技术资料

The development and progression of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) depend on genetic abnormalities and on the immunosuppressive microenvironment. We have explored the possibility that genetic drivers might be responsible for the immune cell dysregulation that shapes the protumor microenvironment. We performed a transcriptome analysis of coding and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) during leukemia progression in the Rag2−/−γc−/− MEC1-based xenotransplantation model. The DLEU2/miR-16 locus was found downmodulated in monocytes/macrophages of leukemic mice. To validate the role of this cluster in the tumor immune microenvironment,we generated a mouse model that simultaneously mimics the overexpression of hTCL1 and the germline deletion of the minimal deleted region (MDR) encoding the DLEU2/miR-15a/miR-16-1 cluster. This model provides an innovative and faster CLL system where monocyte differentiation and macrophage polarization are exacerbated,and T-cells are dysfunctional. MDR deletion inversely correlates with the levels of predicted target proteins including BCL2 and PD1/PD-L1 on murine CLL cells and immune cells. The inverse correlation of miR-15a/miR-16-1 with target proteins has been confirmed on patient-derived immune cells. Forced expression of miR-16-1 interferes with monocyte differentiation into tumor-associated macrophages,indicating that selected ncRNAs drive the protumor phenotype of non-malignant immune cells. View Publication

Sensory neurons sense pathogenic infiltration to drive innate immune responses,but their role in humoral immunity is unclear. Here,using mouse models of Streptococcus pneumoniae infection and Alternaria alternata asthma,we show that sensory neurons are required for B cell recruitment and antibody production. In response to S. pneumoniae,sensory neuron depletion increases bacterial burden and reduces B cell numbers,IgG release,and neutrophil stimulation. Meanwhile,during A. alternata-induced airway inflammation,sensory neuron depletion decreases B cell population sizes,IgE levels,and asthmatic characteristics. Mechanistically,during bacterial infection,sensory neurons preferentially release vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). In response to asthma,sensory neurons release substance P. Administration of VIP into sensory neuron-depleted mice suppresses bacterial burden,while VIPR1 deficiency increases infection. Similarly,exogenous substance P delivery aggravates asthma in sensory neuron-depleted mice,while substance P deficiency ameliorates asthma. Our data,thus demonstrate that sensory neurons release select neuropeptides which target B cells dependent on the immunogen. Sensory neurons may regulate innate immune cells,but their roles in humoral immunity is still unclear. Here the authors show that bacterial infection and asthma induction induce sensory neuron production of distinct neurotransmitters to dampen B cell responses but differentially target IgG and IgE,respectively,to specifically modulate the symptoms. View Publication

Neutrophil dysfunction is a form of immune suppression in patients with β-thalassemia (Beta-thal),although data on this are limited. In this study,blood from patients and healthy volunteers was analyzed. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated an increase in immature neutrophils (CD16− CD62L+) and aged (senescent) neutrophils (CD16+ CD62L−) in Beta-thal patients compared to healthy volunteers. The Beta-thal neutrophils demonstrated less prominent chemotaxis and phagocytosis than healthy neutrophils at the baseline. With phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulations,some of the indicators,including the flow cytometry markers (CD11b,CD62L,CD66b,CD63,apoptosis,and reactive oxygen species) and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs; detected by anti-citrullinated histone 3 immunofluorescence),were lower than the control. Additionally,low-density neutrophils (LDNs),which are found in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) fraction,were observed in Beta-thal patients but not in the control group. The expression of CD11b,CD66b,CD63,arginase I,and ROS in LDNs was higher than the regular normal-density neutrophils (NDNs). The proliferation rate of CD3+ T cells isolated from the PBMC fraction of healthy volunteers was higher than that of the cells from patients with Beta-thal. The incubation of red blood cell (RBC) lysate plus ferric ions with healthy NDNs transformed the NDNs into the aged neutrophils (decreased CD62L) and LDNs. In conclusion,iron overload induces neutrophil diversity along with some dysfunctions. View Publication

