scholarly journals Fungal immunology in clinical practice: Magical realism or practical reality?

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. S294-S306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina C Chang ◽  
Stuart M Levitz
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Magical Realism ◽  
Fungal Infections ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Signaling Cascades ◽  
Fungal Cell ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Immune Defect ◽  
Practical Reality ◽  
Fungal Immunology

AbstractInvasive fungal infections (IFIs) occur predominantly in immunocompromised individuals but can also be seen in previously well persons. The human innate immune system recognizes key components of the fungal cell wall as foreign resulting in a myriad of signaling cascades. This triggers release of antifungal molecules as well as adaptive immune responses, which kill or at least contain the invading fungi. However, these defences may fail in hosts with primary or secondary immunodeficiencies resulting in IFIs. Knowledge of a patient's immune status enables the clinician to predict the fungal infections most likely to occur. Moreover, the occurrence of an opportunistic mycosis in a patient without known immunocompromise usually should prompt a search for an occult immune defect. A rapidly expanding number of primary and secondary immunodeficiencies associated with mycoses has been identified. An investigative approach to determining the nature of these immunodeficiencies is suggested to help guide clinicians encountering patients with IFI. Finally, promising adjunctive immunotherapy measures are currently being investigated in IFI.

scholarly journals Role of the Innate Immunity Signaling Pathway in the Pathogenesis of Sjögren’s Syndrome

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 3090
Author(s):  
Toshimasa Shimizu ◽  
Hideki Nakamura ◽  
Atsushi Kawakami
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Sjögren's Syndrome ◽  
Sjogren’S Syndrome ◽  
Sjogren's Syndrome ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Type I ◽  
Type I Ifn ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Sjögren‘S Syndrome

Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the salivary and lacrimal glands and extra-glandular lesions. Adaptive immune response including T- and B-cell activation contributes to the development of SS. However, its pathogenesis has not yet been elucidated. In addition, several patients with SS present with the type I interferon (IFN) signature, which is the upregulation of the IFN-stimulated genes induced by type I IFN. Thus, innate immune responses including type I IFN activity are associated with SS pathogenesis. Recent studies have revealed the presence of activation pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) including Toll-like receptors, RNA sensor retinoic acid-inducible gene I and melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5, and inflammasomes in infiltrating and epithelial cells of the salivary glands among patients with SS. In addition, the activation of PRRs via the downstream pathway such as the type I IFN signature and nuclear factor kappa B can directly cause organ inflammation, and it is correlated with the activation of adaptive immune responses. Therefore, this study assessed the role of the innate immune signal pathway in the development of inflammation and immune abnormalities in SS.

scholarly journals RIG-I and MDA5 Protect Mice From Pichinde Virus Infection by Controlling Viral Replication and Regulating Immune Responses to the Infection

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan Brisse ◽  
Qinfeng Huang ◽  
Mizanur Rahman ◽  
Da Di ◽  
Yuying Liang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virus Infection ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Double Knockout ◽  
Adaptive Immune Responses ◽  
Pichinde Virus ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Control Virus ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Sensor Proteins

RIG-I and MDA5 are major cytoplasmic innate-immune sensor proteins that recognize aberrant double-stranded RNAs generated during virus infection to activate type 1 interferon (IFN-I) and IFN-stimulated gene (ISG) expressions to control virus infection. The roles of RIG-I and MDA5 in controlling replication of Pichinde virus (PICV), a mammarenavirus, in mice have not been examined. Here, we showed that MDA5 single knockout (SKO) and RIG-I/MDA5 double knockout (DKO) mice are highly susceptible to PICV infection as evidenced by their significant reduction in body weights during the course of the infection, validating the important roles of these innate-immune sensor proteins in controlling PICV infection. Compared to the wildtype mice, SKO and DKO mice infected with PICV had significantly higher virus titers and lower IFN-I expressions early in the infection but appeared to exhibit a late and heightened level of adaptive immune responses to clear the infection. When a recombinant rPICV mutant virus (rPICV-NPmut) that lacks the ability to suppress IFN-I was used to infect mice, as expected, there were heightened levels of IFN-I and ISG expressions in the wild-type mice, whereas infected SKO and DKO mice showed delayed mouse growth kinetics and relatively low, delayed, and transient levels of innate and adaptive immune responses to this viral infection. Taken together, our data suggest that PICV infection triggers activation of immune sensors that include but might not be necessarily limited to RIG-I and MDA5 to stimulate effective innate and adaptive immune responses to control virus infection in mice.

scholarly journals The neuropeptide receptor NMUR-1 regulates the specificity of C. elegans innate immunity against pathogen infection

