Human Immunology News Volume 7.43 | Nov 5 2019

TOP STORY

Landscape and Dynamics of Single Immune Cells in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Combining two single-cell RNA sequencing technologies, scientists produced transcriptomes of CD45⁺ immune cells for hepatocellular carcinoma patients from five immune-relevant sites: tumor, adjacent liver, hepatic lymph node, blood, and ascites. [Cell] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Low IRON Promotes Megakaryocytic Commitment of Megakaryocytic-Erythroid Progenitors in Humans and Mice

Investigators present findings that support the hypothesis that low iron biases the commitment of megakaryocytic (Mk)-erythroid progenitors toward the Mk lineage in both human and mouse. [Blood] Abstract

CXCR3 Enables Recruitment and Site-Specific Bystander Activation of Memory CD8⁺ T Cells

Using a mouse model system, the authors found that memory CD8⁺ T cells were specifically recruited to sites with activated antigen-presenting cells (APCs) in a CXCR3-dependent manner. In addition, CXCR3 was also necessary for T cell clustering around APCs and T cell bystander activation, which temporospatially overlapped with the subsequent antigen-specific T cell response. [Nat Commun] Full Article

Bayesian Inference of Allelic Inclusion Rates in the Human T Cell Receptor Repertoire

Researchers developed and experimentally validated a fully Bayesian inference model capable of reliably estimating the true rate of α and β T cell receptor allelic inclusion across two different emulsion-barcoding single-cell sequencing platforms. [Cell Syst] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

STING Signaling in Melanoma Cells Shapes Antigenicity and Can Promote Antitumor T-Cell Activity

Scientists showed that intact activation of stimulator of IFN genes (STING) signaling in a subset of human melanoma cell lines enhanced both their antigenicity and susceptibility to lysis by human melanoma tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes through the augmentation of MHC class I expression. [Cancer Immunol Res] Abstract | Press Release

Hepatocytes Delete Regulatory T Cells by Enclysis, a CD4⁺ T Cell Engulfment Process

Investigators demonstrated that hepatocytes could modulate T cell populations through engulfment of live CD4⁺ lymphocytes. They termed this phenomenon enclysis to reflect the specific enclosure of CD4⁺ T cells in hepatocytes. Enclysis was selective for CD4⁺ but not CD8⁺ cells, independent of antigen-specific activation, and occurs in human hepatocytes in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Drug Discovery Platform Targeting M. tuberculosis with Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Macrophages

Researchers report a modified protocol for generating homogeneous populations of macrophage-like cells from human embryonic stem cells. The induced macrophages, referred to as iMACs, presented similar transcriptomic profiles and characteristic immunological features of classical macrophages and were permissive to viral and bacterial infection, in particular M. tuberculosis. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Asian and African Lineage Zika Viruses Show Differential Replication and Innate Immune Responses in Human Dendritic Cells and Macrophages

Scientists characterized the infection and immune responses triggered by two epidemic Asian/American lineage viruses, including an isolate from fetal brains, and a historical, low passage 1947 African lineage virus in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells and macrophages. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Biofilm-Stimulated Epithelium Modulates the Inflammatory Responses in Co-Cultured Immune Cells

The authors describe a differential inflammatory response in immune cells cultured with epithelial tissue, and more so following incubation with epithelium stimulated by “gingivitis-associated” biofilm. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Subscribe to our sister publications: Immunology of Infectious Disease News & Immune Regulation News.

Epigenetic Regulation of Macrophages: From Homeostasis Maintenance to Host Defense

Researchers focus on key epigenetic events associated with macrophage fate, highlighting events related to the maintenance of tissue homeostasis, responses to different stimuli and the formation of innate immune memory. [Cell Mol Immunol] Abstract

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the human immunology research field.

MD Anderson and Takeda Announce Collaboration to Accelerate the Development of Clinical-Stage, Off-the-Shelf CAR NK-Cell Therapy Platform

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced an exclusive license agreement and research agreement to develop cord blood-derived chimeric antigen receptor-directed natural killer (CAR NK)-cell therapies, ‘armored’ with IL-15, for the treatment of B-cell malignancies and other cancers. [The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center] Press Release

Ziopharm Oncology and MD Anderson Cancer Center Announce New R&D Agreement to Expand TCR-T Program

Ziopharm Oncology, Inc. and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center announced a new research and development agreement relating to Ziopharm’s Sleeping Beauty immunotherapy program to use non-viral gene transfer to stably express and clinically evaluate neoantigen-specific T-cell receptors in T cells. [Ziopharm Oncology, Inc.] Press Release

Tmunity and Oncora Medical Partner to Advance the Use of Real-World Data to Accelerate the Availability of CAR-T Therapies for Cancer Patients

Tmunity Therapeutics, Inc. announced it has entered into a strategic collaboration with Oncora Medical to access Oncora’s proprietary real-world data platform to support the design of future clinical programs with cell therapy. [Tmunity Therapeutics, Inc.] Press Release

Cartesian Initiates CAR-T Clinical Trial in Myasthenia Gravis

Cartesian Therapeutics announced that it has initiated a Phase I/II clinical trial of its lead CAR-T candidate, Descartes-08, in patients with generalized myasthenia gravis. [Cartesian Therapeutics] Press Release

First Patient Dosed with Off-the-Shelf UCARTCS1 Product Candidate for Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma

Cellectis announced the company has dosed the first patient in its UCARTCS1 clinical trial, MELANI-01, the first allogeneic off-the-shelf CAR-T product candidate the FDA has cleared to enter into clinical development for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. [Cellectis] Press Release

Trainees Often Ghostwrite PIs’ Peer Reviews: Survey

Many graduate students and postdocs write or help compose peer reviews their advisors are invited to provide, according to a survey of nearly 500 early-career researchers published on October 31^st in eLife. And often they do so without disclosing that fact to the journal- a practice that the survey authors consider to be ghostwriting. [The Scientist] Editorial

Trump Nominates MD Anderson’s Stephen Hahn to Lead FDA

President Trump announced his intent to nominate Dr Stephen Hahn to lead the Food and Drug Administration. Dr Stephen Hahn is the chief medical executive at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. While he is an accomplished physician and researcher, he has never worked in government, leaving his potential FDA agenda a mystery. [STAT News] Editorial

NEW 14^th World Immune Regulation Meeting (WIRM)
March 4-7, 2020
Davos, Switzerland

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.

NEW Group Leader Position – Immunology (Research Institute of Molecular Pathology)

NEW Research Associate – Immunology (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Human Immunology (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Postdoctoral Position – B Cells (Institut Necker Enfants Malades)

Director of Operations – Immunopathogenesis (The Immunotherapy Assessment Core)

Postdoctoral Positions – Immunotherapies (Indiana University School of Medicine)

PhD Studentship – Melanoma (Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute)

Postdoctoral Position – Blood Cancer Immunology (University Children’s Hospital Basel)

Senior Scientific Researcher – Immunology Discovery (Genentech, Inc.)

Senior Associate Scientist – Molecular and Cellular Neuroimmunology (Amgen)

Research Technician – Immune Cells (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology)

Recruit Top Talent: Reach potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities on the Connexon Creative Job Board at no cost.

Have we missed an important article or publication in Human Immunology News? Click here to submit!

Comments or suggestions? Submit your feedback here.