Immunology Letters

The function of CD5 protein in T cells is well documented, but regulation of its surface-level expression has yet to be fully understood. However, variation in its surface expression is associated with various immunopathological conditions and haematological malignancies. Briefly, expression of an alternate exon E1B of a human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) origin directly downregulates the conventional transcript variant (E1A), as its expression leads to the retention of the resultant protein at the intracellular level (cCD5)...

To control immune responses, regulatory CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ T cells (Treg) maintain their wide and diverse repertoire through continuous arrival of recent thymic emigrants (RTE). However, during puberty, the activity of RTE starts to decline as a natural process of thymic involution, introducing consequences, not completely described, to the repertoire. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients show quantitative and qualitative impairments on the Treg cells. Our aim was to evaluate peripheral Treg and RTE cell frequencies, in T1D patients from two distinct age groups (young and adults) and verify if HLA phenotypes are concomitant associated...

We examined the role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and the ensuing unfolded protein response (UPR) in the development of the central nervous system (CNS)-directed immune response in the rat model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). The induction of EAE with syngeneic spinal cord homogenate in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) caused a time-dependent increase in the expression of ER stress/UPR markers glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), X-box-binding protein 1 (XBP1), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), and phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) in the draining lymph nodes of both EAE-susceptible Dark Agouti (DA) and EAE-resistant Albino Oxford (AO) rats...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic immune-mediated joint inflammatory disorder associated with the aberrant activation of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS). Recently, FLS has gained importance due to its crucial role in RA pathogenesis, and thus, targeting FLS has been suggested as an attractive treatment strategy for RA. FLS-targeted approaches may be combined with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and natural phytochemicals to improve efficacy in RA control and negate immunosuppression. In this study, we assessed the therapeutic effectiveness of DD NP HG in primary RA-FLS cells isolated from the synovial tissue of FCA-induced RA rats...

Multifunctional CD4+ T helper 1 (Th1) cells, producing IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-2, define a correlate of vaccine-mediated protection against intracellular infection. In our previous study, we found that CVC1302 in oil formulation promoted the differentiation of IFN-γ+ /TNF-α+ /IL-2+ Th1 cells. In order to extend the application of CVC1302 in oil formulation, this study aimed to elucidate the mechanism of action in improving the Th1 immune response. Considering the signals required for the differentiation of CD4+ T cells to Th1 cells, we detected the distribution of innate immune cells and the model antigen OVA-FITC in lymph node (LN), as well as the quantity of cytokines produced by the innate immune cells...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Allergic asthma is a heterogeneous disease and new strategies are needed to prevent or treat this disease. Studies have shown that probiotic interventions are effective in preventing asthma. Here, we investigated the impact of Saccharomyces boulardii (S. boulardii) on ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma in mice, as well as the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: First, we constructed a mouse asthma model using OVA and given S. boulardii intervention...

We have recently characterized experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced in DA rats with spinal cord homogenate without complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). The main advantage of this multiple sclerosis model is the lack of CFA-related confounding effects which represent the major obstacles in translating findings from EAE to multiple sclerosis. Here, antigen specificity of the cellular and humoral immune response directed against the central nervous system was explored. The reactivity of T and B cells to myelin basic protein, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein, and β-synuclein was detected...

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination induces memory characteristics in innate immune cells and their progenitors, a process called trained immunity mediated by epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming. Cholesterol synthesis plays an amplifying role in trained immunity through mevalonate release. Nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (N-BPs), such as alendronate, can inhibit cholesterol synthesis. We explored their effects on trained immunity induced by BCG in a placebo-controlled clinical study (NL74082...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

The APPswe/PS1ΔE9 mouse is a double transgenic murine model that harbors two transgenes for Alzheimer's Disease (AD)-related mutant proteins. We previously discovered that this double transgenic animal had a premature immunosenescence phenotype. However, it is unclear how this phenotype progresses to a later stage. This study aimed to elucidate the changes in systemic characteristics aside from those associated with AD between elderly APPswe/PS1ΔE9 mice and littermate control wild-type mice. Tumors in all organs were considerably more frequent in AD mice aged 24 months than in the control wild-type mice...