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip Wibisono ◽  
Shawndra Wibisono ◽  
Jan Watteyne ◽  
Chia-Hui Chen ◽  
Durai Sellegounder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Innate Immunity ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Adaptive Immune System ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Innate Immune Responses ◽  
Immune Genes ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Functional Assays

A key question in current immunology is how the innate immune system generates high levels of specificity. Like most invertebrates, Caenorhabditis elegans does not have an adaptive immune system and relies solely on innate immunity to defend itself against pathogen attacks, yet it can still differentiate different pathogens and launch distinct innate immune responses. Here, we have found that functional loss of NMUR-1, a neuronal GPCR homologous to mammalian receptors for the neuropeptide neuromedin U, has diverse effects on C. elegans survival against various bacterial pathogens. Transcriptomic analyses and functional assays revealed that NMUR-1 modulates C. elegans transcription activity by regulating the expression of transcription factors, which, in turn, controls the expression of distinct immune genes in response to different pathogens. Our study has uncovered a molecular basis for the specificity of C. elegans innate immunity that could provide mechanistic insights into understanding the specificity of vertebrate innate immunity.

scholarly journals Innate immunity and the pneumococcus

Microbiology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 152 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin K. Paterson ◽  
Tim J. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Innate Immunity ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Streptococcus Pneumoniae ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Innate Immune System ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
First Line ◽  
Adaptive Immune Responses ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Made In

The innate immune system provides a non-specific first line of defence against microbes and is crucial both in the development and effector stages of subsequent adaptive immune responses. Consistent with its importance, study of the innate immune system is a broad and fast-moving field. Here we provide an overview of the recent key advances made in this area with relation to the important pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus).

scholarly journals Lessons from Bacillus Calmette-Guérin: Harnessing Trained Immunity for Vaccine Development

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 2109
Author(s):  
Samuel T. Pasco ◽  
Juan Anguita
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Vaccine Design ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Bacillus Calmette Guerin ◽  
Adaptive Immune Responses ◽  
Trained Immunity ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Potential Methods

Vaccine design traditionally focuses on inducing adaptive immune responses against a sole target pathogen. Considering that many microbes evade innate immune mechanisms to initiate infection, and in light of the discovery of epigenetically mediated innate immune training, the paradigm of vaccine design has the potential to change. The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine induces some level of protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) while stimulating trained immunity that correlates with lower mortality and increased protection against unrelated pathogens. This review will explore BCG-induced trained immunity, including the required pathways to establish this phenotype. Additionally, potential methods to improve or expand BCG trained immunity effects through alternative vaccine delivery and formulation methods will be discussed. Finally, advances in new anti-Mtb vaccines, other antimicrobial uses for BCG, and “innate memory-based vaccines” will be examined.

scholarly journals Peptidoglycan derived from Lactobacillus rhamnosus MLGA up-regulates the expression of chicken β-defensin 9 without triggering an inflammatory response

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 733-745
Author(s):  
Juan Huang ◽  
Junhui Li ◽  
Qiufen Li ◽  
Lin Li ◽  
Nianhua Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inflammatory Response ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Mrna Expression ◽  
Salmonella Enteritidis ◽  
Lactobacillus Rhamnosus ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Induction Effect ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Critical Components ◽  
Pro Inflammatory Cytokines

Defensins are critical components of the innate immune system and play an important role in the integration of innate and adaptive immune responses. Although information on the immunomodulatory properties of peptidoglycan from bacteria is abundant, little is known about the β-defensin induction effect of peptidoglycan from the probiotic Lactobacillus. This study investigated the effect of intact peptidoglycan from L. rhamnosus MLGA on the induction of avian β-defensin 9 in chicken immune cells and intestinal explants. Peptidoglycan from Lactobacillus rhamnosus MLGA dose dependently promoted avian β-defensin 9 mRNA expression in chicken PBMCs, splenocytes, thymocytes, hepatocytes, and chicken embryo jejunum, ileum, and cecum explants and increased the capacity of PBMC or splenocyte lysates to inhibit the growth of Salmonella Enteritidis. In contrast to the effect of L. rhamnosus MLGA-derived peptidoglycan, peptidoglycan derived from pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus reduced avian β-defensin 9 mRNA expression in chicken PBMCs and splenocytes. The inducible effect of peptidoglycan from L. rhamnosus MLGA on avian β-defensin 9 expression in PBMCs and splenocytes was observed without activation of the expression of associated pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-8, and IL-12p40, whereas these cytokine expressions were suppressed by peptidoglycan hydrolysate obtained by lysozyme digestion. The results of the present study show the capability of peptidoglycan derived from L. rhamnosus MLGA to induce the antimicrobial peptide defensin while simultaneously avoiding the deleterious risks of an inflammatory response.

scholarly journals Mutations in a Highly Conserved Motif of nsp1β Protein Attenuate the Innate Immune Suppression Function of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus

