Immunology of Infectious Disease News Volume 3.44 | Nov 25 2015

Helminth-Induced Arginase-1 Exacerbates Lung Inflammation and Disease Severity in Tuberculosis
Using a pulmonary mouse model of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection, scientists demonstrated that Schistosoma mansoni coinfection or immunization with S. mansoni egg antigens can reversibly impair Mtb-specific T cell responses without affecting macrophage-mediated Mtb control. [J Clin Invest]
Full Article | Press Release

Interferon-γ Inhibits Ebola Virus Infection
Using mouse-adapted Ebola virus, investigators found that murine interferon gamma administered 24 hours before or after infection robustly protects lethally-challenged mice and reduces morbidity and serum viral titers. They demonstrated that interferon gamma profoundly inhibits Ebola virus infection of macrophages, an early cellular target of infection. [PLoS Pathog] Full Article | Press Release

Mycobacterial Infection Induces a Specific Human Innate Immune Response
To identify immune responses that are specific to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), scientists infected macrophages with eight different bacteria, including different MTB strains and related mycobacteria, and studied their transcriptional response. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Tuftsin-Derived T-Peptide Prevents Cellular Immunosuppression and Improves Survival Rate in Septic Mice
Investigators examined the effect of T-peptide on cell-mediated immunity in the presence of lipopolysaccharide and the survival rate in septic mice. T-peptide regulated the proliferative ability of CD4⁺CD25⁻ T cells in dual responses. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Smad4 Represses the Generation of Memory-Precursor Effector T Cells but Is Required for the Differentiation of Central Memory T Cells
To explore the role of Smad4 (homolog 4 of mothers against decapentaplegic, Drosophila) in the activation/memory of CD8⁺ T cells, six- to eight-week-old mice with or without Smad4 in T cells were challenged with Listeria monocytogenes. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

HIV

Slit2N Inhibits Transmission of HIV-1 from Dendritic Cells to T-cells by Modulating Novel Cytoskeletal Elements
Investigators found that Slit2N, a ligand for the Roundabout (Robo) receptors, blocked human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1)-induced signaling through Arp2/3 and Diaphanous 2, decreased filopodial extensions on dendritic cells, and inhibited cell-to-cell transmission of HIV-1 in a Robo1-dependent manner. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Migration of CD8⁺ T Cells into the Central Nervous System Gives Rise to Highly Potent Anti-HIV CD4^dimCD8^bright T Cells in a Wnt Signaling-Dependent Manner
Scientists evaluated the role of CD4^dimCD8^bright and CD8 single positive T cells in HIV-infected brain using NOD/SCID/IL-2rcγ^−/− mice reconstituted with human PBMCs. [J Immunol] Abstract

HIV-1 Monoclonal Antibodies Suppress Acute SHIV Viremia and Limit Seeding of Cell-Associated Viral Reservoirs
Investigators tested the ability of HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein specific broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies to suppress acute simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) replication in rhesus macaques. [J Virol] Abstract

A Simple Mouse Model for Study of Human Immunodeficiency Virus
The authors report a convenient method for constructing a simple HIV-1 mouse model. HIV-1-infected human peripheral blood mononuclear cell-inoculated NOD/SCID/IL2Rγ-null (hu-PBMC-NSG) mice showed significantly lower human CD4⁺ T cell counts and high HIV viral loads in the peripheral blood compared with non-infected hu-PBMC-NSG mice. [AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses] Abstract

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A Heavy Metal Balancing Act: Studying Copper to Help Cells Fight Back against Bacterial Invaders
With a $1.3 million award from the National Institutes of Health, researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute will conduct a systematic study of copper in the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa with the hope of discovering new drug targets that might allow cells in the body to use copper to fight back against this bacterial invader. [Worcester Polytechnic Institute] Press Release | Video

New Open Access Journal npj Vaccines Announced by Nature Publishing Group and the University of Texas Medical Branch
From preventable diseases such as measles and mumps, to Ebola and HIV, new clinical trials and vaccine debate, a new journal, npj Vaccines, will be dedicated to highlighting the most important scientific advances in vaccine research and development. [Nature Publishing Group] Press Release

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Faculty Position – Microbiology and Physiological Systems (University of Massachusetts Medical School)

Faculty Position – Infectious Diseases (Washington University School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Position – Immunology/Vaccinology/Bioinformatics (Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School)

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

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

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