Immunology of Infectious Disease News Volume 8.00 | Jan 8 2020

TOP STORY

Salmonella-Driven Polarization of Granuloma Macrophages Antagonizes TNF-Mediated Pathogen Restriction during Persistent Infection

Researchers showed that Salmonella typhimurium (STm) persisted within splenic granulomas that were densely populated by CD11b⁺CD11c⁺Ly6C⁺ macrophages. STm preferentially persisted in granuloma macrophages reprogrammed to an M2 state, in part through the activity of the effector SteE, which contributed to the establishment of persistent infection. [Cell Host Microbe] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

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Helminth Infections Drive Heterogeneity in Human Type 2 and Regulatory Cells

Helminth infections induce strong type 2 and regulatory responses, but the degree of heterogeneity of such cells is not well characterized. Using mass cytometry, scientists profiled these cells in Europeans and Indonesians not exposed to helminths and in Indonesians residing in rural areas infected with soil-transmitted helminths. [Sci Transl Med] Abstract

Single-Dose bNAb Cocktail or Abbreviated ART Post-Exposure Regimens Achieve Tight SHIV Control without Adaptive Immunity

The authors concluded that both broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) and ART mediated effective post-exposure prophylaxis in infant macaques within 30-48 hours of oral simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) exposure [Nat Commun] Full Article

Intratumoral Injection of the Seasonal Flu Shot Converts Immunologically Cold Tumors to Hot and Serves as an Immunotherapy for Cancer

Investigators observed that FDA-approved unadjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccines administered via intratumoral injection not only provided protection against active influenza virus lung infection, but also reduced tumor growth by increasing antitumor CD8⁺ T cells and decreasing regulatory B cells within the tumor. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Full Article

The Clock Gene Bmal1 Inhibits Macrophage Motility, Phagocytosis, and Impairs Defense against Pneumonia

The authors showed that time of day regulates macrophage phagocytosis, and that the core clock protein BMAL1 is responsible. BMAL1 regulates RhoA-dependent macrophage motility and bacterial engulfment, and loss of BMAL1 enhanced antibacterial immunity. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Full Article

Molecular Signatures of Dengue Virus-Specific IL-10/IFN-γ Co-Producing CD4 T Cells and Their Association with Dengue Disease

The authors identified antigen-specific IL-10⁺IFN-γ⁺ double-positive (DP) CD4 T cells during acute dengue virus (DENV) infection. While the transcriptomic signatures of DP cells partially overlapped with those of cytotoxic and type 1 regulatory CD4 T cells, the majority of them were non-cytotoxic/Tr1 and included IL21, IL22, CD109, and CCR1. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Antigen Discovery Unveils Resident Memory and Migratory Cell Roles in Antifungal Resistance

Researchers report the identification of a novel fungal antigen that they harnessed for mucosal vaccination and tetramer generation to test whether we can elicit protective, antigen-specific tissue-resident memory CD4⁺ T cells in the lung parenchyma. [Mucosal Immunol] Abstract

Enhancement of Immune Response against Bordetella spp. by Disrupting Immunomodulation

The deletion of btrS in B. bronchiseptica did not affect colonization or initial growth in the respiratory tract of mice, its natural host, but did increase activation of the inflammasome pathway, and recruitment of inflammatory cells. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Recombinant HIV-1 Vaccine Candidates Based on Replication-Defective Flavivirus Vector

Scientists demonstrated that RepliVax vectors had the potential as novel HIV-1 vaccine components for use in combination with other promising candidates to develop new effective vaccination strategies. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Identification of Antigens Presented by MHC for Vaccines against Tuberculosis

Researchers identified 94 mycobacterial peptides presented by MHC-II and 43 presented by MHC-I, from 76 and 41 antigens, respectively. These antigens were found to be highly expressed in infected macrophages. [npj Vaccines] Full Article

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Regulation of Host-Microbe Interactions at Oral Mucosal Barriers by Type 17 Immunity

The authors review basic aspects of oral mucosal histology, the oral microbiome, and common and clinically significant diseases that present at oral mucosal barriers. They particularly focus on the role of interleukin-17/T helper 17 responses in protective immunity and inflammation in the oral mucosa. [Sci Immunol] Full Article

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Xencor and Gilead Enter License Agreement for Use of XmAb^® Antibody Technologies in Investigational Agents for HIV

Xencor, Inc. announced it has entered into a technology license agreement in which Gilead Sciences, Inc., will access Xencor’s Xtend^™ extended half-life and Cytotoxic XmAb^® Fc technologies for developing and commercializing GS-9722, Gilead’s first-in-class effector-enhanced broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibody, which is currently in Phase I clinical development. [Xencor, Inc.] Press Release

SAB Biotherapeutics Announces Research Collaboration with CSL Behring

SAB Biotherapeutics announced that it has entered into multiple collaboration and option agreements with global biotherapeutics leader CSL Behring. The collaborations will explore the possibility and the potential of new therapies to treat challenging autoimmune, infectious and idiopathic diseases by leveraging SAB’s DiversitAb^™ platform. [SAB Biotherapeutics (Business Wire, Inc.)] Press Release

NYU Langone Health Launches Multi-Faceted Vaccine Center

NYU Langone Health announced the launch of a Vaccine Center that combines basic research, clinical studies, and public health outreach to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and other immunological disorders. [NYU Langone Health (PR Newswire Association LLC.)] Press Release

Polio Eradication Program Faces Hard Choices as Endgame Strategy Falters

The “endgame” in the decades long campaign to eradicate polio suffered major setbacks in 2019. While the effort lost ground in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which recorded 116 cases of wild polio—four times the number in 2018—an especially alarming situation developed in Africa. In 12 countries, 196 children were paralyzed not by the wild virus, but by a strain derived from a live vaccine that has regained its virulence and ability to spread. Fighting these flare-ups will mean difficult decisions in the coming year. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Tuberculosis Vaccine Finds an Improved Route

A widely used vaccine against tuberculosis has now been shown to provide almost complete protection when injected intravenously. This is a striking improvement over vaccination through the typical intradermal route. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW HIV Vaccines joint with HIV Pathogenesis and Cure
March 22-26, 2020
Keystone, Colorado, United States

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NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – HIV (Massachusetts General Hospital)

NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Vaccine Research (University of Rhode Island)

NEW Postdoctoral Scientist – Tuberculosis Research (Texas Biomedical Research Institute)

NEW Research Associate – Immunology (University Hospital of Muenster)

NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Immunology (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Infectious Disease (Brigham and Women’s Hospital)

Postdoctoral Fellows – Molecular Microbiology and Antibiotic Resistance (University of Gothenburg)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – HIV (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Research Fellow – Immune Response to Tuberculosis (University College London)

Senior Lecturer – Infectious Disease and Microbiomes (University of Liverpool)

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