BackgroundMonocytes comprise subsets of classical,intermediate and non-classical monocytes with distinct anti- or pro-tumor effects in breast cancer (BC). They are modulated by estrogen,and can contribute to BC control by endocrine therapy in preclinical models.MethodsTo elucidate whether changes in monocyte subsets are associated with treatment and response,we investigated peripheral blood samples of 73 postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor (ER) positive BC,who received aromatase inhibitor therapy with or without the mucin-1 vaccine tecemotide in the ABCSG34 trial. Blood was retrieved at baseline,midterm and end of therapy,and was analyzed for the distribution and ER expression of monocyte subsets by flow cytometry.ResultsWhen 40 healthy,age-matched women were compared with BC patients before treatment start,ER levels of monocytes did not differ,yet patients presented with a higher frequency of classical and fewer non-classical monocytes. Endocrine therapy triggered a significant increase in ER levels in all monocyte subsets,without affecting subset distribution. Vaccination had no overall impact on subset frequency and ER expression. Yet,a shift from intermediate to classical monocytes during therapy correlated with changes in plasma cytokines and chemokines and was significantly associated with low residual cancer burden in vaccinated patients. Without tecemotide,baseline ER levels in classical monocytes were significantly higher in women with good response to endocrine therapy.ConclusionsThis study identified classical monocytes to be associated with ER positive BC and with patient response to neoadjuvant endocrine treatment and cancer vaccination.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-024-05659-w. View Publication

NKG2D is a central activating receptor involved in target recognition and killing by Natural Killer and CD8+ T cells. The known role of NKG2D is to recognize a family of self-induced stress ligands that are upregulated on stressed cells such as cancerous or virally infected cells. Fungal pathogens are a major threat to human health,infecting more than a billion patients yearly and becoming more common and drug resistant. Here we show that NKG2D plays a critical role in the immune response against fungal infections. NKG2D can recognize fungal pathogens from most major families including Candida,Cryptococcus and Aspergillus species,and mice lacking NKG2D are extremely sensitive to fungal infections in models of both invasive and mucosal infections,making NKG2D an anti-fungal pattern recognition receptor. NKG2D is a central activating receptor know to recognise stress ligangs upregulated during cancer or infection. Here,Charpak-Amikam et al show that NKG2D also recognises fungal pathogens and plays a critical role in mounting an appropriate immune response to them. View Publication

Colorectal cancer (CRC) resulting from chronic inflammation is a crucial issue in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Although many reports established that intestinal resident CX3CR1high macrophages play an essential role in suppressing intestinal inflammation,their function in colitis-related CRC remains unclear. In this study,we found that colonic CX3CR1high macrophages,which were positive for MHC-II,F4/80 and CD319,promoted colitis-associated CRC. They highly expressed Col1a1,Tgfb,II10,and II4,and were considered to be fibrocytes with an immunosuppressive M2-like phenotype. CX3CR1 deficiency led to reductions in the absolute numbers of CX3CR1high fibrocytes through increased apoptosis,thereby preventing the development of colitis-associated CRC. We next focused statins as drugs targeting CX3CR1high fibrocytes. Statins have been actively discussed for patients with IBD and reported to suppress the CX3CL1/CX3CR1 axis. Statin treatment after azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium-induced inflammation reduced CX3CR1high fibrocyte counts and suppressed colitis-associated CRC. Therefore,CX3CR1high fibrocytes represent a potential target for carcinogenesis-preventing therapy,and statins could be safe therapeutic candidates for IBD. View Publication

Mature erythrocytes are known to lack major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins. However,the presence of MHC molecules on erythrocytes has been occasionally reported,though without a defined function. In this study,we designed erythrocyte conjugated solely with a fusion protein consisting of an antigenic peptide linked to MHC class I (MHC-I) protein,termed MHC-I‒Ery. The modified erythrocyte,decorated with the peptide derived from human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 oncoprotein E6/E7,effectively activated antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from HPV16+ cervical cancer patients. Additionally,MHC-I‒Ery monotherapy was shown to inhibit antigen-positive tumor growth in mice. This treatment immediately activated CD8+ T cells and reduced suppressive myeloid cells in the spleen,leading to systemic anti-tumor activity. Safety and tolerability evaluations of MHC-I‒Ery in non-human primates further supported its clinical potential. Our results first demonstrated that erythrocytes equipped solely with antigen peptide‒MHC-I complexes can robustly stimulate the immune system,suggesting a novel and promising approach for advancing cancer immunotherapy. View Publication

