Abstract: Among the fewer than 10 proteins primarily secreted by the species Lactobacillus plantarum, there is one of 30 kDa that contains an internal fragment without cleavage sites for the most important intestinal proteases and characterized by having a serine and threonine content of at least 50%. The genetic information encoded in this fragment, designated ST peptide, has been used for producing and purifying the peptide, thus making it possible to conduct various tests in vitro. To summarize, the ST peptide is considered to promote the process of immunologic ignorance of our gastrointestinal immune system toward the commensal bacteria of our gastrointestinal tract, thus favoring the mechanisms of oral tolerance. Therefore the ST peptide could be used in immunotherapy, especially in the context of certain autoimmune diseases and certain inflammatory diseases.

Abstract: Among the fewer than 10 proteins primarily secreted by the species Lactobacillus plantarum, there is one of 30 kDa that contains an internal fragment without cleavage sites for the most important intestinal proteases and characterized by having a serine and threonine content of at least 50%. The genetic information encoded in this fragment, designated ST peptide, has been used for producing and purifying said peptide, thus making it possible to conduct various tests in vitro. To summarize, the ST peptide is considered to promote the process of immunologic ignorance of our gastrointestinal immune system toward the commensal bacteria of our gastrointestinal tract, thus favoring the mechanisms of oral tolerance. Therefore the ST peptide could be used in immunotherapy, especially in the context of certain autoimmune diseases and certain inflammatory diseases.

Abstract: Apparatus for harvesting material from micro-culture plates comprises either a harvester plate or, in combination a harvester plate and a micro-culture plate, the harvester plate having a plurality of wells recessed into one surface thereof, these wells conforming in size, number and arrangement to the wells of the micro-culture plate, and the wells of the harvester plate being adapted to hold filter elements for absorbing liquid from corresponding wells of the culture plate when the wells of the culture plate, with the culture plate in an upside-down orientation, are contacted with corresponding wells of the harvester plate, and in which the harvester plate wells have fluid outlets at their bases. Also a new micro-culture plate comprises a plurality of wells recessed into a surface thereof each well comprising a fluid inlet passageway through the base thereof.