| 1. |
- Hubert, Pascale, et al.
(author)
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Altered alpha-defensin 5 expression in cervical squamocolumnar junction: implication in the formation of a viral/tumour-permissive microenvironment
- 2014
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In: Journal of Pathology. - : Wiley. - 0022-3417. ; 234:4, s. 464-477
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, particularly type 16, is causally associated with cancer of the uterine cervix, which mainly develops at the squamocolumnar (SC) junction. The progression of cervical HPV infections into (pre)neoplastic lesions suggests that viral antigens are not adequately recognized by innate immunity or presented to the adaptive immune system. Members of the defensin family have recently been found to inhibit viral and bacterial pathogens, to stimulate the migration of immune cells and to play a role in anticancer responses. In the present study, we focused on the poorly characterized human -defensin 5 (HD-5) and its possible role in these processes. We showed that HD-5 was able to prevent HPV virion entry into cervical keratinocytes and to influence adaptive immunity. Indeed, this peptide specifically induced the chemoattraction and proliferation of both activated T lymphocytes and immature dendritic cells in a CCR2/CCR6-dependent manner and stimulated the infiltration of these professional antigen-presenting cells in a (pre)neoplastic epithelium transplanted in vivo in immunodeficient mice. No chemotactic effect was observed with plasmacytoid dendritic cells, macrophages or natural killer cells. Proliferative and angiogenic effects of HD-5 were also assessed in vitro and in vivo. However there was a striking regional disparity in expression of HD-5, being prominent in ectocervical, vaginal and vulvar neoplasia, while absent, or nearly so, in the cervical SC junction. Taken together, these results suggest one possible explanation for why the SC junction is uniquely vulnerable to both high-risk HPV infection (via reduced HD-5 expression and viral entry) and progression of neoplasia (via altered cell-mediated immune responses and altered microenvironment). Copyright (c) 2014 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
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| 2. |
- Renoux, Virginie, et al.
(author)
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Identification of a Human Natural Killer Cell Lineage-Restricted Progenitor in Fetal and Adult Tissues.
- 2015
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In: Immunity. - : Elsevier BV. - 1074-7613 .- 1097-4180. ; 43:2, s. 394-407
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Natural killer (NK) cells are cytotoxic lymphocytes and play a vital role in controlling viral infections and cancer. In contrast to B and T lymphopoiesis where cellular and regulatory pathways have been extensively characterized, the cellular stages of early human NK cell commitment remain poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that a Lin(-)CD34(+)CD38(+)CD123(-)CD45RA(+)CD7(+)CD10(+)CD127(-) population represents a NK lineage-restricted progenitor (NKP) in fetal development, umbilical cord blood, and adult tissues. The newly identified NKP has robust NK cell potential both in vitro and in vivo, generates functionally cytotoxic NK cells, and lacks the ability to produce T cells, B cells, myeloid cells, and innate lymphoid-like cells (ILCs). Our findings identify an early step to human NK cell commitment and provide new insights into the human hematopoietic hierarchy.
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