技术资料

Cryptococcus gattii is an emerging fungal pathogen that is acquired through the respiratory tract and causes invasive infections in both immunocompromised and otherwise healthy people. Many of these apparently immunocompetent patients are subsequently found to have autoantibodies against the pleiotropic cytokine GM-CSF. In this study,we investigated the potential role of GM-CSF (or CSF2) in the host response to C. gattii using a murine model of infection. Interestingly,infected Csf2-/- mice were found to have significantly improved survival and decreased lung fungal burden compared to wild type (WT) mice. We determined that during C. gattii infection,GM-CSF promotes the differentiation of monocytes into alveolar and interstitial macrophages. When these macrophages are ablated in CCR2-DTR+ mice,there is a corresponding improvement in survival with decreased lung fungal burden,thus phenocopying Csf2-/- mice. WT bone-marrow derived macrophages challenged with C. gattii and interstitial and alveolar macrophages from infected WT mice are unable to undergo M1 polarization,suggesting that monocyte-derived macrophages (moMacs) are rendered permissive for fungal proliferation. Therefore,GM-CSF and moMacs mediate immune responses that are harmful to the host. We further found that GM-CSF and moMacs preferentially promote the influx of eosinophils over neutrophils into the infected lung which is associated with substantial inflammatory lung pathology. Ablation of neutrophils using Mrp8cretg iDTR+ mice significantly increased C. gattii burden in the lungs,indicating that GM-CSF and moMacs block the entry of these beneficial,fungal-clearing granulocytes during infection. Altogether,our results show that GM-CSF plays a key role in impeding host anti-fungal responses to C. gattii by coordinating monocyte-derived macrophages and granulocyte activity and crosstalk. Author summaryCryptococcus gattii is an environmental fungus that can cause severe lung and brain infections after inhalation through the respiratory tract. C. gattii causes disease in patients with known immune deficits but also in individuals that are apparently healthy. Studies on otherwise healthy people who become infected with C. gattii suggest that they may have a previously unrecognized problem involving granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF),a cytokine,or messenger protein,that is an important part of the immune system. Here,we investigate the role of GM-CSF in the immune response to C. gattii using a mouse model of infection. We find that C. gattii increases GM-CSF in the lungs,leading to the influx of immune cells,including monocyte-derived macrophages and eosinophils,while inhibiting the entry of neutrophils. The macrophages and eosinophils allow the fungus to proliferate and cause inflammatory damage to the lungs,which is ultimately fatal. The absence of neutrophils also contributes to fungal growth,as these immune cells would otherwise be able to help kill the fungus. Our study provides new insight into how GM-CSF regulates immunity to C. gattii and has important implications as to the mechanisms that govern susceptibility to this infection. View Publication

CD4+ T helper (TH)-17 cells play a pivotal role in mucosal immune defense and are implicated in autoimmune diseases and cancer. Although Th17 cell plasticity is well-studied in mice,the factors driving their transition between pro-inflammatory and immunomodulatory states in humans remain less understood. Our study explored the transcriptional and epigenetic landscapes of single-cell cultures of human memory TH17 cells,focusing on clones that produce either immunomodulatory IL-10 or pro-inflammatory IFNγ and IL-22. We found that IL-10+ TH17 cells exhibit a T cell exhaustion-like profile with increased CTLA-4 expression and reduced IL-2 levels,while Ikaros zinc finger (IkZF) transcription factors,Aiolos and Eos,are differentially expressed in IL-10+ and IL-22+ TH17 cells,respectively. While exogenous IL-2 promotes IL-10 production in TH17 cells,lenalidomide induces IL-2 and promotes inflammatory TH17 cells,shifting TH17 cells towards a pro-inflammatory phenotype by reducing IL-10 and increasing IL-22 and IFNγ levels. Conversely,upregulation of Eos enhanced pro-inflammatory cytokine production. These findings highlight the crucial role of IkZF transcription factors in regulating human TH17 cell functions. Moreover,single-cell RNA sequencing of PBMCs from lenalidomide-treated patients confirmed an enrichment of inflammatory signatures,including interferon and IL-2/STAT5 pathways in TH17 cells. The ability to modulate this axis through targeted interventions,such as lenalidomide-induced Aiolos degradation or enforced Eos expression,presents new therapeutic opportunities for managing TH17 cell states in cancer and autoimmune diseases. View Publication

