Self-Assembled Flagellin Monolayers on Hydrophobic Surfaces in the Presence of Hofmeister Salts: Experimental Measurement of the Protein Interfacial Tension at the Nanometer Scale

In the present study, we monitor the adsorption–desorption kinetics and adsorbed layer structure of the bacterial protein flagellin in the presence of Hofmeister salts by a surface sensitive label-free optical biosensor (optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy, OWLS). The recorded OWLS data were analyzed by a computer code using a set of coupled differential equations modeling the adsorption–desorption process. By supposing reversibly and irreversibly adsorbed protein states with different adsorption footprints, the kinetic data could be perfectly fitted. We revealed that the proteins adsorbing in the presence of kosmotropic salts had smaller footprints, leading to a more oriented and densely packed layer. Kosmotropic salts increased both the adsorption rate constant and the transition rate constants from the reversibly to the irreversibly adsorbed state. In contrast, chaotropic salts increased the desorption rate constant and led to decreased adsorbed mass and a more loosely packed film. Neither circula...

BRASSINOSTEROID-SIGNALING KINASE1 Phosphorylates MAPKKK5 to Regulate Immunity in Arabidopsis.

Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) immune receptor FLAGELLIN SENSING2 (FLS2) rapidly forms a complex to activate pathogen-associated molecular pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) upon perception of the bacterial protein flagellin. The receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase BRASSINOSTEROID-SIGNALINGKINASE1 (BSK1) interacts with FLS2 and is critical for the activation of PTI. However, it is unknown how BSK1 transduces signals to activate downstream immune responses. We identified MEK Kinase5 (MAPKKK5) as a potential substrate of BSK1 by whole-genome phosphorylation analysis. In addition, we demonstrated that BSK1 interacts with and phosphorylates MAPKKK5. In the bsk1-1 mutant, the Ser-289 residue of MAPKKK5 was not phosphorylated as it was in the wild type. Similar to the bsk1 mutant, the mapkkk5 mutant displayed enhanced susceptibility to virulent and avirulent strains of the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000, and to the fungal powdery mildew pathogen Golovinomyces cichoracearum Phosphorylation of the Ser-289 residue is not involved in MAPKKK5-triggered cell death but is critical for MAPKKK5-mediated resistance to both bacterial and fungal pathogens. Furthermore, MAPKKK5 interacts with multiple MAPK kinases, including MKK1, MKK2, MKK4, MKK5, and MKK6. Overall, these results indicate that BSK1 regulates plant immunity by phosphorylating MAPKKK5 and suggest a direct regulatory mode of signaling from the immune complex to the MAPK cascade.

CBLB502, an agonist of Toll-like receptor 5, has antioxidant and scavenging free radicals activities in vitro

The bacterial protein flagellin is the known agonist of Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5). It has been reported that CBLB502, a novel agonist of TLR5 derived from Salmonella flagellin, could reduce radiation toxicity in mouse and primate models, protect mice from dermatitis and oral mucositis caused by radiation, inhibit acute renal ischemic failure, and inhibit the growth of A549 lung cancer cell. The property of CBLB502 is able to bind to TLR5 and activates NF-κB signaling. In this study, we investigated the antioxidant potential and free radicals scavenging properties of CBLB502 in vitro. Interestingly, we found that CBLB502 has a direct and distinct antioxidant capacity and can efficiently scavenge a variety of free radicals, including superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical, and ABTS cation (ABTS+). Through wave scanning and kinetic evaluation of scavenging ABTS+, we found that the ABTS+ scavenging process of CBLB502 is relatively slow, and the ABTS+ scavenging activity of CBLB502 has a consistently kinetics characteristics. In conclusion, our results suggested that CBLB502 has antioxidant and scavenging free radicals activities in vitro. It is implied that CBLB502 might partially promote the beneficial protective effect through its scavenging free radicals.

Combining flagellin and human β-defensin-3 to combat bacterial infections.

The discovery and therapeutic use of antibiotics made a major contribution to the reduction of human morbidity and mortality. However, the growing resistance to antibiotics has become a matter of huge concern. In this study we aimed to develop an innovative approach to treat bacterial infections utilizing two components: the human antibacterial peptide β-defensin-3 (BD3) and the bacterial protein flagellin (F). This combination was designed to provide an efficient weapon against bacterial infections with the peptide killing the bacteria directly, while the flagellin protein triggers the immune system and acts against bacteria escaping from the peptide’s action. We designed, expressed and purified the fusion protein flagellin BD3 (FBD3) and its two components, the F protein and the native BD3 peptide. FBD3 fusion protein and native BD3 peptide had antibacterial activity in vitro against various bacterial strains. FBD3 and F proteins could also recognize their receptor expressed on target cells and stimulated secretion of IL-8. In addition, F and FBD3 proteins had a partial protective effect in mice infected by pathogenic Escherichia coli bacteria that cause a lethal disease. Moreover, we were able to show partial protection of mice infected with E. coli using a flagellin sequence from Salmonella. We also explored flagellin’s basic mechanisms of action, focusing on its effects on CD4+ T cells from healthy donors. We found that F stimulation caused an increase in the mRNA levels of the Th1 response cytokines IL12A and IFNγ. In addition, F stimulation affected its own receptor.

