scholarly journals Maternal schistosomiasis impairs offspring IL-4 production and B cell expansion

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Cortes-Selva ◽  
Lisa Gibbs ◽  
Andrew Ready ◽  
H. Atakan Ekiz ◽  
Bartek Rajwa ◽  
...  

SummaryMaternal helminth infections are a global public health concern and correlate with altered infant immune responses to some childhood immunizations, but a mechanistic understanding of how maternal helminth infection alters the cellular immune responses of offspring is lacking. Here we establish a model of maternal Schistosoma mansoni infection in dual IL-4 reporter mice. We find that offspring born to mothers infected with S. mansoni have impaired production of IL-4 during homoeostasis, and following immunization with a Tetanus-Diphtheria vaccine. We identified that iNKT cells are the dominant source of IL-4 during early life homeostasis, and that diminished IL-4 production was associated with both reduced B cell and follicular dendritic cell responses. These defects were maintained long-term, affecting memory B and T cell responses. Single-cell RNASeq analysis of immunized offspring identified egg antigen-dependent reductions in B-cell cell cycle and proliferation-related genes. These data reveal that maternal infection leads to long-lasting defects in the cellular responses to heterologous antigens and provide vital insight into the influence of maternal infection on offspring immunity.

Author(s):  
Felix G. Delgado ◽  
Karina I. Torres ◽  
Jaime E. Castellanos ◽  
Consuelo Romero-Sánchez ◽  
Etienne Simon-Lorière ◽  
...  

The high level of dengue virus (DENV) seroprevalence in areas where Zika virus (ZIKV) is circulating and the cross-reactivity between these two viruses have raised concerns on the risk of increased ZIKV disease severity for patients with a history of previous DENV infection. To determine the role of DENV pre-immunity in ZIKV infection, we analysed the T and B cell responses against ZIKV in donors with or without previous DENV infection. Using PBMCs from donors living in an endemic area in Colombia, we have identified, by interferon (IFN)-γ enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay, most of the immunodominant ZIKV T-cell epitopes in the non-structural proteins NS1, NS3 and NS5. Analyses of the T and B-cell responses in the same donors revealed a stronger T-cell response against peptides conserved between DENV and ZIKV, with a higher level of ZIKV-neutralizing antibodies in DENV-immune donors, in comparison with DENV-naïve donors. Strikingly, the potential for antibody mediated enhancement of ZIKV infection was reduced in donors with sequential DENV and ZIKV infection in comparison with donors with DENV infection only. Altogether, these data suggest that individuals with DENV immunity present improved immune responses against ZIKV.


2019 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica E. Embers ◽  
Aparna Krishnavajhala ◽  
Brittany A. Armstrong ◽  
Michael W. Curtis ◽  
Bapi Pahar ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe global public health impact of relapsing fever (RF) spirochetosis is significant, since the pathogens exist on five of seven continents. The hallmark sign of infection is episodic fever and the greatest threat is to the unborn. With the goal of better understanding the specificity of B-cell responses and the role of immune responses in pathogenicity, we infected rhesus macaques withBorrelia turicatae(a new world RF spirochete species) by tick bite and monitored the immune responses generated in response to the pathogen. Specifically, we evaluated inflammatory mediator induction by the pathogen, host antibody responses to specific antigens, and peripheral lymphocyte population dynamics. Our results indicate thatB. turicataeelicits from peripheral blood cells key inflammatory response mediators (interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor alpha), which are associated with preterm abortion. Moreover, a global decline in peripheral B-cell populations was observed in all animals at 14 days postinfection. Serological responses were also evaluated to assess the antigenicity of three surface proteins: BipA, BrpA, and Bta112. Interestingly, a distinction was observed between antibodies generated in nonhuman primates and mice. Our results provide support for the nonhuman primate model not only in studies of prenatal pathogenesis but also for diagnostic and vaccine antigen identification and testing.


