Immunology of Infectious Disease News Volume 8.08 | Mar 4 2020

TOP STORY

Dual-Targeting Nanoparticle Vaccine Elicits a Therapeutic Antibody Response against Chronic Hepatitis B

Researchers designed a ferritin nanoparticle vaccine that could deliver preS1 to specific myeloid cells, including SIGNR1⁺ dendritic cells and lymphatic sinus-associated SIGNR1⁺ macrophages. [Nat Nanotechnol] Abstract

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HIV-1 Uncoats in the Nucleus Near Sites of Integration

The authors developed methods to analyze HIV-1 uncoating by direct labeling of capsid protein with GFP and identified infectious virions by tracking viral cores in living infected cells through viral DNA integration and proviral DNA transcription. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Full Article

Viral Infection Triggers Interferon-Induced Expulsion of Live Cryptococcus neoformans by Macrophages

Investigators showed that cryptococcal vomocytosis from macrophages was strongly enhanced by viral coinfection, without altering phagocytosis or intracellular proliferation of the fungus. [PLoS Pathog] Full Article

Vpu of a Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Isolated from Greater Spot-Nosed Monkey Antagonizes Human BST-2 via Two AxxxxxxxW Motifs

Scientists showed that viral protein U (Vpu)s from several simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs) infecting wild chimpanzees, gorillas or monkeys isolates failed to antagonize human BST-2. Only Vpu from an SIVgsn isolate was able to antagonize human BST-2 as well as BST-2 of its natural host the greater spot-nosed monkey. [J Virol] Abstract | Editorial

Mechanistic Modeling of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in Murine Models for Drug and Vaccine Efficacy Studies

A mechanism-based model was built to describe M. tuberculosis H37Rv infection over time in BALB/c and athymic nude mice, which consisted of bacterial replication, bacterial death, and adaptive immune effects. [Antimicrob Agents Chemother] Full Article

TREM-1 Activation Is a Potential Key Regulator in Driving Severe Pathogenesis of Enterovirus A71 Infection

Depletion of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (TREM-1) in enterovirus A71-infected peripheral blood mononuclear cells with peptide LP17 resulted in decreased levels of pro-inflammatory genes for moderate and severe isolates. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Leishmania donovani Infection Induces Differential miRNA Expression in CD4⁺ T Cells

Researchers co-cultured mice CD4⁺ T cells with L. donovani infected and uninfected macrophages for the identification of dysregulated miRNAs in CD4⁺ T cells by next-generation sequencing. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Polarized Lung Inflammation and Tie2/Angiopoietin-Mediated Endothelial Dysfunction during Severe Orientia tsutsugamushi Infection

Flow cytometric analyses of lung-recovered cells revealed that pulmonary macrophages were polarized toward an M1-like phenotype during the onset of disease and prior to host death, which correlated with the significant loss of CD31⁺CD45^– endothelial cells and M2-like cells. [PLoS Negl Trop Dis] Full Article

T Cells Producing Multiple Combinations of IFNγ, TNF and IL10 Are Associated with Mild Forms of Dengue Infection

The authors investigated the presence of multifunctional CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells which expressed IFNγ, IL10 and TNF, or its combinations during dengue infection. [Immunology] Abstract

Positive Selection of a Serine Residue in Bat IRF3 Confers Enhanced Antiviral Protection

Researchers demonstrated that a serine residue in IRF3 was positively selected for in multiple bat species. Replacing the serine residue in bat IRF3 with the human leucine residue decreased antiviral protection in bat cells while the addition of this serine residue in human IRF3 significantly enhanced antiviral protection in human cells. [iScience] Abstract | Full Article | Graphical Abstract

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Regulatory T Cells and T Helper 17 Cells in Viral Infection

Studies have shown that regulatory T cells and T helper 17 cells have rather complex interplays in viral infection. The authors take respiratory syncytial virus, hepatitis B virus/hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus infections as examples to discuss these interplays and their impacts on disease progression in viral infection. [Scand J Immunol] Abstract

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Dynavax Announces Collaboration with the University of Queensland and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI) Focused on the Development of a Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine

Dynavax Technologies Corporation announced it is collaborating with the University of Queensland as part of a CEPI initiative to develop a vaccine to prevent COVID-19. Dynavax is providing technical expertise and the company’s proprietary toll-like receptor 9 agonist adjuvant, CpG 1018, to support this initiative. [Dynavax Technologies Corporation] Press Release

Iktos and SRI International Announce Collaboration to Combine Artificial Intelligence and Novel Automated Discovery Platform for Accelerated Development of New Anti-Viral Therapies

Iktos and SRI International announced that the companies have entered into a collaboration agreement designed to accelerate discovery and development of novel anti-viral therapies. Under the collaboration, Iktos’ generative modeling technology will be combined with SRI’s SynFini™, a fully automated end-to-end synthetic chemistry system, to design novel, optimized compounds and accelerate the identification of drug candidates to treat multiple viruses, including influenza and the Wuhan coronavirus. [Iktos (Business Wire, Inc.)] Press Release

Vir and Alnylam Expand Collaboration to Advance RNAi Therapeutics for the Treatment of Coronavirus Infection, including COVID-19

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced an expansion of their existing collaboration to include the development and commercialization of RNAi therapeutics targeting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19. [Vir Biotechnology, Inc.] Press Release

Moderna Completes Enrollment of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Vaccine (mRNA-1647) Phase II Study

Moderna, Inc. announced that enrollment is complete for all three dose cohorts of the Phase II dose-confirmation study of its investigational CMV vaccine. [Moderna, Inc.] Press Release

Takeda Initiates Development of a Plasma-Derived Therapy for COVID-19

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited shared with members of the United States Congress that it is initiating the development of an anti-SARS-CoV-2 polyclonal hyperimmune globulin to treat high-risk individuals with COVID-19, while also studying whether Takeda’s currently marketed and pipeline products may be effective treatments for infected patients. [Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited] Press Release

Coronavirus Response: A Focus on Containment Is Still Apt

More than 3,000 recorded deaths and 90,000 confirmed infections, and the numbers are still rising. The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has spread to more than 70 countries, with more nations being affected daily. As new clusters emerge, all eyes are on the World Health Organization. [Nature News] Editorial

China Bans Cash Rewards for Publishing Papers

Chinese institutions have been told to stop paying researchers bonuses for publishing in journals, as part of a new national policy to cut perverse incentives that encourage scientists to publish lots of papers rather than focus on high-impact work. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW Immunology 2020
May 8-12, 2020
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

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NEW Postdoctoral Research Fellowship – Molecular Infection Biology (Umeå University)

NEW Postdoctoral Position – Bacterial Gastrointestinal Pathogens (Umeå University)

NEW Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Scientist – Hepatitis Research (Nationwide Children’s Hospital)

Scientist – Immunology (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Project Leader – Innate Immune Sensing and Bacterial RNA (Helmholtz Institute for RNA-Based Infection Research)

Department Chair – Microbiology and Immunology (Western University)

Postdoctoral Research – Cellular, Molecular, and Digital Medicine (CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Microtubules in Viral Infection (Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Fellow – HIV (Massachusetts General Hospital)

Postdoctoral Scientist – Tuberculosis Research (Texas Biomedical Research Institute)

Research Associate – Immunology (University Hospital of Muenster)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Immunology (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)

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