| 1. |
- Cuapio, Angelica, et al.
(författare)
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NK cell frequencies, function and correlates to vaccine outcome in BNT162b2 mRNA anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccinated healthy and immunocompromised individuals
- 2022
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Ingår i: Molecular Medicine. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1076-1551 .- 1528-3658. ; 28:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Adaptive immune responses have been studied extensively in the course of mRNA vaccination against COVID-19. Considerably fewer studies have assessed the effects on innate immune cells. Here, we characterized NK cells in healthy individuals and immunocompromised patients in the course of an anti-SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 mRNA prospective, open-label clinical vaccine trial. See trial registration description in notes. Results revealed preserved NK cell numbers, frequencies, subsets, phenotypes, and function as assessed through consecutive peripheral blood samplings at 0, 10, 21, and 35 days following vaccination. A positive correlation was observed between the frequency of NKG2C+ NK cells at baseline (Day 0) and anti-SARS-CoV-2 Ab titers following BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination at Day 35. The present results provide basic insights in regards to NK cells in the context of mRNA vaccination, and have relevance for future mRNA-based vaccinations against COVID-19, other viral infections, and cancer.Trial registration: The current study is based on clinical material from the COVAXID open-label, non-randomized prospective clinical trial registered at EudraCT and clinicaltrials.gov (no. 2021–000175-37). Description: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04780659?term=2021-000175-37&draw=2&rank=1.
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| 2. |
- Du, Juan, et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence of Oral Human Papillomavirus Infection among Youth, Sweden
- 2012
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Ingår i: Emerging Infectious Diseases. - : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. - 1080-6040 .- 1080-6059. ; 18:9, s. 1468-1471
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes cervical, head, and neck cancers. We studied 483 patients at a youth clinic in Stockholm, Sweden, and found oral HPV prevalence was 9.3% and significantly higher for female youth with than without cervical HPV infection (p = 0.043). Most oral HPV types matched the co-occurring cervical types.
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| 3. |
- Ezzat, Kariem, et al.
(författare)
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The viral protein corona directs viral pathogenesis and amyloid aggregation
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Artificial nanoparticles accumulate a protein corona layer in biological fluids, which significantly influences their bioactivity. As nanosized obligate intracellular parasites, viruses share many biophysical properties with artificial nanoparticles in extracellular environments and here we show that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) accumulate a rich and distinctive protein corona in different biological fluids. Moreover, we show that corona pre-coating differentially affects viral infectivity and immune cell activation. In addition, we demonstrate that viruses bind amyloidogenic peptides in their corona and catalyze amyloid formation via surface-assisted heterogeneous nucleation. Importantly, we show that HSV-1 catalyzes the aggregation of the amyloid beta-peptide (A beta(42)), a major constituent of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease, in vitro and in animal models. Our results highlight the viral protein corona as an acquired structural layer that is critical for viral-host interactions and illustrate a mechanistic convergence between viral and amyloid pathologies.
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| 4. |
- Gao, Yu, et al.
(författare)
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Immunodeficiency syndromes differentially impact the functional profile of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells elicited by mRNA vaccination
- 2022
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Ingår i: Immunity. - : Elsevier. - 1074-7613 .- 1097-4180. ; 55:9, s. 1732-1746.e5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many immunocompromised patients mount suboptimal humoral immunity after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination. Here, we assessed the single-cell profile of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells post-mRNA vaccination in healthy individuals and patients with various forms of immunodeficiencies. Impaired vaccine-induced cell-mediated immunity was observed in many immunocompromised patients, particularly in solid-organ transplant and chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients. Notably, individuals with an inherited lack of mature B cells, i.e., X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) displayed highly functional spike-specific T cell responses. Single-cell RNA-sequencing further revealed that mRNA vaccination induced a broad functional spectrum of spike-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in healthy individuals and patients with XLA. These responses were founded on polyclonal repertoires of CD4+ T cells and robust expansions of oligoclonal effector-memory CD45RA+ CD8+ T cells with stem-like characteristics. Collectively, our data provide the functional continuum of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses post-mRNA vaccination, highlighting that cell-mediated immunity is of variable functional quality across immunodeficiency syndromes.
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| 5. |
- Ghorbani, Mahin, et al.