2008 ◽  
Vol 82 (24) ◽  
pp. 12449-12463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia D. Tomaras ◽  
Nicole L. Yates ◽  
Pinghuang Liu ◽  
Li Qin ◽  
Genevieve G. Fouda ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT A window of opportunity for immune responses to extinguish human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) exists from the moment of transmission through establishment of the latent pool of HIV-1-infected cells. A critical time to study the initial immune responses to the transmitted/founder virus is the eclipse phase of HIV-1 infection (time from transmission to the first appearance of plasma virus), but, to date, this period has been logistically difficult to analyze. To probe B-cell responses immediately following HIV-1 transmission, we have determined envelope-specific antibody responses to autologous and consensus Envs in plasma donors from the United States for whom frequent plasma samples were available at time points immediately before, during, and after HIV-1 plasma viral load (VL) ramp-up in acute infection, and we have modeled the antibody effect on the kinetics of plasma viremia. The first detectable B-cell response was in the form of immune complexes 8 days after plasma virus detection, whereas the first free plasma anti-HIV-1 antibody was to gp41 and appeared 13 days after the appearance of plasma virus. In contrast, envelope gp120-specific antibodies were delayed an additional 14 days. Mathematical modeling of the earliest viral dynamics was performed to determine the impact of antibody on HIV replication in vivo as assessed by plasma VL. Including the initial anti-gp41 immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgM, or both responses in the model did not significantly impact the early dynamics of plasma VL. These results demonstrate that the first IgM and IgG antibodies induced by transmitted HIV-1 are capable of binding virions but have little impact on acute-phase viremia at the timing and magnitude that they occur in natural infection.


2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 1388-1395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose-Minke Schure ◽  
Lotte H. Hendrikx ◽  
Lia G. H. de Rond ◽  
Kemal Öztürk ◽  
Elisabeth A. M. Sanders ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThis study investigated long-term cellular and humoral immunity against pertussis after booster vaccination of 4-year-old children who had been vaccinated at 2, 3, 4, and 11 months of age with either whole-cell pertussis (wP) or acellular pertussis (aP) vaccine. Immune responses were evaluated until 2 years after the preschool booster aP vaccination. In a cross-sectional study (registered trial no. ISRCTN65428640), blood samples were taken from wP- and aP-primed children prebooster and 1 month and 2 years postbooster. Pertussis vaccine antigen-specific IgG levels, antibody avidities, and IgG subclasses, as well as T-cell cytokine levels, were measured by fluorescent bead-based multiplex immunoassays. The numbers of pertussis-specific memory B cells and gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-producing T cells were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assays. Even 2 years after booster vaccination, memory B cells were still present and higher levels of pertussis-specific antibodies than prebooster were found in aP-primed children and, to a lesser degree, also in wP-primed children. The antibodies consisted mainly of the IgG1 subclass but also showed an increased IgG4 portion, primarily in the aP-primed children. The antibody avidity indices for pertussis toxin and pertactin in aP-primed children were already high prebooster and remained stable at 2 years, whereas those in wP-primed children increased. All measured prebooster T-cell responses in aP-primed children were already high and remained at similar levels or even decreased during the 2 years after booster vaccination, whereas those in wP-primed children increased. Since the Dutch wP vaccine has been replaced by aP vaccines, the induction of B-cell and T-cell memory immune responses has been enhanced, but antibody levels still wane after five aP vaccinations. Based on these long-term immune responses, the Dutch pertussis vaccination schedule can be optimized, and we discuss here several options.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shimeng Zhang ◽  
Lei Li ◽  
Danli Xie ◽  
Srija Reddy ◽  
John W. Sleasman ◽  
...  

T Follicular helper (Tfh) cells promote germinal center (GC) B cell responses to develop effective humoral immunity against pathogens. However, dysregulated Tfh cells can also trigger autoantibody production and the development of autoimmune diseases. We report here that Tsc1, a regulator for mTOR signaling, plays differential roles in Tfh cell/GC B cell responses in the steady state and in immune responses to antigen immunization. In the steady state, Tsc1 in T cells intrinsically suppresses spontaneous GC-Tfh cell differentiation and subsequent GC-B cell formation and autoantibody production. In immune responses to antigen immunization, Tsc1 in T cells is required for efficient GC-Tfh cell expansion, GC-B cell induction, and antigen-specific antibody responses, at least in part via promoting GC-Tfh cell mitochondrial integrity and survival. Interestingly, in mixed bone marrow chimeric mice reconstituted with both wild-type and T cell-specific Tsc1-deficient bone marrow cells, Tsc1 deficiency leads to enhanced GC-Tfh cell differentiation of wild-type CD4 T cells and increased accumulation of wild-type T regulatory cells and T follicular regulatory cells. Such bystander GC-Tfh cell differentiation suggests a potential mechanism that could trigger self-reactive GC-Tfh cell/GC responses and autoimmunity via neighboring GC-Tfh cells.


Author(s):  
Aklima Akter ◽  
Meagan Kelly ◽  
Richelle C. Charles ◽  
Jason B. Harris ◽  
Stephen B. Calderwood ◽  
...  

