Immunology of Infectious Disease News Volume 2.16 | Apr 30 2014

Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides Promote Microbial Mutagenesis and Pathoadaptation in Chronic Infections
Researchers’ findings confirmed the current view that reactive oxygen species can promote mucoidy in vitro, but revealed polymorphonucleocytes are proficient at inducing mucoid conversion in the absence of an oxidative burst. [PLoS Pathog] Full Article | Press Release

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Infected with Mycoplasma arginini Secrete Complement C3 to Regulate Immunoglobulin Production in B Lymphocytes
Scientists showed that the conditioned medium (CM) of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) infected with a mycoplasma strain, Mycoplasma arginini, has marked inhibitory effects on immunoglobulin production by lipopolysaccharide/interleukin-4-induced B cells compared with mycoplasma-free MSC-CM. [Cell Death Dis]
Full Article

Human Immune Responses to H. pylori HLA Class II Epitopes Identified by Immunoinformatic Methods
To characterize the complexity of the CD4+ T cell response generated during H. pylori infection, computational methods were previously used to generate a panel of 90 predicted epitopes conserved among H. pylori genomes that broadly cover HLA Class II diversity for maximum population coverage. These sequences were tested individually for their ability to induce in vitro responses in peripheral blood mononuclear cells by interferon-γ ELISpot assay. [PLoS One] Full Article | Press Release

Reductive Methylation and Mutation of an Anthrax Toxin Fusion Protein Modulates its Stability and Cytotoxicity
Investigators characterized an anti-cancer fusion protein consisting of anthrax lethal factor and the catalytic domain of Pseudomonas exotoxin A by mutating the N-terminal amino acids and by reductive methylation to dimethylate all lysines. The two described modifications offer unique advantages such as increased cytotoxic activity and diminished antibody recognition, and thus may be applicable to other therapeutic proteins that act in the cytosol of cells. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Antiviral Activity of Ginseng Extract against Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection
Researchers investigated whether Panax Korean red ginseng extract (KRGE) has in vitro and in vivo antiviral effects on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. KRGE treatment suppressed the expression of RSV-induced inflammatory cytokine genes (IL-6 and IL-8) and the formation of reactive oxygen species in epithelial cell cultures. [Int J Mol Med] Abstract | Press Release

HIV

Alterations in Cholesterol Metabolism Restrict HIV-1 Trans Infection in Nonprogressors
Researchers showed that two types of professional antigen-presenting cells, i.e., dendritic cells and B lymphocytes, from HIV-1-infected nonprogressors lacked the ability to mediate HIV-1 trans infection of CD4⁺ T cells. [mBio] Full Article | Press Release

NK Cells Are Primed by ANRS MVA_HIV-Infected Dendritic Cells, via a Mechanism Involving NKG2D and Membrane-Bound IL-15, to Efficiently Control HIV-1 Infection in CD4⁺ T Cells
Researchers showed that Modified Vaccinia Ankara encoding an HIV polypeptide (MVA_HIV)-primed natural killer (NK) cells display a greater capacity to control HIV-1 infection in autologous CD4⁺ T cells. [Eur J Immunol] Abstract

NKT Cell Depletion in Humans during Early HIV Infection
Researchers studied human peripheral blood natural killer T (NKT) cell levels, phenotype and function in 31 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected subjects not on antiretroviral treatment from a mean of 4 months to 2 years after HIV infection. They found that peripheral CD4⁺ NKT cells were substantially depleted and dysfunctional by 4 months after HIV infection. [Immunol Cell Biol] Abstract

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AbbVie Submits New Drug Application to U.S. FDA for its Investigational, All-Oral, Interferon-Free Therapy for the Treatment of Hepatitis C
AbbVie submitted its New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval for the company’s investigational, all-oral, interferon-free regimen for the treatment of adult patients with chronic genotype 1 hepatitis C virus infection. [AbbVie Inc.] Press Release

Gates-Backed TB Drug to Enter Late-Stage Testing
The first experimental drug that fights both conventional and drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis (TB) is advancing to late-stage clinical testing, raising hope for a new way to stem the growing threat of drug-resistant TB. [Reuters] Press Release

Food and Drug Administration (United States)

Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (United States)

European Medicines Agency (European Union)

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (United Kingdom)

Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)

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NEW Research Technologist – hPSC (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Mucosal Pathogenesis Mechanisms (McMaster University)

Senior Research Fellow / Associate Professor – Immunology (Monash University)

Postdoctoral Position – Infectious Disease and Novel Autoimmune Disease Models (The Wistar Institute)

Professorship Position – Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine (Medical University of Vienna)

Postdoctoral Positions – Virus-Host Interactions and Liver Disease (University of Strasbourg)

Postdoctoral Position – Intestinal Mucosal Immunology and Inflammation (Universität Bern)

PhD Position – Virology (Hannover Medical School)

Director of GMP/GLP Quality Operations (University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Fellow – AIDS Research (Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc.)

Research Associate – Cell Separation (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

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

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

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