Immunology of Infectious Disease News Volume 2.05 | Feb 12 2014

The Cytokine IL-22 Promotes Pathogen Colonization by Suppressing Related Commensal Bacteria
Scientists showed that IL-22 has a unique role during infection in that its expression suppressed the intestinal microbiota and enhanced the colonization of a pathogen. IL-22 induced the expression of antimicrobial proteins, including lipocalin-2 and calprotectin, which sequester essential metal ions from microbes. [Immunity]
Abstract | Press Release | Graphical Abstract

Humanized-BLT Mouse Model of Kaposi’s Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Infection
The authors aimed to determine whether the humanized BLT (bone marrow, liver, and thymus) mouse model generated from NOD/SCID/IL2rγ mice can be a useful model for studying Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infection. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract

Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Exhibit Impaired Candida albicans-Specific Th17 Responses
Scientists aimed to examine the relationship between rheumatoid arthritis and susceptibility to C. albicans because of the increasing interest in CD4+ T cell subset (Th17) cells and IL-17 in driving autoimmunity, and the advent of new biologics that target this pathway. [Arthritis Res Ther] Abstract | Full Article

HIV

Interleukin-7 Signaling Defects in Naive CD4+ T Cells of HIV Patients with CD4+ T Cell Deficiency on Antiretroviral Therapy Associated with T Cell Activation and Senescence
Researchers examined the relationship of defects in interleukin (IL)-7 induced naive CD4+ T-cell homeostasis with residual immune activation and CD4+ T-cell senescence in HIV patients receiving antiretroviral therapy who exhibit persistent CD4+ T cell deficiency. [AIDS] Abstract

Direct Non-Productive HIV-1 Infection in a T-Cell Line Is Driven by Cellular Activation State and NFkappaB
Investigators used a recently described, doubly fluorescent HIV-1 latency model to dissect the role of proviral integration sites and cellular activation state on direct non-productive infections at the single cell level. Proviral integration site mapping of infected Jurkat T-cells revealed that productively and non-productively infected cells are indistinguishable in terms of genomic landmarks, surrounding epigenetic landscapes, and proviral orientation relative to host genes. [Retrovirology] Abstract | Full Article

Slow Turnover of HIV-1 Receptors on Quiescent CD4⁺ T Cells Causes Prolonged Surface Retention of gp120 Immune Complexes In Vivo
The authors investigated the turnover of viral receptors (VRs) on peripheral quiescent CD4⁺ T cells (qCD4s), which are the most abundant peripheral blood CD4⁺ T cells. Utilizing pharmacological and immunological approaches, they found that the turnover of VRs on qCD4s is extremely slow. [PLoS One] Full Article

Fusion of Ubiquitin to HIV Gag Impairs Human Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cell Maturation and Reduces Ability to Induce Gag T Cell Responses
To develop an improved T cell vaccine for HIV scientists investigated whether fusing the ubiquitin gene to the N terminus of the HIV gag gene enhanced targeting to the proteasome resulting in better CD8 T cell responses. [PLoS One] Full Article

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Structure and Function of Toll-Like Receptor 8
This review focuses on the structure of toll-like receptor 8 (TLR8) and discusses the similarities and diversities of TLR-ligand interactions and signaling mechanisms. [Microbes Infect] Abstract

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NIH Grants Working at UCF to Address HIV, TB and Schizophrenia
Finding a practical way prevent the transmission of HIV, developing a reliable way to detect tuberculosis while a patient is in the doctor’s office and understanding the complexities of schizophrenia are among the 26 research projects that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is funding at the University of Central Florida (UCF). [University of Central Florida] Press Release

$1 Million NIH Grant Funds Bacterial Infectious Disease Research
Scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa have received a $1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) over four years to study the functional genomics and interactions of bacterial species within biofilms. [University of Hawaiʻi System News] Press Release

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Assistant Professor – Viral Oncologist (University of Maryland School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Position – Bacteriology (Karolinska Institutet)

Postdoctoral Scientist – Avian Viral Diseases (The Pirbright Institute)

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

Postdoctoral Associate – Immune Response against New and Emerging Respiratory Viruses (University of Florida)

Postdoctoral Research Fellows – Quantitative Infectious Disease Methods (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Research Associate – Translational Immunology (Genentech, Inc.)

Associate Professor – B Cell Immunologist (Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine)

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