Oral cholera vaccination protects against cholera; however, responses in young children are low and of short duration. The best current correlates of protection against cholera target Vibrio cholerae O-specific polysaccharide (anti-OSP), including vibriocidal responses. A cholera conjugate vaccine has been developed that induces anti-OSP immune responses, including memory B-cell responses. To address whether cholera conjugate vaccine would boost immune responses following oral cholera vaccination, we immunized mice with oral cholera vaccine Inaba CVD 103-HgR or buffer only (placebo) on day 0, followed by parenteral boosting immunizations on days 14, 42, and 70 with cholera conjugate vaccine Inaba OSP: recombinant tetanus toxoid heavy chain fragment or PBS/placebo. Compared with responses in mice immunized with oral vaccine alone or intramuscular cholera conjugate vaccine alone, mice receiving combination vaccination developed significantly higher vibriocidal, IgM OSP-specific serum responses and OSP-specific IgM memory B-cell responses. A combined vaccination approach, which includes oral cholera vaccination followed by parenteral cholera conjugate vaccine boosting, results in increased immune responses that have been associated with protection against cholera. These results suggest that such an approach should be evaluated in humans.


Author(s):  
Anna E. Oja ◽  
Anno Saris ◽  
Cherien A. Ghandour ◽  
Natasja A.M. Kragten ◽  
Boris M. Hogema ◽  
...  

AbstractSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Understanding both the immunological processes providing specific immunity and potential immunopathology underlying the pathogenesis of this disease may provide valuable insights for potential therapeutic interventions. Here, we quantified SARS-CoV-2 specific immune responses in patients with different clinical courses. Compared to individuals with a mild clinical presentation, CD4+ T cell responses were qualitatively impaired in critically ill patients. Strikingly, however, in these patients the specific IgG antibody response was remarkably strong. The observed disparate T and B cell responses could be indicative of a deregulated immune response in critically ill COVID-19 patients.


2007 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. 4138-4147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna K. Hansen ◽  
Karen P. Demick ◽  
John M. Mansfield ◽  
Katrina T. Forest

ABSTRACT PilE is the primary subunit of type IV pili from Neisseria gonorrhoeae and contains a surface-exposed hypervariable region thought to be one feature of pili that has prevented development of a pilin-based vaccine. We have created a three-dimensional structure-based antigen by replacing the hypervariable region of PilE with an aspartate-glutamine linker chosen from the sequence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PilA. We then characterized murine immune responses to this novel protein to determine if conserved PilE regions could serve as a vaccine candidate. The control PilE protein elicited strong T-cell-dependent B-cell responses that are specific to epitopes in both the hypervariable deletion and control proteins. In contrast, the hypervariable deletion protein was unable to elicit an immune response in mice, suggesting that in the absence of the hypervariable region, the conserved regions of PilE alone are not sufficient for antibody production. Further analysis of these PilE proteins with suppressor cell assays showed that neither suppresses T- or B-cell responses, and flow cytometry experiments suggested that they do not exert suppressor effects by activating T regulatory cells. Our results show that in the murine model, the hypervariable region of PilE is required to activate immune responses to pilin, whereas the conserved regions are unusually nonimmunogenic. In addition, we show that both hypervariable and conserved regions of pilin are not suppressive, suggesting that PilE does not cause the decrease in T-cell populations observed during gonococcal cervicitis.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aereas Aung ◽  
Ang Cui ◽  
Ava P Soleimany ◽  
Maurice Bukenya ◽  
Heya Lee ◽  
...  

The structural integrity of vaccine antigens is critical, because antigen breakdown in vivo could eliminate neutralizing epitopes and create competing B cell responses against irrelevant breakdown products. Using FRET imaging and imaging zymography, we found that protease activity and antigen breakdown are spatially heterogeneous in lymph nodes. Following protein immunization, antigens are rapidly degraded in the subcapsular sinus, paracortex, and interfollicular regions of the tissue. By contrast, the follicles and follicular dendritic cell (FDC) networks exhibit low protease activity and antigen degradation rates. Immunization regimens targeting antigen rapidly to FDCs led to germinal centers (GCs) where responses to intact antigen were highly dominant, while traditional bolus immunizations led to weaker GC responses where more GC B cells bound to breakdown products than intact antigen. Thus, spatially-compartmentalized antigen proteolysis impacts humoral immunity and can be exploited to enhance vaccine-induced production of antibody responses against key pathogen structural epitopes.


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