1. |
- Abdillahi, Suado M., et al.
(author)
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Collagen VI Contains Multiple Host Defense Peptides with Potent In Vivo Activity
- 2018
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In: Journal of Immunology. - : AMER ASSOC IMMUNOLOGISTS. - 0022-1767 .- 1550-6606. ; 201:3, s. 1007-1020
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Collagen VI is a ubiquitous extracellular matrix component that forms extensive microfibrillar networks in most connective tissues. In this study, we describe for the first time, to our knowledge, that the collagen VI von Willebrand factor type A like domains exhibit a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in human skin infections in vivo. In silico sequence and structural analysis of VWA domains revealed that they contain cationic and amphipathic peptide sequence motifs, which might explain the antimicrobial nature of collagen VI. In vitro and in vivo studies show that these peptides exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa through membrane disruption. Our findings shed new light on the role of collagen VI derived peptides in innate host defense and provide templates for development of peptide-based antibacterial therapies.
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2. |
- Adori, M, et al.
(author)
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Altered Marginal Zone B Cell Selection in the Absence of IκBNS
- 2018
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In: Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). - : The American Association of Immunologists. - 1550-6606 .- 0022-1767. ; 200:2, s. 775-787
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Marginal zone (MZ) B cells reside in the splenic MZ and play important roles in T cell–independent humoral immune responses against blood-borne pathogens. IκBNS-deficient bumble mice exhibit a severe reduction in the MZ B compartment but regain an MZ B population with age and, thus, represent a valuable model to examine the biology of MZ B cells. In this article, we characterized the MZ B cell defect in further detail and investigated the nature of the B cells that appear in the MZ of aged bumble mice. Flow cytometry analysis of the splenic transitional B cell subsets demonstrated that MZ B cell development was blocked at the transitional-1 to transitional-2–MZ precursor stage in the absence of functional IκBNS. Immunohistochemical analysis of spleen sections from wild-type and bumble mice revealed no alteration in the cellular MZ microenvironment, and analysis of bone marrow chimeras indicated that the MZ B cell development defect in bumble mice was B cell intrinsic. Further, we demonstrate that the B cells that repopulate the MZ in aged bumble mice were distinct from age-matched wild-type MZ B cells. Specifically, the expression of surface markers characteristic for MZ B cells was altered and the L chain Igλ+ repertoire was reduced in bumble mice. Finally, plasma cell differentiation of sorted LPS-stimulated MZ B cells was impaired, and aged bumble mice were unable to respond to NP-Ficoll immunization. These results demonstrate that IκBNS is required for an intact MZ B cell compartment in C57BL/6 mice.
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3. |
- Ahmed, Aisha S., et al.
(author)
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Activation of NF-kappa B in Synovium versus Cartilage from Patients with Advanced Knee Osteoarthritis : A Potential Contributor to Inflammatory Aspects of Disease Progression
- 2018
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In: Journal of Immunology. - : AMER ASSOC IMMUNOLOGISTS. - 0022-1767 .- 1550-6606. ; 201:7, s. 1918-1927
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim was to assess the activation and association of the NF-kappa B system across synovial membrane (SM) and articular cartilage (AC) in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and ascertain its potential effects on catabolic mediator expression in advanced OA. SM and AC were obtained from 40 OA patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty and from 19 postmortem control subjects. NF-kappa B subunit RelA in nuclear and cytosolic fractions and NF-kappa B1-DNA binding in nuclear extracts was assessed by ELISA, whereas NFKB1, RELA, IL-8, IL-6, and MMP3 gene expression were analyzed by reverse transcriptase-quantitative PCR in tissues. We observed higher SM nuclear RelA protein levels and upregulated NF-kappa B1-DNA binding in OA patients compared with postmortem controls. However, in AC, lower nuclear RelA levels were observed compared with cytosolic extracts in patients. Nuclear RelA levels correlated positively with NF-kappa B1-DNA binding in SM and AC in patients. SM RELA and MMP3 mRNA levels were upregulated, whereas IL-8 and IL-6 as well as AC RELA were downregulated in patients compared with controls. In SM, nuclear RelA levels correlated positively with MMP3 gene expression in patients. A negative correlation was observed between SM nuclear RelA levels and AC NF-kappa B1-DNA binding, and SM nuclear NF-kappa B1-DNA binding correlated negatively with AC MMP3 and NFKB1 mRNA levels in patients. These findings highlight NF-kappa B-triggered cross-talk and feedback mechanisms between SM and AC in OA. Further, our findings strongly support a role for an activated NF-kappa B system in the transcriptional mechanism of inflammatory processes, especially in SM of patients with advanced OA.
