Dengue virus (DENV) is the most prevalent arthropod-borne viral disease in humans. DENV causes a spectrum of illness ranging from mild to potentially severe complications. Dendritic cells (DCs) play a critical role in initiating and regulating highly effective antiviral immune response that include linking innate and adaptive immune responses. This study was conducted to comparatively characterize in detail the relative proportion, phenotypic changes, and maturation profile of subsets of both myeloid DCs (mDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) in children with dengue fever (DF), dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and for purposes of control healthy individuals. The mDCs (Lin-CD11c+CD123lo), the pDCs (Lin-CD11c-CD123+) and the double negative (DN) subset (Lin-/HLA-DR+/CD11c-CD123-) were analyzed by polychromatic flow cytometry. The data were first analyzed on blood samples collected from DENV-infected patients at various times post-infection. Results showed that the relative proportion of mDCs were significantly decreased which was associated with an increase in disease severity in samples from DENV-infected patients. While there was no significant difference in the relative proportion of pDCs between healthy and DENV-infected patients, there was a marked increase in the DN subset. Analysis of the kinetics of changes of pDCs showed that there was an increase but only during the early febrile phase. Additionally, samples from patients during acute disease showed marked decreases in the relative proportion of CD141+and CD16+mDC subsets that were the major mDC subsets in healthy individuals. In addition, there was a significant decrease in the level of CD33-expressing mDCs in DENV patients. While the pDCs showed an up-regulation of maturation profile during acute DENV infection, the mDCs showed an alteration of maturation status. This study suggests that different relative proportion and phenotypic changes as well as alteration of maturation profile of DC subsets may play a critical role in the dengue pathogenesis and disease outcome.
Ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules are higher order assemblies of RNA, RNA-binding proteins, and other proteins, that regulate the transcriptome and protect RNAs from environmental challenge. There is a diverse range of RNP granules, many cytoplasmic, which provide various levels of regulation of RNA metabolism. Here we present evidence that the yeast transcription termination factor, Nab3, is targeted to intranuclear granules in response to glucose starvation by Nab3's proline/glutamine-rich, prion-like domain (PrLD) which can assemble into amyloid in vitro. Localization to the granule is reversible and sensitive to the chemical probe 1,6 hexanediol suggesting condensation is driven by phase separation. Nab3's RNA recognition motif is also required for localization as seen for other PrLD-containing RNA-binding proteins that phase separate. Although the PrLD is necessary, it is not sufficient to localize to the granule. A heterologous PrLD that functionally replaces Nab3's essential PrLD, directed localization to the nuclear granule, however a chimeric Nab3 molecule with a heterologous PrLD that cannot restore termination function or viability, does not form granules. The Nab3 nuclear granule shows properties similar to well characterized cytoplasmic compartments formed by phase separation, suggesting that, as seen for other elements of the transcription machinery, termination factor condensation is functionally important.
Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is an important contributor to child morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of VAD, measured by retinol-binding protein (RBP) or retinol, is overestimated in populations with a high prevalence of inflammation. We aimed to quantify and adjust for the effect of inflammation on VAD prevalence in a nationally representative survey of Liberian children 6 to 35months of age. We compared five approaches to adjust RBP for inflammation and estimate VAD prevalence (defined as RBP<0.7μmol/L): (1) ignoring inflammation; (2) excluding individuals with inflammation (C-reactive protein (CRP) >5mg/L or alpha1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) >1g/)L; (3) multiplying each individual's RBP by an internal correction factor; (4) by an external correction factor; and (5) using regression (corrected RBP=exp(InRBP - β1(lnCRPobs-lnCRPref) - β2(lnAGPobs-lnAGPref)). Corrected RBP was based on a regression model where reference lnCRP and lnAGP were set to the maximum of the lowest decile. The unadjusted prevalence of VAD was 24.7%. Children with elevated CRP and/or AGP had significantly lower RBP concentrations than their apparently healthy peers (geometric mean RBP 0.79μmol/L (95% CI: 0.76, 0.82) vs. 0.95μmol/L (95% CI: 0.92, 0.97), P<0.001). Using approaches 2-5 resulted in a prevalence of VAD of 11.6%, 14.3%, 13.5% and 7.3%, respectively. Depending on the approach, the VAD prevalence is reduced 10-17 percentage points when inflammation is taken into account. Further quantification of the influence of inflammation on biomarkers of vitamin A status from other national surveys is needed to compare and recommend the preferred adjustment approach across populations.