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) can resolve transcriptional features from individual cells,but scRNA-seq techniques capable of resolving the variable regions of B cell receptors (BCRs) remain limited,especially from widely-used 3′-barcoded libraries. Here,we report a method that can recover paired,full-length variable region sequences of BCRs from 3′-barcoded scRNA-seq libraries. We first verify this method (B3E-seq) can produce accurate,full-length BCR sequences. We then apply this method to profile B cell responses elicited against the capsular polysaccharide of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 3 (ST3) by glycoconjugate vaccines in five infant rhesus macaques. We identify BCR features associated with specificity for the ST3 antigen which are present in multiple vaccinated monkeys,indicating a convergent response to vaccination. These results demonstrate the utility of our method to resolve key features of the B cell repertoire and profile antigen-specific responses elicited by vaccination. A method that recovers full-length,paired heavy- and light-chain variable regions of B cell receptor transcripts from 3’barcoded scRNA-seq libraries reveals a convergent response to pneumococcus vaccination in rhesus macaques. View Publication

Background:A primary barrier to curing HIV is the HIV reservoir. The leading infectious cause of death worldwide for people living with HIV is tuberculosis (TB),but we do not know how TB impacts the HIV reservoir.Methods:Participants in identification and validation cohorts were selected from previously enrolled studies at Groupe Haïtien d'Étude du Sarcome de Kaposi et des Infections Opportunistes (GHESKIO) in Port au Prince,Haiti. Intact and non-intact proviral DNA were quantified using droplet digital PCR of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)-derived CD4+ T cells. Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare medians with tobit regression for censoring.Results:In the identification cohort,we found that people living with HIV with a history of active pulmonary TB (n=19) had higher levels of intact provirus than people living with HIV without a history of active TB (n=47) (median 762; IQR,183-1173 vs 117; IQR,24-279 intact provirus per million CD4,respectively; P=0.0001). This difference also was seen in the validation cohort (n=31),(median 102; IQR,0-737 vs 0; IQR,0-24.5 intact provirus per million CD4,P=0.03) for TB vs no-TB history groups,respectively. The frequencies of CD4+ T cells with any detectable proviral fragment was directly proportional to the levels of interleukin-1 beta (r=0.524,P= 0.0025) and interleukin-2 (r=0.622,P=0.0002).Conclusions:People living with HIV with a history of active pulmonary TB have more HIV pro-virus in their circulating CD4+ T cells,even years after TB cure. We need to characterize which CD4+ T cells are harboring intact provirus to consider the impact of T cell-targeting HIV cure interventions for people living in TB-endemic areas. View Publication

A well-balanced maternal immune system is crucial to maintain fetal tolerance in case of infections during pregnancy. Immune adaptations include an increased secretion of soluble mediators to protect the semi-allogeneic fetus from excessive pro-inflammatory response. B lymphocytes acquire a higher capacity to express CD83 and secrete soluble CD83 (sCD83) upon exposure to bacteria-derived components such as LPS. CD83 possesses immune modulatory functions and shows a promising therapeutic potential against inflammatory conditions. The administration of sCD83 to pregnant mice reduces LPS-induced abortion rates. The increased CD83 expression by endometrial B cells as compared to peripheral blood B cells suggests its modulatory role in the fetal tolerance,especially in the context of infection. We postulate that in pregnancy,CD83 expression and release is controlled by pregnancy-related hormones. The intra- and extracellular expression of CD83 in leukocytes from peripheral blood or decidua basalis and parietalis at term were analyzed by flow cytometry. After treatment with pregnancy-related hormones and LPS,ELISA and qPCR were performed to study sCD83 release and CD83 gene expression,respectively. Cleavage prediction analysis was used to find potential proteases targeting CD83. Expression of selected proteases was analyzed by ELISA. Higher levels of CD83 were found in CD11c+ dendritic cells,CD3+ T cells and CD19+ B cells from decidua basalis and decidua parietalis after LPS-stimulation in vitro. An increase of intracellular expression of CD83 was also detected in CD19+ B cells from both compartments. Stimulated B cells displayed significantly higher percentages of CD83+ cells than dendritic cells and T cells from decidua basalis and peripheral blood. Treatment of B lymphocytes with pregnancy-related molecules (E2,P4,TGF-β1 and hCG) enhanced the LPS-mediated increase of CD83 expression,while dexamethasone led to a reduction. Similarly,the release of sCD83 was increased under TGF-β1 treatment but decreased upon dexamethasone stimulation. Finally,we found that the hormonal regulation of CD83 expression is likely a result from a balance between gene transcription from CD83 and the modulation of the metalloproteinase MMP-7. Thus,data supports and complements our previous murine studies on hormonal regulation of CD83 expression,reinforcing its immunomodulatory relevance in anti-bacterial responses during pregnancy. View Publication