Immunology of Infectious Disease News Volume 6.47 | Nov 28 2018

TOP STORY

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Alters Cell Wall Glycosylation to Evade Immunity

Researchers showed that a considerable proportion of the prominent healthcare-associated and livestock-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus clones CC5 and CC398, respectively, contain prophages that encode an alternative wall teichoic acid (WTA) glycosyltransferase. This enzyme, TarP, transfers N-acetylglucosamine to a different hydroxyl group of the WTA RboP than the standard enzyme TarS, with important consequences for immune recognition. [Nature] Abstract

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Two Recombinant Human Monoclonal Antibodies that Protect against Lethal Andes Hantavirus Infection In Vivo

Scientists screened 27 Andes hantavirus (ANDV) convalescent hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome patient sera for their capacity to bind and neutralize ANDV in vitro. One patient who showed high neutralizing titer was selected to isolate ANDV-glycoprotein (GP) antibodies. ANDV-GP-specific memory B cells were single cell sorted, and recombinant immunoglobulin G antibodies were cloned and produced. [Sci Transl Med] Abstract

Inflammasome Activation Negatively Regulates MyD88-IRF7 Type I IFN Signaling and Anti-Malaria Immunity

The authors showed mice deficient in inflammasome sensors AIM2, NLRP3 or adaptor caspase-1 produce high levels of type I interferon (IFN-I) cytokines and are resistant to lethal Plasmodium yoelii YM infection. [Nat Commun] Full Article

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Induces Decelerated Bioenergetic Metabolism in Human Macrophages

Investigators used extracellular flux analysis to simultaneously measure the rates of glycolysis and respiration in real-time. M. tuberculosis infection induced a quiescent energy phenotype in human monocyte-derived macrophages and decelerated flux through glycolysis and the TCA cycle. [eLife] Full Article

Neddylation Contributes to CD4⁺ T Cell-Mediated Protective Immunity against Blood-Stage Plasmodium Infection

Using an experimental model induced by Plasmodium yoelii 17XNL, and conditional knockout mice with T cell-specific deficiency of crucial components of neddylation pathway, scientists demonstrated activation of neddylation in T cells during blood-stage Plasmodium infection was essential for parasite control and host survival. [PLoS Pathog] Full Article

Long Noncoding RNA Malat1 Is Not Essential for T Cell Development and Response to LCMV Infection

The authors detected the T cell development and both CD8⁺ and CD4⁺ T cell response to LCMV infection using Malat1^−/- mice model. [RNA Biol] Abstract

Interferon Gamma (IFN-γ) Negative CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-Cells Can Produce Immune Mediators in Response to Viral Antigens

Intracellular cytokine staining assay and flow cytometry were used to assess peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 31 HIV-infected ART-naive individuals for the extent to which gated CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ IFN-γ producing and non-producing T-cells also secreted IL-2, perforin, and TNF-α functions. [Vaccine] Full Article

Differential Influences of Complement on Neutrophil Responses to N. meningitidis Infection

Researchers found that neutrophils were capable of non-opsonic uptake and killing of different Neisseria meningitidis (Nme) strains. However, in the presence of immune serum featuring active complement, Nme-association was strongly increased, whereas this was not the case in heat-inactivated immune serum. [Pathog Dis] Abstract

DosR Proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Upregulate Effector T Cells and Down Regulate T Regulatory Cells in TB Patients and Their Healthy Contacts

The immune response to two DosR proteins Rv2627 and Rv2628 was studied in peripheral blood mononuclear cells derived from normal individuals, tuberculosis (TB) patients and healthy contacts of TB patients. It was found that these antigens were capable of stimulating a strong IFN-γ⁺ T cell response along with accentuation of memory T cells and other protective cytokines such as IL-2 and IL-17. [Microb Pathog] Abstract

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HCV-Specific T Cell Responses during and after Chronic HCV Infection

The authors summarize the current knowledge on Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific T cell responses and also provide an outlook on the open questions that require answers in this field. [Viruses] Full Article

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Clinical Trial of Investigational Ebola Treatments Begins in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

An international research team has begun patient enrollment in a clinical trial testing multiple investigational Ebola therapies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The randomized, controlled trial is enrolling patients of any age with confirmed Ebola virus disease at a treatment unit in the city of Beni operated by The Alliance for International Medical Action, a medical humanitarian organization. [National Institutes of Health] Press Release

EHVA Starts Recruiting Participants to Clinical Trial Testing FIT Biotech’s Vaccine

European EHVA-vaccine alliance has started clinical trials including FIT Biotech Oy’s therapeutic HIV vaccine candidate, FIT-06 by initiating recruitment of participants in Switzerland. [FIT Biotech Oy (GlobeNewswire, Inc.)] Press Release

GeoVax Provides Update on HIV Clinical Trials Program

GeoVax Labs, Inc. provided an update of the clinical development plan for its preventive vaccine for clade B HIV. [GeoVax Labs, Inc.] Press Release

Researcher Who Created CRISPR Twins Defends His Work but Leaves Many Questions Unanswered

The researcher who set off a global firestorm when he announced the birth of the world’s first gene-edited babies defended his study at a meeting. He Jiankui of the Southern University of Science and Technology in nearby Shenzhen, China, said he was “proud” of the work, which he said could lead to disease prevention “for millions of children,” and provided some details about the unpublished research that many scientists and bioethicists—as well as a phalanx of journalists—were clamoring to hear. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Romania Cuts Research Budget for Second Time This Year

The Romanian government has sliced off another €49 million from its research budget, as the ministry for research and innovation failed to put out funding calls to spend all of the €350 million it had allocated for 2018. [Science|Business] Editorial

Biomedical Research Is Becoming More Open about Its Funding and Data

Biomedical research is shifting to become more open and transparent by providing increasing amounts of information about funding, conflicts of interest and data sharing in their publications, according to a survey of recent papers. [Nature News] Editorial

European Funders Detail Their Open-Access Plan

Plan S, the contentious plan that a group of European science funders hopes will end scholarly journals’ paywalls, has fleshed out its rules—and softened its tone a bit. In seven pages of implementation guidance released, the funders explain how their grantees can abide by Plan S rules come 2020, when it goes into effect. But some critics say the document—which is up for public discussion for the next two months—remains too restrictive. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

NEW World Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (WSPID) 2019
November 5-9, 2019
Manila, Philippines

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NEW PhD Position – Cellular and Molecular Determinants of T Cell Responses to CMV Infection (Helmholtz-Center for Infection Research)

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

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

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)

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