by
Flora Mikaeloff;
Sara Svensson Akusjarvi;
George M Ikomey;
Shuba Krishnan;
Maike Sperk;
Soham Gupta;
Gustavo Daniel Vega Magdaleno;
Alejandra Escos;
Emilia Lyonga;
Marie Claire Okomo;
Claude Tayou Tagne;
Hemalatha Babu;
Christian L Lorson;
Ákos Vegvari;
Akhil C Banerjea;
Julianna Kele;
Luke Elizabeth Hanna;
Kamal Singh;
João Pedro de Magalhaes;
Rui Benfeitas;
Ujjwal Neogi
Despite successful combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), persistent low-grade immune activation together with inflammation and toxic antiretroviral drugs can lead to long-lasting metabolic flexibility and adaptation in people living with HIV (PLWH). Our study investigated alterations in the plasma metabolic profiles by comparing PLWH on long-term cART(>5 years) and matched HIV-negative controls (HC) in two cohorts from low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), Cameroon, and India, respectively, to understand the system-level dysregulation in HIV-infection. Using untargeted and targeted LC-MS/MS-based metabolic profiling and applying advanced system biology methods, an altered amino acid metabolism, more specifically to glutaminolysis in PLWH than HC were reported. A significantly lower level of neurosteroids was observed in both cohorts and could potentiate neurological impairments in PLWH. Further, modulation of cellular glutaminolysis promoted increased cell death and latency reversal in pre-monocytic HIV-1 latent cell model U1, which may be essential for the clearance of the inducible reservoir in HIV-integrated cells.
Prevention of HIV acquisition and replication requires long lasting and effective immunity. Given the state of HIV vaccine development, innovative vectors and immunization strategies are urgently needed to generate safe and efficacious HIV vaccines. Here, we developed a novel lentivirus-based DNA vector that does not integrate in the host genome and undergoes a single-cycle of replication. Viral proteins are constitutively expressed under the control of Tat-independent LTR promoter from goat lentivirus. We immunized six macaques once only with CAL-SHIV-IN- DNA using combined intramuscular and intradermal injections plus electroporation. Antigen-specific T cell responses were monitored for 47 weeks post-immunization (PI). PBMCs were assessed directly ex vivo or after 6 and 12 days of in vitro culture using antigenic and/or homeostatic proliferation. IFN-γ ELISPOT was used to measure immediate cytokine secretion from antigen specific effector cells and from memory precursors with high proliferative capacity (PHPC). The memory phenotype and functions (proliferation, cytokine expression, lytic content) of specific T cells were tested using multiparametric FACS-based assays. All immunized macaques developed lasting peripheral CD8+ and CD4+ T cell responses mainly against Gag and Nef antigens. During the primary expansion phase, immediate effector cells as well as increasing numbers of proliferating cells with limited effector functions were detected which expressed markers of effector (EM) and central (CM) memory phenotypes. These responses contracted but then reemerged later in absence of antigen boost. Strong PHPC responses comprising vaccine-specific CM and EM T cells that readily expanded and acquired immediate effector functions were detected at 40/47 weeks PI. Altogether, our study demonstrated that a single immunization with a replication-limited DNA vaccine elicited persistent vaccine-specific CM and EM CD8+ and CD4+ T cells with immediate and readily inducible effector functions, in the absence of ongoing antigen expression. Copyright:
Due to their autosynchronous roles in shaping the anti-tumor immune response, complex immune regulatory networks acting both locally within the tumor microenvironment as well as in its draining lymph nodes play critical roles in the cancer immunotherapy response. We describe herein a thermosensitive co-polymer hydrogel system formed from biocompatible polymers gelatin and Pluronic® F127 that are widely used in humans to enable the sustained release of a nitric oxide donor and antibody blocking immune checkpoint cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein-4 for efficient and durable anti-tumor immunotherapy. By virtue of its unique gel formation and degradation properties that sustain drug retention at the tumor tissue site for triggered release by the tumor microenvironment and formation of in situ micelles optimum in size for lymphatic uptake, this rationally designed thermosensitive hydrogel facilitates modulation of two orthogonal immune signaling networks relevant to the regulation of the anti-tumor immune response to improve local and abscopal effects of cancer immunotherapy.