(författare)
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Persistence of salivary antibody responses after COVID-19 vaccination is associated with oral microbiome variation in both healthy and people living with HIV
- 2023
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Immunology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-3224. ; 13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coevolution of microbiome and immunity at mucosal sites is essential for our health. Whether the oral microbiome, the second largest community after the gut, contributes to the immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines is not known. We investigated the baseline oral microbiome in individuals in the COVAXID clinical trial receiving the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. Participants (n=115) included healthy controls (HC; n=57) and people living with HIV (PLHIV; n=58) who met the study selection criteria. Vaccine-induced Spike antibodies in saliva and serum from 0 to 6 months were assessed and comparative analyses were performed against the individual salivary 16S ASV microbiome diversity. High- versus low vaccine responders were assessed on general, immunological, and oral microbiome features. Our analyses identified oral microbiome features enriched in high- vs. low-responders among healthy and PLHIV participants. In low-responders, an enrichment of Gram-negative, anaerobic species with proteolytic activity were found including Campylobacter, Butyrivibrio, Selenomonas, Lachnoanaerobaculum, Leptotrichia, Megasphaera, Prevotella and Stomatobaculum. In high-responders, enriched species were mainly Gram-positive and saccharolytic facultative anaerobes: Abiotrophia, Corynebacterium, Gemella, Granulicatella, Rothia, and Haemophilus. Combining identified microbial features in a classifier using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC AUC) yielded scores of 0.879 (healthy controls) to 0.82 (PLHIV), supporting the oral microbiome contribution in the long-term vaccination outcome. The present study is the first to suggest that the oral microbiome has an impact on the durability of mucosal immunity after Covid-19 vaccination. Microbiome-targeted interventions to enhance long-term duration of mucosal vaccine immunity may be exploited.
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| 6. |
- Halimi, Asif, et al.
(författare)
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Isolation of pancreatic microbiota from cystic precursors of pancreatic cancer with intracellular growth and DNA damaging properties
- 2021
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Ingår i: Gut microbes. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 1949-0976 .- 1949-0984. ; 13:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Emerging research suggests gut microbiome may play a role in pancreatic cancer initiation and progression, but cultivation of the cancer microbiome remains challenging. This pilot study aims to investigate the possibility to cultivate pancreatic microbiome from pancreatic cystic lesions associated with invasive cancer. Intra-operatively acquired pancreatic cyst fluid samples showed culture-positivity mainly in the intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) group of lesions. MALDI-TOF MS profiling analysis shows Gammaproteobacteria and Bacilli dominate among individual bacteria isolates. Among cultivated bacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, particularly Klebsiella pneumoniae, but also Granulicatella adiacens and Enterococcus faecalis, demonstrate consistent pathogenic properties in pancreatic cell lines tested in ex vivo co-culture models. Pathogenic properties include intracellular survival capability, cell death induction, or causing DNA double-strand breaks in the surviving cells resembling genotoxic effects. This study provides new insights into the role of the pancreatic microbiota in the intriguing link between pancreatic cystic lesions and cancer.
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| 7. |
- Healy, Katie, et al.
(författare)
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Human MAIT cells endowed with HBV specificity are cytotoxic and migrate towards HBV-HCC while retaining antimicrobial functions
- 2021
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Ingår i: JHEP Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 2589-5559. ; 3:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background & Aims: Virus-specific T cell dysfunction is a common feature of HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-HCC). Conventional T (ConT) cells can be redirected towards viral antigens in HBV-HCC when they express an HBV-specific receptor; however, their efficacy can be impaired by liver-specific physical and metabolic features. Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are the most abundant innate-like T cells in the liver and can elicit potent intrahepatic effector functions. Here, we engineered ConT and MAIT cells to kill HBV expressing hepatoma cells and compared their functional properties. Methods: Donor-matched ConT and MAIT cells were engineered to express an HBV-specific T cell receptor (TCR). Cytotoxicity and hepatocyte homing potential were investigated using flow cytometry, real-time killing assays, and confocal microscopy in 2D and 3D HBV-HCC cell models. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-related molecule (MR1)-dependent and MR1-independent activation was evaluated in an Escherichia coli THP-1 cell model and by IL-12/IL-18 stimulation, respectively. Results: HBV TCR-MAIT cells demonstrated polyfunctional properties (CD107a, interferon [IFN] γ, tumour necrosis factor [TNF], and IL-17A) with strong HBV target sensitivity and liver-homing chemokine receptor expression when compared with HBV TCR-ConT cells. TCR-mediated lysis of hepatoma cells was comparable between the cell types and augmented in the presence of inflammation. Coculturing with HBV+ target cells in a 3D microdevice mimicking aspects of the liver microenvironment demonstrated that TCR-MAIT cells migrate readily towards hepatoma targets. Expression of an ectopic TCR did not affect the ability of the MAIT cells to be activated via MR1-presented bacterial antigens or IL-12/IL-18 stimulation. Conclusions: HBV TCR-MAIT cells demonstrate anti-HBV functions without losing their endogenous antimicrobial mechanisms or hepatotropic features. Our results support future exploitations of MAIT cells for liver-directed immunotherapies. Lay summary: Chronic HBV infection is a leading cause of liver cancer. T cell receptor (TCR)-engineered T cells are patients’ immune cells that have been modified to recognise virus-infected and/or cancer cells. Herein, we evaluated whether mucosal-associated invariant T cells, a large population of unconventional T cells in the liver, could recognise and kill HBV infected hepatocytes when engineered with an HBV-specific TCR. We show that their effector functions may exceed those of conventional T cells currently used in the clinic, including antimicrobial properties and chemokine receptor profiles better suited for targeting liver tumours.
