Immunology of Infectious Disease News Volume 6.46 | Nov 21 2018

TOP STORY

Alarmin S100A11 Initiates a Chemokine Response to the Human Pathogen Toxoplasma gondii

By applying an unbiased biochemical screening approach, investigators showed that human monocytes recognized the presence of T. gondii infection by detecting the alarmin S100A11 protein, which is released from parasite-infected cells via caspase-1-dependent mechanisms. [Nat Immunol] Abstract

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Spec-Seq Unveils Transcriptional Subpopulations of Antibody-Secreting Cells following Influenza Vaccination

Researchers present the first application of the Spec-seq framework, which they applied to human plasmablasts after influenza vaccination in order to characterize transcriptional differences governed by B cell receptor isotype and vaccine reactivity. [J Clin Invest] Full Article

Invasive Salmonella Exploits Divergent Immune Evasion Strategies in Infected and Bystander Dendritic Cell Subsets

Scientists utilized invasive and non-invasive Salmonella strains combined with single-cell RNA-sequencing to study the transcriptome of individual infected and bystander monocyte-derived dendritic cells implicated in disseminating invasive ST313. [Nat Commun] Full Article

Schizophrenia Is Associated With an Aberrant Immune Response to Epstein-Barr Virus

Individuals with schizophrenia had marked elevations in the levels of antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) virions as compared to the control population. Further analyses indicated increased levels of reactivity to EBV-viral capsid antibody but not to EBV nuclear antigen-1 or to other human herpesviruses. [Schizophr Bull] Abstract | Press Release

Highly Competent, Non-Exhausted CD8⁺ T Cells Continue to Tightly Control Pathogen Load throughout Chronic Trypanosoma cruzi Infection

Investigators evaluated the role of CD8⁺ T cells during chronic T. cruzi infection, with a focus on sites of pathogen persistence. Consistent with repetitive antigen exposure during chronic infection, parasite-specific CD8⁺ T cells from multiple organs expressed high levels of KLRG1, but exhibited a preferential accumulation of CD69⁺ cells in skeletal muscle, indicating recent antigen encounter in a niche for T. cruzi persistence. [PLoS Pathog] Full Article

Developmental Induction of Human T-Cell Responses against Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus

Scientists showed that antifungal T-cell responses are vigorously initiated within the first years of life against lysates and peptides of C. albicans or A. fumigatus, presented by autologous monocytes. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Cell Wall Mannan of Candida krusei Mediates Dendritic Cell Apoptosis and Orchestrates Th17 Polarization via TLR-2/MyD88-Dependent Pathway

Researchers investigated how C. krusei mannan affected dendritic cell (DC) responses in comparison to C. albicans, C. tropicalis and C. glabrata mannan. They showed that only C. krusei mannan induced massive cytokine responses in DCs, and led to apoptosis. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Immuno-Informatics Based Approaches to Design a Novel Multi Epitope-Based Vaccine for Immune Response Reinforcement against Leptospirosis

The authors constructed a novel multi-epitope based vaccine against leptospirosis by using Hap1, LigA, LAg42, SphH and HSP58 antigens. T cell and IFN gamma epitopes were predicted from these antigens. [Mol Immunol] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

Immune Activation and Regulatory T Cells in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infected Lymph Nodes

Scientists analyzed T regulatory cells frequency and activation along with CD4⁺ T cell function in lymph nodes from lymph node tuberculosis patients. Lymph node mononuclear cells were compared to autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells. [BMC Immunol] Full Article

Lung-Infiltrating T Helper 17 Cells as the Major Source of Interleukin-17A Production during Pulmonary Cryptococcus neoformans Infection

Researchers elucidated the activity of IL-17A in the protection against C. neoformans, an opportunistic fungus that causes fatal meningoencephalitis among AIDS patients. [BMC Immunol] Full Article

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The Monocyte-Macrophage-Mast Cell Axis in Dengue Pathogenesis

Among the numerous target cells for dengue virus in humans are monocytes, macrophages and mast cells which are important regulators of vascular integrity and which undergo dramatic cellular responses after infection by dengue virus. [J Biomed Sci] Full Article

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Emergent BioSolutions and Valneva Report Positive Phase I Results for Their Vaccine Candidate against the Zika Virus

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. and Valneva SE announced positive interim results for the Phase I study evaluating VLA1601, their vaccine candidate against the Zika virus. The highly purified inactivated vaccine candidate, VLA1601, met the study’s primary endpoint showing a favorable safety profile in all doses and schedules tested. [Emergent BioSolutions Inc.] Press Release

IBBR Investigator to Lead $3.9M NIH-Funded Project to Develop Next Generation HIV-1 Immunotherapy Agents

Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) researchers recently received $3.9 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a multi-specific, single agent antibody therapeutic against HIV-1 to block virus infection and to clear the reservoir of HIV-infected cells from the body. [Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research] Press Release

USAN Council Assigns Leronlimab as the Official Name for CytoDyn’s PRO 140

CytoDyn Inc. announced that the United States Adopted Names (USAN) Council has adopted leronlimab as the official name for PRO 140. [CytoDyn Inc.] Press Release

Stop Exploitation of Foreign Postdocs in the United States

A survey reveals some lab heads are using the need for visas to create unacceptable conditions for junior researchers. Some PIs are exploiting the fact that overseas scientists rely on them for continued visas. The responses suggest that senior scientists are using this reliance to force postdocs to work longer hours and endure unacceptable conditions. [Nature] Editorial

To Catch Misconduct, Journals Are Hiring Research Integrity Czars

Scientific journals’ creation of dedicated positions for rooting out misconduct before publication comes amid growing awareness of such issues, and stems from a recognition that spot-checking and other ad hoc arrangements were insufficient. [STAT News] Editorial

French Science Behemoth Launches Research-Integrity Office

France’s national research centre, the CNRS, has announced plans to create its first office of research integrity to investigate scientific misconduct and promote good research practice. [Nature News] Editorial

In Reversal, NSF Lifts Proposal Limits on Biologists

In a reversal, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will no longer restrict researchers to only one proposal submission per year to the biology directorate’s three core tracks in which they are listed as a principal investigator (PI) or co-PI. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

NEW STI & HIV 2019 World Congress
July 14-17, 2019
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

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NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Immunology and Infection (Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine)

NEW Research Group Leader – Infection Biology (Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology)

NEW Postdoctoral Position – Natural Killer Cells (The Scripps Research Institute)

Research Scientist – Virology (ViraTherapeutics GmbH)

Postdoctoral Training Fellow – Inflammation during Infection and Sterile Inflammatory Disease (The Francis Crick Institute)

Postdoctoral Research Associate – Bacterial Infection (University of Illinois at Chicago)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Host Cell-Mediated Immunity against HIV Infection (Temple University School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Research Scientist – Modeling Infection (Columbia University)

Postdoctoral Position – Vaccines and Immunity (Nationwide Children’s Hospital)

Postdoctoral Position – Innate Immunity, Virology (Technical University of Munich)

Research Fellow – Immunology (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)

Assistant Professor – Immunology (Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard)

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