by
June E. Pais;
Nan Dai;
Esta Tamanaha;
Romualdas Vaisvila;
Alexey I. Fomenkov;
Jurate Bitinaite;
Zhiyi Sun;
Shengxi Guan;
Ivan Correa;
Christopher J. Noren;
Xiaodong Cheng;
Richard J. Roberts;
Yu Zheng;
Lana Saleh
Modified DNA bases in mammalian genomes, such as 5-methylcytosine (<sup>5m</sup>C) and its oxidized forms, are implicated in important epigenetic regulation processes. In human or mouse, successive enzymatic conversion of <sup>5m</sup>C to its oxidized forms is carried out by the ten-eleven translocation (TET) proteins. Previously we reported the structure of a TET-like <sup>5m</sup>C oxygenase (NgTET1) from Naegleria gruberi, a single-celled protist evolutionarily distant from vertebrates. Here we show that NgTET1 is a 5-methylpyrimidine oxygenase, with activity on both <sup>5m</sup>C (major activity) and thymidine (T) (minor activity) in all DNA forms tested, and provide unprecedented evidence for the formation of 5-formyluridine (<sup>5f</sup>U) and 5-carboxyuridine (<sup>5ca</sup>U) in vitro. Mutagenesis studies reveal a delicate balance between choice of <sup>5m</sup>C or T as the preferred substrate. Furthermore, our results suggest substrate preference by NgTET1 to <sup>5m</sup>CpG and TpG dinucleotide sites in DNA. Intriguingly, NgTET1 displays higher T-oxidation activity in vitro than mammalian TET1, supporting a closer evolutionary relationship between NgTET1 and the base J-binding proteins from trypanosomes. Finally, we demonstrate that NgTET1 can be readily used as a tool in <sup>5m</sup>C sequencing technologies such as single molecule, realtime sequencing to map <sup>5m</sup>C in bacterial genomes at base resolution.
by
Carlo Marchetti;
Benjamin Swartzwelter;
Fabia Gamboni;
Charles P. Neff;
Katrin Richter;
Tania Azam;
Sonia Carta;
Isak Tengesdal;
Travis Nemkov;
Angelo D'Alessandro;
Curtis Henry;
Gerald S. Jones;
Scott A. Goodrich;
Joseph P. St. Laurent;
Terry M. Jones;
Curtis L. Scribner;
Robert B. Barrow;
Roy D. Altman;
Damaris B. Skouras;
Marco Gattorno;
Veronika Grau;
Sabina Janciauskiene;
Anna Rubartelli;
Leo A. B. Joosten;
Charles A. Dinarello
Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome induces maturation of IL-1β and IL-18, both validated targets for treating acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. Here, we demonstrate that OLT1177, an orally active β-sulfonyl nitrile molecule, inhibits activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. In vitro, nanomolar concentrations of OLT1177 reduced IL-1β and IL-18 release following canonical and noncanonical NLRP3 inflammasome activation. The molecule showed no effect on the NLRC4 and AIM2 inflammasomes, suggesting specificity for NLRP3. In LPS-stimulated human blood-derived macrophages, OLT1177 decreased IL-1β levels by 60% and IL-18 by 70% at concentrations 100-fold lower in vitro than plasma concentrations safely reached in humans. OLT1177 also reduced IL-1β release and caspase-1 activity in freshly obtained human blood neutrophils. In monocytes isolated from patients with cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS), OLT1177 inhibited LPS-induced IL-1β release by 84% and 36%. Immunoprecipitation and FRET analysis demonstrated that OLT1177 prevented NLRP3-ASC, as well as NLRP3-caspase-1 interaction, thus inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome oligomerization. In a cell-free assay, OLT1177 reduced ATPase activity of recombinant NLRP3, suggesting direct targeting of NLRP3. Mechanistically, OLT1177 did not affect potassium efflux, gene expression, or synthesis of the IL-1β precursor. Steady-state levels of phosphorylated NF-κB and IkB kinase were significantly lowered in spleen cells from OLT1177-treated mice. We observed reduced IL-1β content in tissue homogenates, limited oxidative stress, and increased muscle oxidative metabolism in OLT1177-treated mice challenged with LPS. Healthy humans receiving 1,000 mg of OLT1177 daily for 8 d exhibited neither adverse effects nor biochemical or hematological changes.
