| abstract |
The present invention provides a method for modulating an immune response comprising contacting immune cells with a substance that modulates BTF4 or B7-L1-mediated signaling. BTF4 or B7-L1 mediated signaling increases the immune response by down-regulating it, or alternatively decreases it, up-regulates the immune response. Modulation is either activation or inhibition, and contact occurs in vivo or in vitro. Implementation of the method in vivo could also be a treatment for individuals who would benefit from up-regulation or down-regulation of the immune response. Such modulation, which down-regulates the immune response, is useful as a treatment for, for example, individuals who have undergone organ transplantation or who have a condition such as an allergy or an autoimmune disease. Modulation that upregulates the immune response also serves as a treatment for individuals with conditions such as, for example, immunosuppressive diseases or tumors. Also provided are methods of identifying agents that modulate BTF4 or B7-L1 signals. |