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4. |
- Arruda, L. C. M., et al.
(author)
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Graft γδ TCR Sequencing Identifies Public Clonotypes Associated with Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Efficacy in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients and Unravels Cytomegalovirus Impact on Repertoire Distribution
- 2019
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In: Journal of Immunology. - : NLM (Medline). - 0022-1767 .- 1550-6606. ; 202:6, s. 1859-1870
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Although the impact of donor graft composition on clinical outcomes after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been studied, little is known about the role of intragraft γδ TCR repertoire on clinical outcomes following HSCT. Using a high-throughput sequencing platform, we sought to analyze the TCR γ-chain (TRG) repertoire of γδ T cells within donor stem cell grafts and address its potential impact on clinical response in the corresponding patients. A total of 20 peripheral blood stem cell grafts were analyzed, and donors were classified as CMV+/- The respective acute myeloid leukemia recipients were followed for disease relapse and acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) development post-HSCT. In all samples, TRG repertoire showed a reduced diversity and displayed overrepresented clones. This was more prominent in grafts from CMV+ donors, which presented a more private repertoire, lower diversity, skewed distribution, and reduced usage of the V9-JP pairing. Grafts given to nonrelapse patients presented a more public repertoire and increased presence of long sequence clonotypes. Variable-joining gene segment usage was not associated with aGvHD development, but a higher usage of V2-JP1 pairing and lower usage of V4-J2/V5-J2/V8-JP2 were observed in grafts given to nonrelapse patients. Our work identified five private overrepresented and one public CDR3 sequence (CATWDGPYYKKLF) associated with CMV infection, in addition to 12 highly frequent public sequences present exclusively in grafts given to nonrelapse patients. Our findings show that, despite CMV infection reshaping the TRG repertoire, TRG composition is not associated with aGvHD development, and several public sequences are associated with clinical remission.
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5. |
- Arvidsson, Ida, et al.
(author)
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Early terminal complement blockade and C6 deficiency are protective in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli-infected mice
- 2016
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In: Journal of Immunology. - : The American Association of Immunologists. - 0022-1767 .- 1550-6606. ; 197:4, s. 1276-1286
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Complement activation occurs during enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) infection and may exacerbate renal manifestations. In this study, we show glomerular C5b-9 deposits in the renal biopsy of a child with EHEC-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome. The role of the terminal complement complex, and its blockade as a therapeutic modality, was investigated in a mouse model of E. coli O157:H7 infection. BALB/c mice were treated with monoclonal anti-C5 i.p. on day 3 or 6 after intragastric inoculation and monitored for clinical signs of disease and weight loss for 14 d. All infected untreated mice (15 of 15) or those treated with an irrelevant Ab (8 of 8) developed severe illness. In contrast, only few infected mice treated with anti-C5 on day 3 developed symptoms (three of eight, p < 0.01 compared with mice treated with the irrelevant Ab on day 3) whereas most mice treated with anti-C5 on day 6 developed symptoms (six of eight). C6-deficient C57BL/6 mice were also inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 and only 1 of 14 developed disease, whereas 10 of 16 wild-type mice developed weight loss and severe disease (p < 0.01). Complement activation via the terminal pathway is thus involved in the development of disease in murine EHEC infection. Early blockade of the terminal complement pathway, before the development of symptoms, was largely protective, whereas late blockade was not. Likewise, lack of C6, and thereby deficient terminal complement complex, was protective in murine E. coli O157:H7 infection.
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6. |
- Arvidsson, Ida, et al.