Flagellin Gives Rotavirus a One-Two Punch

Bacterial flagellin protein protects rotavirus-infected mice by stimulating cytokine production.

Flagellin gives rotavirus a one-two punch

Viral Infection Rotavirus causes gastroenteritis, which can be especially severe in infants and young children. The bacterial protein flagellin activates the innate immune system and protects mice against a variety of infectious and inflammatory agents. Zhang et al. now report that flagellin both

UNC93B1 is essential for the plasma membrane localization and signaling of Toll-like receptor 5.

The proper trafficking and localization of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are important for specific ligand recognition and efficient signal transduction. The TLRs sensing bacterial membrane components are expressed on the cell surface and recruit signaling adaptors to the plasma membrane upon stimulation. On the contrary, the nucleotide-sensing TLRs are mostly found inside cells and signal from the endolysosomes in an acidic pH-dependent manner. Trafficking of the nucleotide-sensing TLRs from the endoplasmic reticulum to the endolysosomes strictly depends on UNC93B1, and their signaling is completely abolished in the 3d mutant mice bearing the H412R mutation of UNC93B1. In contrast, UNC93B1 was considered to have no role for the cell surface-localized TLRs and signaling via TLR1, TLR2, TLR4, and TLR6 is normal in the 3d mice. Unexpectedly, we discovered that TLR5, a cell surface receptor for bacterial protein flagellin, also requires UNC93B1 for plasma membrane localization and signaling. TLR5 physically interacts with UNC93B1, and the cells from the 3d or UNC93B1-deficient mice not only lack TLR5 at the plasma membrane but also fail to secret cytokines and to up-regulate costimulatory molecules upon flagellin stimulation, demonstrating the essential role of UNC93B1 in TLR5 signaling. Our study reveals that the role of UNC93B1 is not limited to the TLRs signaling from the endolysosomes and compels the further probing of the mechanisms underlying the UNC93B1-assisted differential targeting of TLRs.

The Allergen in the Dust

The bacterial protein flagellin can promote allergic asthma by activating Toll-like receptor 5.

The Toll-like receptor 5 ligand flagellin promotes asthma by priming allergic responses to indoor allergens

Allergic asthma is a complex disease characterized by eosinophilic pulmonary inflammation, mucus production and reversible airway obstruction1. Exposure to indoor allergens is a clear risk factor for asthma, but this disease is also associated with high household levels of total and Gram-negative bacteria2. The ability of bacterial products to act as adjuvants3 suggests they might promote asthma by priming allergic sensitization to inhaled allergens. In support of this idea, house dust extracts (HDEs) can activate antigen presenting dendritic cells (DC) in vitro and promote allergic sensitization to inhaled innocuous proteinsin vivo4. It is unknown which microbial products provide most of the adjuvant activity in HDEs. A screen of microbial products for their adjuvant activity in the airway revealed that the bacterial protein, flagellin (FLA) stimulated strong allergic responses to an innocuous inhaled protein. Moreover, toll-like receptor (TLR)5, the mammalian receptor for FLA5,6, was required for priming strong allergic responses to natural indoor allergens present in HDEs. In addition, the incidence of human asthma was associated with high serum levels of FLA-specific antibodies. Together, these findings suggest that household FLA promotes the development of allergic asthma by TLR5-dependent priming of allergic responses to indoor allergens.