Objective and designChronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a heterogeneous inflammatory disease of the paranasal sinuses,which is divided into CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and CRS without nasal polyps (CRSsNP). CRSwNP is typically caused by type 2 inflammation,which is characterized by elevated IL-4 and IL-13 levels,impairment of the epithelial barrier,and tissue remodeling. While the involvement of immune cells is well known,it remains unclear to what extent structural cells intrinsically maintain disease-specific functional programs. The aim of this study was to determine whether epithelial cells and fibroblasts derived from CRSwNP and CRSsNP differ in their barrier properties,inflammatory reactivity,and type 2-associated functional characteristics.MethodsAir–liquid interface (ALI) epithelial cultures and primary fibroblast cultures were generated from CRSwNP and CRSsNP tissue. Epithelial barrier integrity was assessed by transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER),and inflammatory responses to TLR stimulation were analyzed by qRT-PCR. Fibroblast migration was evaluated using scratch assays. Cellular responses to IL-4/IL-13 with or without Dupilumab were quantified by qRT-PCR.ResultsCRSwNP-derived epithelial cells exhibited delayed tight junction formation and impaired differentiation compared to CRSsNP cells. Poly(I:C) stimulation induced stronger expression of Th2-associated cytokines in CRSwNP cultures. CRSwNP fibroblasts showed reduced migratory capacity and a heightened induction of Th2 cytokines and extracellular matrix genes following IL-4/IL-13 stimulation relative to CRSsNP fibroblasts.ConclusionEpithelial cells and fibroblasts derived from CRSwNP retain disease-associated type 2 characteristics in vitro,indicating persistent disease-aligned programmed functional alterations of the polyp microenvironment. In contrast,CRSsNP-derived cells lacked comparable enhanced type 2 responsiveness. These findings support CRSwNP as a distinct,self-sustaining inflammatory endotype and underscore the value of patient-derived models for investigating disease mechanisms and targeted therapies.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12950-026-00497-7. View Publication

Neural cells in the adult human central nervous system (CNS) display extensive transcriptional heterogeneity. How different layers of epigenetic regulation underpin this heterogeneity is poorly understood. Here we profile,at the single-nuclei epigenomic level,distinct regions of the adult human CNS,for chromatin accessibility and simultaneously for the histone modifications H3K27me3 and H3K27ac. We unveil a putative SOX10 enhancer and primed chromatin signatures at HOX loci in spinal-cord-derived human oligodendroglia (OLG) and astrocytes,but not microglia. These signatures in adult OLG were reminiscent of developmental profiles but were decoupled from robust gene expression. Moreover,using high-resolution Micro-C,we show that induced pluripotent stem-cell-derived human OLGs exhibit a HOX chromatin architecture compatible with the primed chromatin in adult OLGs,bearing a strong resemblance not only to OLG developmental architecture but also to high-grade pontine gliomas. Thus,epigenetic memory from developmental states in adult OLG not only enables them to promptly transcribe Hox family genes during regeneration but also makes them susceptible to gliomagenesis. Single-nucleus epigenomic maps of the adult human brain and spinal cord reveal that adult oligodendroglia retain developmental chromatin patterns,suggesting a molecular memory that may shape repair processes and cancer vulnerability. View Publication

Classical intracellular delivery methods such as transfection and transduction are inefficient,particularly with confluent cells and organoids,and lack cell type‐specific programmability. We demonstrate that an innovative methodology called calcium shock (CaSh) dramatically improves particle delivery into single cells,colonies,and organoids,and enables programmable delivery (CaSh‐Pro) into specific cell types within heterocellular populations. Calcium shock works by increasing endocytotic uptake while simultaneously disarming cell‐cell junctions. CaSh‐Pro further incorporates specific molecular targeting agents and amphiphilic peptides for preferential editing of different cell types. Calcium shock improves expression of plasmid,ribonucleoprotein,or adeno‐associated viral vectors with minimal toxicity in intact organoids representing diverse lineages. CaSh and CaSh‐Pro provide simple,versatile protocols for genome editing in complex systems,to enable biological discovery and therapeutic development. Classical transfection and transduction are inefficient,particularly with confluent cells and organoids,and lack cell type‐specific programmability. This study presents calcium shock (CaSh),a method that dramatically improves particle delivery into single cells,colonies,and organoids. CaSh is further utilized to enable programmable delivery (CaSh‐Pro) into specific cell types within heterocellular populations. View Publication