2016 ◽  
Vol 90 (7) ◽  
pp. 3584-3599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanhua Li ◽  
Duan-Liang Shyu ◽  
Pengcheng Shang ◽  
Jianfa Bai ◽  
Kang Ouyang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Respiratory Syndrome Virus ◽  
Adaptive Immune Responses ◽  
Virus Growth ◽  
Conserved Motif ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Infected Cells ◽  
Growth Ability

ABSTRACTPorcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) nonstructural protein 1β (nsp1β) is a multifunctional viral protein, which is involved in suppressing the host innate immune response and activating a unique −2/−1 programmed ribosomal frameshifting (PRF) signal for the expression of frameshifting products. In this study, site-directed mutagenesis analysis showed that the R128A or R129A mutation introduced into a highly conserved motif (123GKYLQRRLQ131) reduced the ability of nsp1β to suppress interferon beta (IFN-β) activation and also impaired nsp1β's function as a PRF transactivator. Three recombinant viruses, vR128A, vR129A, and vRR129AA, carrying single or double mutations in the GKYLQRRLQ motif were characterized. In comparison to the wild-type (WT) virus, vR128A and vR129A showed slightly reduced growth abilities, while the vRR129AA mutant had a significantly reduced growth ability in infected cells. Consistent with the attenuated growth phenotypein vitro, pigs infected with nsp1β mutants had lower levels of viremia than did WT virus-infected pigs. Compared to the WT virus in infected cells, all three mutated viruses stimulated high levels of IFN-α expression and exhibited a reduced ability to suppress the mRNA expression of selected interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). In pigs infected with nsp1β mutants, IFN-α production was increased in the lungs at early time points postinfection, which was correlated with increased innate NK cell function. Furthermore, the augmented innate response was consistent with the increased production of IFN-γ in pigs infected with mutated viruses. These data demonstrate that residues R128 and R129 are critical for nsp1β function and that modifying these key residues in the GKYLQRRLQ motif attenuates virus growth ability and improves the innate and adaptive immune responses in infected animals.IMPORTANCEPRRSV infection induces poor antiviral innate IFN and cytokine responses, which results in weak adaptive immunity. One of the strategies in next-generation vaccine construction is to manipulate viral proteins/genetic elements involved in antagonizing the host immune response. PRRSV nsp1β was identified to be a strong innate immune antagonist. In this study, two basic amino acids, R128 and R129, in a highly conserved GKYLQRRLQ motif were determined to be critical for nsp1β function. Mutations introduced into these two residues attenuated virus growth and improved the innate and adaptive immune responses of infected animals. Technologies developed in this study could be broadly applied to current commercial PRRSV modified live-virus (MLV) vaccines and other candidate vaccines.

Pathogen recognition in the innate immune response

2009 ◽  
Vol 420 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Himanshu Kumar ◽  
Taro Kawai ◽  
Shizuo Akira
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Signalling Pathways ◽  
Pathogen Recognition ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Evolutionarily Conserved ◽  
Cellular Compartments ◽  
Inducible Gene

Immunity against microbial pathogens primarily depends on the recognition of pathogen components by innate receptors expressed on immune and non-immune cells. Innate receptors are evolutionarily conserved germ-line-encoded proteins and include TLRs (Toll-like receptors), RLRs [RIG-I (retinoic acid-inducible gene-I)-like receptors] and NLRs (Nod-like receptors). These receptors recognize pathogens or pathogen-derived products in different cellular compartments, such as the plasma membrane, the endosomes or the cytoplasm, and induce the expression of cytokines, chemokines and co-stimulatory molecules to eliminate pathogens and instruct pathogen-specific adaptive immune responses. In the present review, we will discuss the recent progress in the study of pathogen recognition by TLRs, RLRs and NLRs and their signalling pathways.

scholarly journals Crosstalk between Dendritic Cells and Immune Modulatory Agents against Sepsis

Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoying Wang ◽  
Xianghui Li ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Abualgasim Elgaili Abdalla ◽  
Tieshan Teng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Dendritic Cells ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Adaptive Immune Responses ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Th2 Responses ◽  
Novel Strategy

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a critical role in the immune system which sense pathogens and present their antigens to prime the adaptive immune responses. As the progression of sepsis occurs, DCs are capable of orchestrating the aberrant innate immune response by sustaining the Th1/Th2 responses that are essential for host survival. Hence, an in-depth understanding of the characteristics of DCs would have a beneficial effect in overcoming the obstacle occurring in sepsis. This paper focuses on the role of DCs in the progression of sepsis and we also discuss the reverse sepsis-induced immunosuppression through manipulating the DC function. In addition, we highlight some potent immunotherapies that could be used as a novel strategy in the early treatment of sepsis.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document