Macrophages must remove apoptotic cells to shield tissues from the deleterious components of dying cells. The development of chronic inflammation and autoimmune symptoms in systemic lupus is influenced by a deficiency in phagocytosis of apoptotic cells but the underlying mechanism is still unknown. Modifications in monocyte/macrophage phenotype brought on by an increase in their inflammatory phenotype would cause them to decrease the expression of CPT1a, which would reduce their ability to phagocytose, aggravating kidney damage in lupus nephritis...

The X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (X-CGD), a rare genetic disease characterised by recurrent infections, is caused by mutations of NOX2. Significant proportions of X-CGD patients display signs of immune dysregulation. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are CD4+ T lymphocytes that expand in active inflammation and prevent autoimmune disorders. Here we asked whether X-CGD is associated to Treg dysfunctions in adult patients. To this aim, the frequency of Tregs was analysed through intracellular flow cytometry in a cohort of adult X-CGD patients, carriers and controls...

The etiological complexity of Behçet disease (BD), an immune-mediated rare form of vasculitis characterized by multi-organ involvement, is still elusive due to an incomplete understanding of the synergy between genetic susceptibility, environmental triggers, and an abnormal immune response. The diagnosis of BD relies on clinical symptoms. Lung inflammatory disorders are severe conditions of patients with BD, here we focus on the expression of biomarkers in BD patients with pulmonary manifestations. Aiming to identify additional discriminating biomarker patterns, we measured and compared protein and gene expression of IL-38 and a broad panel of selected genes in bronchoalveolar cells of patients suffering from BD with and without pulmonary involvement compared to controls...

OBJECTIVES: Idiopathic membranous nephropathy (MN) is an autoimmune disease characterized by specific antibodies. However, the underlying mechanisms by which lymphocytes promote the development of MN remain poorly understood. This study aims to determine the changes of B-cell subsets and their clinical significance in MN patients. METHODS: We included a cohort of 21 idiopathic MN patients with new onset or a relapse, 19 healthy controls (HCs) and 10 patients with minimal change disease (MCD)...

Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is a multifactorial disorder, associated with immunologic abnormalities. During pregnancy, the maternal immune system uses different tolerance mechanisms to deal with a semi-allogenic fetus. The expression of immune checkpoints and their related miRNAs in immune cells can ensure pregnancy at the feto-maternal interface by modulating immune responses. This study aims to evaluate the expression of the immune checkpoint molecules PD-1 and Tim-3 on circulating T cells by flow cytometry, that of mir-138 and mir-155 in PBMCs by Real-time PCR, and the concentrations of TGF-β and IP-10 in the sera of women suffering from RPL as well as of gestational age-matched healthy pregnant women by ELISA...

INTRODUCTION: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) affects the connective tissue and leads to an abnormal fibrotic process in the skin and internal organs. Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) is able to induce cell proliferation and differentiation, and its expression is increased in SSc patients with pulmonary artery hypertension and in skin biopsies in patients with scleroderma. To date, no data on esophageal expression of EGFR are available in SSc patients. We aimed to evaluate whether the pro-fibrogenic pathways of SSc may affect EGFR expression in the esophagus...

PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the significance of immunophenotyping and serum cytokines in predicting the clinical progression of acute biliary pancreatitis (ABP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cytokine levels, T-helper, cytotoxic T, natural killer (NK) cells, monocytes, HLA-DR, and PD-1, as well as PDL-1 immune checkpoints, were measured in ABP patients at the time of diagnosis and compared with results from healthy volunteers. The study also compared leukocyte counts, hematocrit, immunophenotyping results, cytokine statuses, and PD-1, PDL-1 expression between healthy volunteers and ABP subgroups categorized by pancreatitis severity...

Immunometabolism has been unveiled in the last decade to play a major role in controlling macrophage metabolism and inflammation. There has been a constant effort to understand the immunomodulating properties of regulated metabolites during inflammation with the aim of controlling and re-wiring aberrant macrophages in inflammatory diseases. M-CSF and GM-CSF-differentiated macrophages play a key role in mounting successful innate immune responses. When a resolution phase is not achieved however, GM-CSF macrophages contribute substantially more towards an adverse inflammatory milieu than M-CSF macrophages, consequently driving disease progression...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) is an estrogen receptor located on the plasma membrane. We previously reported that the administration of G-1, a GPER-specific agonist, suppressed development of acute ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma in a mouse model. Herein, we evaluate the involvement of GPER in a mouse model of chronic OVA asthma. METHODS: G-1 or saline was administered subcutaneously to BALB/c mice with chronic OVA asthma, and pathological and immunological evaluation was performed...