Immunology of Infectious Disease News Volume 3.41 | Oct 28 2015

PD-L1 Expression on Retrovirus-Infected Cells Mediates Immune Escape from CD8⁺ T Cell Killing
To better understand the role of the PD-1 signaling pathway in CD8⁺ T cell cytotoxicity during acute viral infections, investigators analyzed the expression of the ligand on retrovirus-infected cells targeted by cytotoxic CD8⁺ T Lymphocytes. [PLoS Pathog] Full Article

Cytomegalovirus-Specific CD4 T Cells Are Cytolytic and Mediate Vaccine Protection
The authors report the first two I-A^d restricted CD4 T cell responses specific for mouse CMV (MCMV) epitopes, and use a MHC-II tetramer to characterize their phenotype and function. They demonstrated that MCMV-specific CD4 T cells can express high levels of granzyme B and kill target cells in an epitope- and organ-specific manner. [J Virol] Abstract

Expression of Activation-Induced Cytidine Deaminase Enhances the Clearance of Pneumococcal Pneumonia: Evidence of a Subpopulation of Protective Anti-Pneumococcal B1a Cells
Researchers describe a protective early acquired immune response to pneumococcal pneumonia that is mediated by a subset of B1a cells. Mice deficient in B1 cells, or activation induced cytidine deaminase, or iNKT cells, or IL-13 had impaired early clearance of pneumococci in the lung, compared to wild type mice. [Immunology] Abstract

Antibodies Are Not Required to a Protective Immune Response against Dengue Virus Elicited in a Mouse Encephalitis Model
To investigate the contribution of both humoral and cellular immune responses in dengue virus (DENV) immunity, researchers used an experimental model in which a non-lethal DENV2 strain was used to intracranially prime Balb/C mice which develop protective immunity against a lethal DENV2 strain. [Virology] Abstract

HIV

Peripheral Vγ9Vδ2 T Cells Are a Novel Reservoir of Latent HIV Infection
Scientists found that upregulation of the CD4 receptor may render primary Vδ2 cells target for HIV infection in vitro and proposed that HIV-induced immune activation may allow infection of γδ T cells in vivo. [PLoS Pathog] Full Article

Reducing IRF-1 to Levels Observed in HESN Subjects Limits HIV Replication, but Not the Extent of Host Immune Activation
Investigators examined the functional consequences of reducing endogenous IRF‑1 (interferon regulatory factor‑1) on HIV-1 replication and immune response to HIV in natural HIV target cells. [Mol Ther Nucleic Acids] Full Article

Conditional Immune Escape during Chronic SIV Infection
Investigators tested the hypothesis that conditional immune escape extends into chronic SIV infection and that epitopes with preserved wild-type sequence have the potential to elicit epitope-specific CD8 T cells. [J Virol] Abstract

Defining the HLA Class I-Associated Viral Antigen Repertoire from HIV-1-Infected Human Cells
Researchers report for the first time the identification of 75 HIV-1-derived peptides bound to HLA class I complexes that were purified directly from HIV-1-infected human primary CD4⁺ T cells and the C8166 human T cell line. [Eur J Immunol] Abstract

HIV-Infected Spleens Present Altered Follicular Helper T Cell (Tfh) Subsets and Skewed B Cell Maturation
Using a unique collection of splenocytes, scientists compared the frequency, phenotype and transcriptome of Tfh subsets in spleens from HIV^– and HIV⁺ subjects. They observed an increase of CXCR5⁺PD-1^highCD57^– Tfh and germinal center CD57⁺ Tfh in HIV⁺ spleens. [PLoS One] Full Article

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Imprimis Pharmaceuticals to Make Compounded and Customizable Formulation of Pyrimethamine and Leucovorin Available for Physicians to Prescribe for their Patients as an Alternative to Daraprim^®
Imprimis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced it has made available a customizable compounded formulation of pyrimethamine and leucovorin available for physicians to consider prescribing for their patients as a low cost alternative to Daraprim^®. [Imprimis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.] Press Release

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Postdoctoral Fellow – Exogenous and Endogenous Retroviruses (The Francis Crick Institute)

Postdoctoral Position – Immune Responses in Influenza Virus Infection (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

Research Associate – Immune System Interactions with Pathogens (University of Glasgow)

Lab Aide I – Immune Responses to Herpes Simplex Virus (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Position – Precision Vaccines (Boston Children’s Hospital)

Canadian Research Chair Tier 1 – Systems Immunology (University of Manitoba)

Postdoctoral Scientist – Membrane Structural Biology and Virus-Host Interactions (Harbin Institute of Technology)

Assistant Professor – Immunology (Erasmus University Medical Center)

Postdoctoral Scientist – Host-Pathogen Interactions (Cedars-Sinai)

Postdoctoral Position – Immunology and Virology (Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research)

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