Glucose metabolism and its role in the maturation and migration of human CD1c+ dendritic cells following exposure to BCG

IntroductionTuberculosis (TB) still kills over 1 million people annually. The only approved vaccine, BCG, prevents disseminated disease in children but shows low efficacy at preventing pulmonary TB. Myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) are promising targets for vaccines and immunotherapies to combat infectious diseases due to their essential role in linking innate and adaptive immune responses. DCs undergo metabolic reprogramming following exposure to TLR agonists, which is thought to be a prerequisite for a successful host response to infection. We hypothesized that metabolic rewiring also plays a vital role in the maturation and migration of DCs stimulated with BCG. Consequently, we investigated the role of glycolysis in the activation of primary human myeloid CD1c+ DCs in response to BCG. Methods/resultsWe show that CD1c+ mDC mature and acquire a more energetic phenotype upon challenge with BCG. Pharmacological inhibition of glycolysis with 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) decreased cytokine secretion and altered cell surface expression of both CD40 and CCR7 on BCG-challenged, compared to untreated, mDCs. Furthermore, inhibition of glycolysis had differential effects on infected and uninfected bystander mDCs in BCG-challenged cultures. For example, CCR7 expression was increased by 2-DG treatment following challenge with BCG and this increase in expression was seen only in BCG-infected mDCs. Moreover, although 2-DG treatment inhibited CCR7-mediated migration of bystander CD1C+ DCs in a transwell assay, migration of BCG-infected cells proceeded independently of glycolysis. DiscussionOur results provide the first evidence that glycolysis plays divergent roles in the maturation and migration of human CD1c+ mDC exposed to BCG, segregating with infection status. Further investigation of cellular metabolism in DC subsets will be required to determine whether glycolysis can be targeted to elicit better protective immunity against Mtb

Single-cell meta-analysis of SARS-CoV-2 entry genes across tissues and demographics

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and accessory proteases (TMPRSS2 and CTSL) are needed for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) cellular entry, and their expression may shed light on viral tropism and impact across the body. We assessed the cell-type-specific expression of ACE2, TMPRSS2 and CTSL across 107 single-cell RNA-sequencing studies from different tissues. ACE2, TMPRSS2 and CTSL are coexpressed in specific subsets of respiratory epithelial cells in the nasal passages, airways and alveoli, and in cells from other organs associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission or pathology. We performed a meta-analysis of 31 lung single-cell RNA-sequencing studies with 1,320,896 cells from 377 nasal, airway and lung parenchyma samples from 228 individuals. This revealed cell-type-specific associations of age, sex and smoking with expression levels of ACE2, TMPRSS2 and CTSL. Expression of entry factors increased with age and in males, including in airway secretory cells and alveolar type 2 cells. Expression programs shared by ACE2+TMPRSS2+ cells in nasal, lung and gut tissues included genes that may mediate viral entry, key immune functions and epithelial-macrophage cross-talk, such as genes involved in the interleukin-6, interleukin-1, tumor necrosis factor and complement pathways. Cell-type-specific expression patterns may contribute to the pathogenesis of COVID-19, and our work highlights putative molecular pathways for therapeutic intervention

Safety and Immunogenicity of a Malaria Vaccine, Plasmodium falciparum AMA-1/MSP-1 Chimeric Protein Formulated in Montanide ISA 720 in Healthy Adults

The P. falciparum chimeric protein 2.9 (PfCP-2.9) consisting of the sequences of MSP1-19 and AMA-1 (III) is a malaria vaccine candidate that was found to induce inhibitory antibodies in rabbits and monkeys. This was a phase I randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation study to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the PfCP-2.9 formulated with a novel adjuvant Montanide ISA720. Fifty-two subjects were randomly assigned to 4 dose groups of 10 participants, each receiving the test vaccine of 20, 50, 100, or 200 µg respectively, and 1 placebo group of 12 participants receiving the adjuvant only.The vaccine formulation was shown to be safe and well-tolerated, and none of the participants withdrew. The total incidence of local adverse events (AEs) was 75%, distributed among 58% of the placebo group and 80% of those vaccinated. Among the vaccinated, 65% had events that were mild and 15% experienced moderate AEs. Almost all systemic adverse reactions observed in this study were graded as mild and required no therapy. The participants receiving the test vaccine developed detectable antibody responses which were boosted by the repeated vaccinations. Sixty percent of the vaccinated participants had high ELISA titers (>1∶10,000) of antigen-specific antibodies which could also recognize native parasite proteins in an immunofluorescence assay (IFA).This study is the first clinical trial for this candidate and builds on previous investigations supporting PfCP-2.9/ISA720 as a promising blood-stage malaria vaccine. Results demonstrate safety, tolerability (particularly at the lower doses tested) and immunogenicity of the formulation. Further clinical development is ongoing to explore optimizing the dose and schedule of the formulation to decrease reactogenicity without compromising immunogenicity.

