Autosomal Dominant Immune Dysregulation Syndrome in Humans with CTLA4 Mutations Scientists identified a heterozygous nonsense mutation in exon 1 of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA4). CTLA-4 protein expression was decreased in regulatory T cells in both patients and carriers with CTLA4 mutations. Mutations in CTLA4 were also associated with decreased circulating B cell numbers. [Nat Med] Abstract PCSK9 Is a Critical Regulator of the Innate Immune Response and Septic Shock Outcome The authors show that reduced proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) function is associated with increased pathogen lipid clearance via the low-density lipoprotein receptor, a decreased inflammatory response, and improved septic shock outcome. [Sci Transl Med] Abstract | Press Release ‘Division of Labor’ in Response to Host Oxidative Burst Drives a Fatal Cryptococcus gattii Outbreak Investigators show that a subpopulation of intracellular C. gattii adopts a tubular mitochondrial morphology in response to host reactive oxygen species. These fungal cells then facilitate the rapid growth of neighboring C. gattii cells with non-tubular mitochondria, allowing for effective establishment of the pathogen within a macrophage intracellular niche. [Nat Commun] Full Article | Press Release Characterizing the Genetic Basis of Innate Immune Response in TLR4-Activated Human Monocytes Investigators report genetic variants and transcripts that are active only during Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling and contribute to interindividual differences in immune response. Comparing unstimulated versus TLR4-stimulated monocytes reveals 1,471 expression quantitative trait loci that are unique to TLR4 stimulation. [Nat Commun] Abstract Increase in Activated Treg in TIL in Lung Cancer and In Vitro Depletion of Treg by ADCC Using an Anti-Human CCR4 mAb (KM2760) Researchers investigated subpopulations of Foxp3+ CD4 T cells in PBMCs and TILs in lung cancer. They show that Tregs in healthy donors that express CCR4 could be efficiently eliminated in vitro by co-treatment with anti-human CCR4 mAb and NK cells. [J Thorac Oncol] Abstract Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells Reflect the Immune Functional Status of a Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma Patient: Could it be a General Phenomenon? Investigators evaluated monocyte-derived dendritic cells (Mo-DCs) in a 34-year-old male who had chromophobe renal cell carcinoma, before and after tumor removal. CD14+ monocytes from the patient’s peripheral blood, one week before and three months after partial nephrectomy, were differentiated in vitro into immature and mature Mo-DCs. These were harvested, analyzed by flow cytometry and used as stimulators of allogeneic T cells. [Cancer Immunol Immunother] Abstract Regulatory/Effector T-Cell Ratio Is Reduced in Coronary Artery Disease Scientists investigated regulatory T cell (Treg) and Treg/effector T-cell ratio in peripheral blood samples from coronary artery disease patients using a new strategy for precise identification of Treg. [Circ J] Full Article Activation and Propagation of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes on Clinical-Grade Designer Artificial Antigen-Presenting Cells for Adoptive Immunotherapy of Melanoma Researchers optimized a platform to propagate tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes to a clinical scale using K562 cells genetically modified to express costimulatory molecules such as CD86, CD137-ligand, and membrane-bound IL-15 to function as artificial antigen-presenting cells as an alternative to using peripheral blood mononuclear cells feeders. [J Immunother] Abstract | Press Release Subscribe to our sister publications: Immunology of Infectious Disease News and Immune Regulation News! |