(author)
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Shiga toxin-induced complement-mediated hemolysis and release of complement-coated red blood cell-derived microvesicles in hemolytic uremic syndrome.
- 2015
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In: Journal of Immunology. - : The American Association of Immunologists. - 1550-6606 .- 0022-1767. ; 194:5, s. 2309-2318
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). This study investigated whether Stx2 induces hemolysis and whether complement is involved in the hemolytic process. RBCs and/or RBC-derived microvesicles from patients with STEC-HUS (n = 25) were investigated for the presence of C3 and C9 by flow cytometry. Patients exhibited increased C3 deposition on RBCs compared with controls (p < 0.001), as well as high levels of C3- and C9-bearing RBC-derived microvesicles during the acute phase, which decreased after recovery. Stx2 bound to P1 (k) and P2 (k) phenotype RBCs, expressing high levels of the P(k) Ag (globotriaosylceramide), the known Stx receptor. Stx2 induced the release of hemoglobin and lactate dehydrogenase in whole blood, indicating hemolysis. Stx2-induced hemolysis was not demonstrated in the absence of plasma and was inhibited by heat inactivation, as well as by the terminal complement pathway Ab eculizumab, the purinergic P2 receptor antagonist suramin, and EDTA. In the presence of whole blood or plasma/serum, Stx2 induced the release of RBC-derived microvesicles coated with C5b-9, a process that was inhibited by EDTA, in the absence of factor B, and by purinergic P2 receptor antagonists. Thus, complement-coated RBC-derived microvesicles are elevated in HUS patients and induced in vitro by incubation of RBCs with Stx2, which also induced hemolysis. The role of complement in Stx2-mediated hemolysis was demonstrated by its occurrence only in the presence of plasma and its abrogation by heat inactivation, EDTA, and eculizumab. Complement activation on RBCs could play a role in the hemolytic process occurring during STEC-HUS.
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7. |
- Baharom, Faezzah, et al.
(author)
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Dendritic Cells and Monocytes with Distinct Inflammatory Responses Reside in Lung Mucosa of Healthy Humans
- 2016
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In: Journal of Immunology. - : The American Association of Immunologists. - 0022-1767 .- 1550-6606. ; 196:11, s. 4498-4509
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Every breath we take contains potentially harmful pathogens or allergens. Dendritic cells (DCs), monocytes, and macrophages are essential in maintaining a delicate balance of initiating immunity without causing collateral damage to the lungs because of an exaggerated inflammatory response. To document the diversity of lung mononuclear phagocytes at steady-state, we performed bronchoscopies on 20 healthy subjects, sampling the proximal and distal airways (bronchial wash and bronchoalveolar lavage, respectively), as well as mucosal tissue (endobronchial biopsies). In addition to a substantial population of alveolar macrophages, we identified subpopulations of monocytes, myeloid DCs (MDCs), and plasmacytoid DCs in the lung mucosa. Intermediate monocytes and MDCs were highly frequent in the airways compared with peripheral blood. Strikingly, the density of mononuclear phagocytes increased upon descending the airways. Monocytes from blood and airways produced 10-fold more proinflammatory cytokines than MDCs upon ex vivo stimulation. However, airway monocytes were less inflammatory than blood monocytes, suggesting a more tolerant nature. The findings of this study establish how to identify human lung mononuclear phagocytes and how they function in normal conditions, so that dysregulations in patients with respiratory diseases can be detected to elucidate their contribution to immunity or pathogenesis.
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8. |
- Baharom, F, et al.