Caracterização molecular do arco da alça V3 da gp 120 do HIV-1

O HIV-1 é um retrovirus que possui grande variabilidade genética, principalmente no gene que codifica o envelope viral (env). A diversidade de seqüências encontrada na terceira alça variável (alça V3) da gp120 é relacionada a várias características biológicas virais, tais como: habilidade do vírus a induzir sincício, antigenicidade e tropismo viral. O arco da alça V3 é formado por uma seqüência de aminoácidos relativamente conservada (GPGR) nos vírus do subtipo B. No Brasil, encontramos a variante B , que possui a seqüência GWGR formando a região do arco e tem sido associada a uma progressão mais lenta da infecção. O fenótipo viral Não Indutor de Sincício (NSI) predomina nas fases assintomáticas, enquanto que o fenótipo Indutor de Sincício (SI) emerge em indivíduos infectados precedendo um declínio acentuado de células T CD4, sendo associado à progressão para aids. A mudança do fenótipo NSI para SI é resultante da substituição de determinados aminoácidos na alça V3. Mutações que alterem a seqüência de aminoácidos da alça V3, incluindo a região do arco podem ser utilizadas como marcadores genéticos para inferir sobre a evolução da infecção. DNA viral foi isolado a partir de leucócitos e utilizado como fonte para amplificação por PCR e seqüenciamento automático da região da alça V3. Um script desenvolvido pelo setor de Bioinformática foi utilizado para identificar os fenótipos SI/NSI e a seqüência de aminoácidos do arco da alça V3 (GPGR/GWGR) em 1279 pacientes estudados no Estado de São Paulo como parte do projeto VGDN. Esse estudo mostrou que 34,8% dos pacientes possuíam os aminoácidos GPGR formando a região do arco enquanto que 22,8% possuíam GWGR. Além disso, análises estatísticas utilizando o Teste de Goodman apontaram uma prevalência significativa de GWGR em pacientes assintomáticos com fenótipo NSI...Genomic diversity in HIV-1 is a well-characterized feature and although this heterogeneity is distributed throughout the genome, most of the polymorphisms are located in the envelope gene (env). Sequence variability at the env gene third variable region (V3 loop) of HIV-1 is highly correlated with several viral biological features, such as the ability to induce syncytia, antigenicity and viral tropism. The tip of V3 loop consists of a relative conserved amino acid sequence (GPGR) in subtype B and the presence of GWGR motif in this region has been found in Brazilian strains (B' variant). Non-syncytium-inducing (NSI) phenotype variants predominate in the asymptomatic phase and Sincytium-inducing (SI) phenotype variants emerge in infected patients preceding a CD4 cell decline and correlate with progression to clinical manifestations. The switch from an NSI to an SI phenotype was correlated with one or more basic amino acids substitutions in the V3 loop. Genetic mutations modifying the V3 sequence has been associated with alterations in cytopathic abilities and antigenicity. The patterns of the HIV-1 sequences variability can be used as genetic marker to infer about the infection evolution. Viral DNA isolated from leucocytes was used as a source for PCR amplification and automatic sequencing of the V3 loop gene. Home-made PERL scripts were used to identify NSI/SI phenotypes and GPGR/GWGR motif in 1279 patients studied in São Paulo State, Brazil, as part of VGDN Project (www.lemb.icb.usp.br). This study showed that 34.8% of the patients have had GPGR variants and 22.8% GWGR. In addiction, statistical analysis using Goodman's Test showed GWGR prevailed in asymptomatic patients with NSI strains... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

Protein Kinase C? : regulation of expression and functional role in human T lymphocytes

THESIS 10853Protein kinase C? (PKC?) is a member of the novel PKC subfamily of serine/threonine kinases that has been shown to play critical roles in cell differentiation, proliferation, secretion and apoptosis in several cell types. This isoform is primarily expressed in epithelial tissues but it has also been shown to be expressed at high levels in T cells. T cells are the centre of cell-mediated immunity, responsible for recognising, with high specificity through their T cell receptor (TCR), antigenic peptides presented by specialised cells and responding by orchestrating an effective immune response. Stimulation of the TCR and co-receptors triggers a complex signalling cascade that results in T cell activation, cytokine production, proliferation and differentiation into effector cells

Variability of the conserved V3 loop tip motif in HIV-1 subtype B isolates collected from Brazilian and French patients

The diversity of the V3 loop tip motif sequences of HIV-1 subtype B was analyzed in patients from Botucatu (Brazil) and Montpellier (France). Overall, 37 tetrameric tip motifs were identified, 28 and 17 of them being recognized in Brazilian and French patients, respectively. The GPGR (P) motif was predominant in French but not in Brazilian patients (53.5% vs 31.0%), whereas the GWGR (W) motif was frequent in Brazilian patients (23.0%) and absent in French patients. Three tip motif groups were considered: P, W, and non-P non-W groups. The distribution of HIV-1 isolates into the three groups was significantly different between isolates from Botucatu and from Montpellier (P < 0.001). A higher proportion of CXCR4-using HIV-1 (X4 variants) was observed in the non-P non-W group as compared with the P group (37.5% vs 19.1%), and no X4 variant was identified in the W group (P < 0.001). The higher proportion of X4 variants in the non-P non-W group was essentially observed among the patients from Montpellier, who have been infected with HIV-1 for a longer period of time than those from Botucatu. Among patients from Montpellier, CD4+ cell counts were lower in patients belonging to the non-P non-W group than in those belonging to the P group (24 cells/µL vs 197 cells/µL; P = 0.005). Taken together, the results suggest that variability of the V3 loop tip motif may be related to HIV-1 coreceptor usage and to disease progression. However, as analyzed by a bioinformatic method, the substitution of the V3 loop tip motif of the subtype B consensus sequence with the different tip motifs identified in the present study was not sufficient to induce a change in HIV-1 coreceptor usage