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| 8. |
- Healy, Katie, et al.
(författare)
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Salivary IgG to SARS-CoV-2 indicates seroconversion and correlates to serum neutralization in mRNA-vaccinated immunocompromised individuals
- 2022
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Ingår i: Med. - : Cell Press. - 2666-6359 .- 2666-6340. ; 3:2, s. 137-153.e3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Immunocompromised individuals are highly susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Whether vaccine-induced immunity in these individuals involves oral cavity, a primary site of infection, is presently unknown.Methods: Immunocompromised patients (n = 404) and healthy controls (n = 82) participated in a prospective clinical trial (NCT04780659) encompassing two doses of the mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine. Primary immunodeficiency (PID), secondary immunodeficiencies caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)/chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy (CAR-T), solid organ transplantation (SOT), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients were included. Salivary and serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) reactivities to SARS-CoV-2 spike were measured by multiplex bead-based assays and Elecsys anti-SARS-CoV-2 S assay.Findings: IgG responses to SARS-CoV-2 spike antigens in saliva in HIV and HSCT/CAR-T groups were comparable to those of healthy controls after vaccination. The PID, SOT, and CLL patients had weaker responses, influenced mainly by disease parameters or immunosuppressants. Salivary responses correlated remarkably well with specific IgG titers and the neutralizing capacity in serum. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for the predictive power of salivary IgG yielded area under the curve (AUC) = 0.95 and positive predictive value (PPV) = 90.7% for the entire cohort after vaccination.Conclusions: Saliva conveys vaccine responses induced by mRNA BNT162b2. The predictive power of salivary spike IgG makes it highly suitable for screening vulnerable groups for revaccination.
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| 9. |
- Sobkowiak, Michał J
(författare)
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Invariant T cell subsets in immune defense of oral mucosa and skin
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Innate-like T lymphocytes such as mucosa-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells and invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells recognize antigens presented by MR1 and CD1d molecules, respectively. As MR1 presents microbial riboflavin metabolite antigens, and CD1d presents endogenous or microbial glycolipid antigens, MAIT cells and iNKT cells survey the non-protein fraction of the potential antigenic universe. Both these cell types respond in an innate-like fashion without the need for priming and clonal expansion, and are thus rapidly available to help protect the host from viral and bacterial infections. This thesis is focused primarily on the role of the innate-like T cell subsets in immune defense of the human oral mucosa and skin, two tissues that together form a large part of the body barrier to the surrounding world of microbes. In paper I, we establish a set of reproducible and adaptable methods to study human MAIT cell activation, cytokine production, proliferation and cytolytic function in response to microbes expressing riboflavin metabolite antigens. These novel and optimized methods establish a framework and open new possibilities to study MAIT cell immunobiology using Escherichia coli as a model antigen. In paper II, we study the lymphocyte population in healthy human buccal mucosa, and establish the presence of MAIT cells at this site. The buccal mucosal MAIT cell population is located both in the epithelium and in the lamina propria and can be divided into a tissue resident CD103+ subset and a tissue non-resident CD103- subset. These two subsets differ in their functional profile both between each other and compared to the circulating peripheral blood MAIT cell population. Interestingly, tissue-resident MAIT cells had a specialized polyfunctional response profile with higher IL-17 levels, and were low in the cytolytic effector molecule perforin. In paper III, we investigate the involvement of oral mucosal MAIT cells in apical periodontitis (AP). MAIT cells were moderately enriched in AP tissue as compared to the surrounding healthy gingival tissue, but with higher representation of the CD4+ MAIT cell subset. When the abundance of MAIT cell TCR transcript was analyzed in relation to AP microbiome data, we could identify bacterial relative abundances that negatively correlated with Vα7.2-Jα33, Cα, and IL-17A transcript expressions in AP, implying that MAIT cells could play a role in this oral disease setting. In paper IV, we investigate the innate immune response to herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) in keratinocytes. In response to HSV1 infection keratinocytes rapidly upregulate surface expression of the innate immune activating cytokine IL-15 in a TLR3-dependent manner. Interestingly, the virus actively downregulates the IL-15/IL-15Ra complex in an apparent novel mode of immune evasion. Furthermore, we show that iNKT cells can counteract this viral effect and support the maintenance of IL-15 expression on the surface of infected keratinocytes. In summary, the research covered by this thesis unravels a series of novel aspects of immunity mediated by innate-like T cells at barrier sites of the human body. The findings are of considerable importance for our understanding of immunity against bacterial and viral antigens in the oral mucosa and the skin.
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