(author)
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Protection of human myeloid dendritic cell subsets against influenza A virus infection is differentially regulated upon TLR stimulation
- 2015
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In: Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). - : The American Association of Immunologists. - 1550-6606 .- 0022-1767. ; 194:9, s. 4422-4430
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The proinflammatory microenvironment in the respiratory airway induces maturation of both resident and infiltrating dendritic cells (DCs) upon influenza A virus (IAV) infection. This results in upregulation of antiviral pathways as well as modulation of endocytic processes, which affect the susceptibility of DCs to IAV infection. Therefore, it is highly relevant to understand how IAV interacts with and infects mature DCs. To investigate how different subsets of human myeloid DCs (MDCs) involved in tissue inflammation are affected by inflammatory stimulation during IAV infection, we stimulated primary blood MDCs and inflammatory monocyte-derived DCs (MDDCs) with TLR ligands, resulting in maturation. Interestingly, MDDCs but not MDCs were protected against IAV infection after LPS (TLR4) stimulation. In contrast, stimulation with TLR7/8 ligand protected MDCs but not MDDCs from IAV infection. The reduced susceptibility to IAV infection correlated with induction of type I IFNs. We found that differential expression of TLR4, TRIF, and MyD88 in the two MDC subsets regulated the ability of the cells to enter an antiviral state upon maturation. This difference was functionally confirmed using small interfering RNA and inhibitors. Our data show that different human MDC subsets may play distinct roles during IAV infection, as their capacity to induce type I IFNs is dependent on TLR-specific maturation, resulting in differential susceptibility to IAV infection.
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9. |
- Bjorklund, AT, et al.
(author)
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Naive Donor NK Cell Repertoires Associated with Less Leukemia Relapse after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
- 2016
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In: Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). - : The American Association of Immunologists. - 1550-6606 .- 0022-1767. ; 196:3, s. 1400-1411
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Acute and latent human CMV cause profound changes in the NK cell repertoire, with expansion and differentiation of educated NK cells expressing self-specific inhibitory killer cell Ig-like receptors. In this study, we addressed whether such CMV-induced imprints on the donor NK cell repertoire influenced the outcome of allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Hierarchical clustering of high-resolution immunophenotyping data covering key NK cell parameters, including frequencies of CD56bright, NKG2A+, NKG2C+, and CD57+ NK cell subsets, as well as the size of the educated NK cell subset, was linked to clinical outcomes. Clusters defining naive (NKG2A+CD57−NKG2C−) NK cell repertoires in the donor were associated with decreased risk for relapse in recipients with acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome (hazard ratio [HR], 0.09; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.03–0.27; p < 0.001). Furthermore, recipients with naive repertoires at 9–12 mo after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation had increased disease-free survival (HR, 7.2; 95% CI: 1.6–33; p = 0.01) and increased overall survival (HR, 9.3; 95% CI: 1.1–77, p = 0.04). Conversely, patients with a relative increase in differentiated NK cells at 9–12 mo displayed a higher rate of late relapses (HR, 8.41; 95% CI: 6.7–11; p = 0.02), reduced disease-free survival (HR, 0.12; 95% CI: 0.12–0.74; p = 0.02), and reduced overall survival (HR, 0.07; 95% CI: 0.01–0.69; p = 0.02). Thus, our data suggest that naive donor NK cell repertoires are associated with protection against leukemia relapse after allogeneic HSCT.
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10. |
- Bjorkman, A, et al.
(author)
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DNA-PKcs Is Involved in Ig Class Switch Recombination in Human B Cells
- 2015
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In: Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). - : The American Association of Immunologists. - 1550-6606 .- 0022-1767. ; 195:12, s. 5608-5615
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) is one of the major DNA double-strand break repair pathways in mammalian cells and is required for both V(D)J recombination and class switch recombination (CSR), two Ig gene–diversification processes occurring during B cell development. DNA-dependent protein kinase, catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) is a component of the classical NHEJ machinery and has a critical function during V(D)J recombination. However, its role in CSR has been controversial. In this study, we examined the pattern of recombination junctions from in vivo–switched B cells from two DNA-PKcs–deficient patients. One of them harbored mutations that did not affect DNA-PKcs kinase activity but caused impaired Artemis activation; the second patient had mutations resulting in diminished DNA-PKcs protein expression and kinase activity. These results were compared with those from DNA-PKcs–deficient mouse B cells. A shift toward the microhomology-based alternative end-joining at the recombination junctions was observed in both human and mouse B cells, suggesting that the classical NHEJ pathway is impaired during CSR when DNA-PKcs is defective. Furthermore, cells from the second patient showed additional or more severe alterations in CSR and/or NHEJ, which may suggest that DNA-PKcs and/or its kinase activity have additional, Artemis-independent functions during these processes.
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