by
Kimberly A. Powers;
Matthew A. Price;
Etienne Karita;
Anatoli Kamali;
William Kilembe;
Susan A Allen;
Eric Hunter;
Linda-Gail Bekker;
Shabir Lakhi;
Mubiana Inambao;
Omu Anzala;
Mary H. Latka;
Patricia E. Fast;
Jill Gilmour;
Eduard J. Sanders
Objective Prompt identification of newly HIV-infected persons, particularly those who are most at risk of extended high viremia (EHV), allows important clinical and transmission prevention benefits. We sought to determine whether EHV could be predicted during early HIV infection (EHI) from clinical, demographic, and laboratory indicators in a large HIV-1 incidence study in Africa. Design Adults acquiring HIV-1 infection were enrolled in an EHI study assessing acute retroviral syndrome (ARS) symptoms and viral dynamics. Methods Estimated date of infection (EDI) was based on a positive plasma viral load or p24 antigen test p rior to seroconversion, or the mid-point between negative and positive serological tests. EHV was defined as mean untreated viral load ≥5 log 10 copies/ml 130-330 days post-EDI. We used logistic regression to develop risk score algorithms for predicting EHV based on sex, age, number of ARS symptoms, and CD4 and viral load at diagnosis. Results Models based on the full set of five predictors had excellent performance both in the full population (c-statistic = 0.80) and when confined to persons with each of three HIV-1 subtypes(c-statistic = 0.80-0.83 within subtypes A, C, and D). Reduced models containing only 2-4 predictors performed similarly. In a risk score algorithm based on the final full-population model, predictor scores were one for male sex and enrollment CD4 < 350 cells/mm3, and two for having enrollment viral load > 4.9 log 10 copies/ml. With a risk score cut-point of two, this algorithm was 85% sensitive (95% CI: 76%-91%) and 61% specific (55%-68%) in predicting EHV. Conclusions Simple risk score algorithms can reliably identify persons with EHI in sub-Saharan Africa who are likely to sustain high viral loads if treatment is delayed. These algorithms may be useful for prioritizing intensified efforts around care linkage and retention, treatment initiation,adherence support, and partner services to optimize clinical and prevention outcomes.
by
Daniel DiToro;
Colleen J. Winstead;
Pharm Duy;
Steven Witte;
Rakieb Andargachew;
Jeffrey R. Singer;
C. Garrett Wilson;
Carlene L. Zindl;
Rita J. Luther;
Daniel J. Silberger;
Benjamin T. Weaver;
E. Motunrayo Kolawole;
Ryan J. Martinez;
Henriatta Turner;
Robin D. Hatton;
James J. Moon;
Sing Sing Way;
Brian Evavold;
Casey T. Weaver
RNA sequencing of naïve T cells sorted on the basis of IL-2 reporter expression identified cosegregation of transcripts encoding IL-2 and Bcl6-the signature transcription factor of TFH cells. Conversely, IL-2-negative (IL-2-) cells preferentially expressed the gene Prdm1, which encodes the transcriptional repressor Blimp1. Blimp1, in turn, antagonizes Bcl6 and the TFH developmental program. This suggested that IL-2 producers give rise to TFH cells, whereas IL-2 nonproducers give rise to non-TFH effector cells. Moreover, the fact that IL-2 receptor signaling induces expression of Prdm1 via Stat5 suggested that IL-2 producers resisted IL-2 signaling and activated IL-2 signaling in nonproducers in trans. Indeed, in vivo studies established that IL-2 signaling was mostly paracrine and that depletion of IL-2- producing cells selectively impaired TFH cell development. Finally, IL-2 expression was limited to a subset of naïve T cells that received the strongest T cell receptor (TCR) signals, establishing a link between TCR signal strength, IL-2 production, and TFH versus non-TFH differentiation. This study provides newinsights into themechanisms that control early bifurcation of CD4+ T cells into TFH and non-TFH effectors. Naïve T cells that receive differing strengths of TCR signals stratify into those that exceed a threshold predisposing them to IL-2 production and early TFH commitment and those that do not express IL-2 yet receive IL-2 signaling, which reinforces non-TFH effector commitment.