Initial study on the role of bacterial flagellin and CD98 in ulcerative colitis

Objective To investigate the role of bacterial flagellin and CD98 in ulcerative colitis (UC).Methods A total of 60 first episode patients with active UC were recruited,including 30 mild and 30 moderate to severe UC cases.The serum of 30 healthy volunteers and normal intestinal tissues surgically removed from 15 colon cancer patients (more than 5 cm away from surgical margins) were collected as control.The content of bacterial flagellin antibodies in peripheral blood were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).The expression of CD98 in peripheral blood T lymphocyte was measured by flow cytometry (FACS).The expression of bacterial flagellin protein in intestinal mucosa and CD98 in intestinal epithelial basement membrane was tested by immunohistochemistry (IHC).The comparison between two groups was performed with the SNK-q method,the R×C table x2 test was used to analyze the counted data,and the Spearman correlation was used to analyze the rank materials.Results The peripheral blood concentration of bacteria flagella protein antibody of control group,mild UC group and moderate to severe group showed an upward trend,which was (7.603±2.118) pg/ml,(13.702±3.131) pg/ml and (20.813±3.004) pg/ml respectively,and the differences among groups were statistically significant (F=13.57,P＜0.01).The expression percentage of bacteria flagella protein in intestinal mucosa of the three groups also showed an upward trend,which was 3/15,56.67％ and 73.33％ respectively,and the differences among groups were statistically significant (x2 =11.553,P=0.003).The positive rate of CD98 expression in peripheral blood T lymphocytes of the three groups showed an upward trend,which was (28.42±4.31)％,(32.45±6.71)％ and (43.40±5.09) ％ respectively,and the differences among groups were statistically significant (x2 =10.110,P=0.007).The positive rate of CD98 expression in intestinal epithelial cells of the three groups also showed an upward trend,which was 1/15,36.67 ％ and 66.67％ respectively,and the differences among groups were statistically significant (x2 =5.400,P＜0.05).There was positive correlation between the peripheral blood concentration of bacteria flagella protein antibody and the expression of CD98 in peripheral blood T lymphocytes (r=0.548,P＜0.05).Conclusion Bacterial flagellin and CD98 may be important factors causing inflammatory reaction activity in UC. Key words: Flagellin; Antigens,CD98; Colitis,ulcerative; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Immunohistochemistry; Flow cytometry

Attacking tumor cells with a dual ligand for innate immune receptors

Attacking tumor cells with a dual ligand for innate immune receptors

Intranasal immunization with recombinant PspA fused with a flagellin enhances cross-protective immunity against Streptococcus pneumoniae infection in mice

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major respiratory pathogen that causes high levels of mortality and morbidity in infants and the elderly. Despite the use of antibiotics and vaccines, fatal pneumococcal disease remains prevalent. Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA), a highly immunogenic surface protein produced by all strains of S. pneumoniae, can elicit protective immunity against fatal pneumococcal infection. We have previously demonstrated that the Vibrio vulnificus FlaB, a bacterial flagellin protein and agonist of TLR5, has strong mucosal adjuvant activity and induces protective immunity upon co-administration with tetanus toxoid. In this study, we have tested whether intranasal immunization with recombinant fusion proteins consisted of PspA and FlaB (PspA–FlaB and FlaB–PspA) is able to elicit more efficient protective mucosal immune responses against pneumococcal infection than immunization with PspA alone or with a stoichiometric mixture of PspA and FlaB. When mice were intranasally immunized with fusion proteins, significantly higher levels of anti-PspA IgG and IgA were induced in serum and mucosal secretions. The mice immunized intranasally with the FlaB–PspA fusion protein were the most protected from a lethal challenge with live S. pneumoniae, as compared to the mice immunized with PspA only, a mixture of PspA and FlaB, or the PspA–FlaB fusion protein. FlaB–PspA also induced a cross protection against heterologous capsular types. These results suggest that a FlaB–PspA fusion protein alone could be used as an anti-pneumococcal mucosal vaccine or as an effective partner protein for multivalent capsular polysaccharide conjugate vaccines.

Antigen-Containing Liposomes Engrafted with Flagellin-Related Peptides Are Effective Vaccines That Can Induce Potent Antitumor Immunity and Immunotherapeutic Effect

The bacterial protein flagellin can trigger immune responses to infections by interacting with TLR5 on APCs, and Ag-flagellin fusion proteins can act as effective vaccines. We report that flagellin-related peptides containing a His-tag and sequence related to conserved N-motif (aa 85-111) of FliC flagellin, purportedly involved in the interaction of flagellin with TLR5, can be used to target delivery of liposomal Ag to APCs in vitro and in vivo. When engrafted onto liposomes, two flagellin-related peptides, denoted as 9Flg and 42Flg, promoted strong liposome binding to murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells and CD11c(+) splenocytes, and cell binding correlated with expression of TLR5. Liposomes engrafted with 9Flg or 42Flg induced functional MyD88-dependent maturation of dendritic cells in vivo. The vaccination of mice with 9Flg liposomes containing OVA induced OVA-specific T cell priming, increased the number of Ag-responsive IFN-gamma-producing CD8(+) T cells, and increased Ag-specific IgG(1) and IgG(2b) in serum. Importantly, the vaccination of C57BL/6 mice with syngeneic B16-OVA-derived plasma membrane vesicles, engrafted with 9Flg or 42Flg, potently inhibited tumor growth/metastasis and induced complete tumor regression in the majority of mice challenged with the syngeneic B16-OVA melanoma, in the lung and s.c. tumor models. Strong antitumor responses were also seen in studies using the s.c. P815 tumor model. Therefore, vaccination with Ag-containing liposomes engrafted with 9Flg or 42Flg is a powerful strategy to exploit the innate and adaptive immune systems for the development of potent vaccines and cancer immunotherapies.