Immune Regulation News Volume 6.08 | Mar 7 2014

The Transcription Factor BATF Operates as an Essential Differentiation Checkpoint in Early Effector CD8⁺ T Cells
Scientists identified a fundamental role for BATF in regulating the differentiation of effector of CD8⁺ T cells. BATF-deficient CD8⁺ T cells showed profound defects in effector population expansion and underwent proliferative and metabolic catastrophe early after encountering antigen. [Nat Immunol] Abstract

TLR-Driven Early Glycolytic Reprogramming via the Kinases TBK1-IKKε Supports the Anabolic Demands of Dendritic Cell Activation
Researchers found that dendritic cell (DC) glycolytic flux increased within minutes of exposure to Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists and that this served an essential role in supporting the de novo synthesis of fatty acids for the expansion of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi required for the production and secretion of proteins that are integral to DC activation. [Nat Immunol] Abstract

Netrin-1 Promotes Adipose Tissue Macrophage Retention and Insulin Resistance in Obesity
The authors showed that the neuroimmune guidance cue netrin-1 is highly expressed in obese but not lean adipose tissue of humans and mice, where it directs the retention of macrophages. Netrin-1, whose expression is induced in macrophages by the saturated fatty acid palmitate, acts via its receptor Unc5b to block their migration. [Nat Med] Abstract | Press Release

Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells Are Critical for the Initiation of Adaptive T Helper 2 Cell-Mediated Allergic Lung Inflammation
Investigators showed that group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are required to mount a robust T helper (Th)2 cell response to the protease-allergen papain. Intranasal administration of papain stimulated ILC2s and Th2 cells, causing allergic lung inflammation and elevated immunoglobulin E titers. [Immunity]
Abstract | Graphical Abstract

RBP4 Activates Antigen-Presenting Cells, Leading to Adipose Tissue Inflammation and Systemic Insulin Resistance
Researchers aimed to determine the mechanisms for RBP4-induced insulin resistance. They showed that RBP4 elevation causes adipose tissue inflammation by activating innate immunity that elicits an adaptive immune response. [Cell Metab] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

β-Catenin Promotes Colitis and Colon Cancer through Imprinting of Proinflammatory Properties in T Cells
Scientists report that Wnt/β-catenin signaling in T cells promotes expression of RORγt. Expression of β-catenin was elevated in T cells, including T regulatory cells, of patients with colon cancer. [Sci Transl Med] Abstract | Press Release

IL-1 Receptor Blockade Prevents Fetal Cortical Brain Injury but Not Preterm Birth in a Mouse Model of Inflammation-Induced Preterm Birth and Perinatal Brain Injury
Scientists hypothesized that interleukin (IL)-1 plays a key role in perinatal brain injury. Utilizing a mouse model of inflammation-induced preterm birth, they investigated the role of IL-1 in fetal cortical injury as well as preterm birth. [Am J Reprod Immunol] Abstract | Press Release

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Genocea Biosciences Announces Collaboration to Characterize T Cell Responses to Cancer Antigens
Genocea Biosciences, Inc. announced a joint research collaboration with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School to characterize anti-tumor T cell responses in melanoma patients. This collaboration extends the use of the company’s proprietary ATLAS™ platform for the rapid discovery of T cell antigens to cancer immunotherapy approaches. [Genocea Biosciences, Inc.] Press Release

Heat Biologics Commences Dosing of First Patient in Phase I/II Study of Novel Cancer Immunotherapy Product Candidate HS-410 for the Treatment of Bladder Cancer
Heat Biologics, Inc. announced the first patient has been dosed in its Phase I/II bladder cancer clinical study with product candidate, HS-410. HS-410 is an investigational biologic designed to activate a T-cell mediated pan-antigen immune response for the treatment of bladder cancer. [Heat Biologics, Inc.] Press Release

Abide Therapeutics Announces Strategic Drug Discovery Collaboration with Celgene Corporation to Advance Treatment Paradigm for Patients with Immune Disorders
Abide Therapeutics announced it has entered into a strategic collaboration with Celgene Corporation to discover and develop new drugs in inflammation and immunology. Abide has pioneered innovative technologies to selectively target serine hydrolases, one of the largest enzyme families involved in regulating human physiology. [Abide Therapeutics] Press Release

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Research Group Leader – Basic Mechanisms and Regulation of Inflammation (University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf)

Professor – Cancer Research (Yale University School of Medicine)

PhD Studentship – B Cell and Macrophage Function in Cancer (Karolinska Institute)

Assistant/Associate Professors – Allergic Inflammation and Sensory Neurobiology (North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine)

PhD Student Position – Molecular Immunology (Institute for Research in Biomedicine)

Assistant Professor – Development of Novel Biologicals for Immune-Based Disorders (Leiden Academic Centre For Drug Research)

Immunology Research Associate Position (Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Position – Epigenetic Regulation of Interleukin-12 Family Members (Université Libre de Bruxelles)

PhD Position – Biology/Immunology (Saarland University)

PhD Research Position – Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Immune Tolerance and Autoimmunity (Weizmann Institute of Science)

Scientific Communications & Publishing Coordinator (STEMCELL Technologies, Inc.)

Research Technologist – Pluripotent Stem Cells (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Research Technologist – Particle Chemistry (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Research Technologist – PSC Biology and Bioengineering (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

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