scholarly journals Antigen-Specific T Cells and Cytokines Detection as Useful Tool for Understanding Immunity against Zoonotic Infections

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annalisa Agnone ◽  
Alessandra Torina ◽  
Gesualdo Vesco ◽  
Sara Villari ◽  
Fabrizio Vitale ◽  
...  

Zoonoses include a broad range of diseases, that are becoming of great interest, due to the climate changing, that cause the adaptation of vectors to new niches and environments. Host immune responses play a crucial role in determining the outcome of infections, as documented by expansion of antigen-specific T cells during several zoonotic infections. Thus, understanding of the contribution of antigen-specific T-cell subsets in the host immune response is a powerful tool to evaluate the different immunological mechanisms involved in zoonotic infections and for the development of effective vaccines. In this paper we discuss the role of T cells in some eukaryotic and prokaryotic infectious models.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agam Prasad Singh ◽  
Afshana Quadiri ◽  
Mohammad Kashif ◽  
Inderjeet Kalia

Major developments have been made in the past many years to characterize and explore potential vaccine candidates that can induce host immune responses against parasite. These advances were based on the fact that the induction of host immune responses could effectively target parasite at different stages of its life cycle and thus, abrogate Plasmodium infections. The role of T-cells against malaria comes from initial studies on rodents showing these cells could inhibit parasite development during pre-erythrocytic stages. Since then, the importance of the cellular immune responses against malaria has been increasingly emphasized, especially for vaccine development against pre-erythrocytic stages. Previous work in our laboratory has confirmed that SLTRiP confers protection against the pre-erythrocytic stage of Plasmodium growth in rodents. Here we report that the protection is mainly due to cell mediated immune responses and Pb SLTRiP specific cellular memory responses could be efficiently recalled in mice challenged with P. berghei parasites even after a year following immunization. Our results thereby, highlight the role of the T cell response involved in protection. Characterization of T-cells by intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) revealed that the induced T cells were polyfunctional and involved in secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines which mediate anti-parasitic activity. The findings contribute to our understanding of the immunological mechanisms underlying the protective vaccines.


Author(s):  
Kristen Orumaa ◽  
Margaret R. Dunne

AbstractCOVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It was first documented in late 2019, but within months, a worldwide pandemic was declared due to the easily transmissible nature of the virus. Research to date on the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 has focused largely on conventional B and T lymphocytes. This review examines the emerging role of unconventional T cell subsets, including γδ T cells, invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells and mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells in human SARS-CoV-2 infection.Some of these T cell subsets have been shown to play protective roles in anti-viral immunity by suppressing viral replication and opsonising virions of SARS-CoV. Here, we explore whether unconventional T cells play a protective role in SARS-CoV-2 infection as well. Unconventional T cells are already under investigation as cell-based immunotherapies for cancer. We discuss the potential use of these cells as therapeutic agents in the COVID-19 setting. Due to the rapidly evolving situation presented by COVID-19, there is an urgent need to understand the pathogenesis of this disease and the mechanisms underlying its immune response. Through this, we may be able to better help those with severe cases and lower the mortality rate by devising more effective vaccines and novel treatment strategies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergej Tomić ◽  
Jelena Đokić ◽  
Dejan Stevanović ◽  
Nataša Ilić ◽  
Alisa Gruden-Movsesijan ◽  
...  

Widespread coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 is causing pneumonia, respiratory and multiorgan failure in susceptible individuals. Dysregulated immune response marks severe COVID-19, but the immunological mechanisms driving COVID-19 pathogenesis are still largely unknown, which is hampering the development of efficient treatments. Here we analyzed ~140 parameters of cellular and humoral immune response in peripheral blood of 41 COVID-19 patients and 16 age/gender-matched healthy donors by flow-cytometry, quantitative PCR, western blot and ELISA, followed by integrated correlation analyses with ~30 common clinical and laboratory parameters. We found that lymphocytopenia in severe COVID-19 patients (n=20) strongly affects T, NK and NKT cells, but not B cells and antibody production. Unlike increased activation of ICOS-1+ CD4+ T cells in mild COVID-19 patients (n=21), T cells in severe patients showed impaired activation, low IFN-γ production and high functional exhaustion, which correlated with significantly down-regulated HLA-DR expression in monocytes, dendritic cells and B cells. The latter phenomenon was followed by lower interferon responsive factor (IRF)-8 and autophagy-related genes expressions, and the expansion of myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC). Intriguingly, PD-L1-, ILT-3-, and IDO-1-expressing monocytic MDSC were the dominant producers of IL-6 and IL-10, which correlated with the increased inflammation and accumulation of regulatory B and T cell subsets in severe COVID-19 patients. Overall, down-regulated IRF-8 and autophagy-related genes expression, and the expansion of MDSC subsets could play critical roles in dysregulating T cell response in COVID-19, which could have large implications in diagnostics and design of novel therapeutics for this disease.


Author(s):  
Moritz Anft ◽  
Krystallenia Paniskaki ◽  
Arturo Blazquez-Navarro ◽  
Adrian Doevelaar ◽  
Felix S. Seibert ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundThe efficacy of the humoral and cellular immunity determines the outcome of viral infections. An appropriate immune response mediates protection, whereas an overwhelming immune response has been associated with immune-mediated pathogenesis in viral infections. The current study explored the general and SARS-CoV-2 specific cellular and humoral immune status in patients with different COVID-19 severities.MethodsIn this prospective study, we included 53 patients with moderate, severe, and critical COVID-19 manifestations comparing their quantitative, phenotypic, and functional characteristics of circulating immune cells, SARS-CoV-2 antigen specific T-cells, and humoral immunity.ResultsSignificantly diminished frequencies of CD8+T-cells, CD4+ and CD8+T-cell subsets with activated differentiated memory/effector phenotype and migratory capacity were found in circulation in patients with severe and/or critical COVID-19 as compared to patients with moderate disease. Importantly, the improvement of the clinical courses from severe to moderate was accompanied by an improvement in the T-cell subset alterations. Furthermore, we surprisingly observed a detectable SARS-CoV-2-reactive T-cell response in all three groups after stimulation with SARS-CoV-2 S-protein overlapping peptide pool already at the first visit. Of note, patients with a critical COVID-19 demonstrated a stronger response of SARS-CoV-2-reactive T-cells producing Th1 associated inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, clear correlation between antibody titers and SARS-CoV-2-reactive CD4+ frequencies underscore the role of specific immunity in disease progression.ConclusionOur data demonstrate that depletion of activated memory phenotype circulating T-cells and a strong SARS-CoV-2-specific cellular and humoral immunity are associated with COVID-19 disease severity. This counter-intuitive finding may have important implications for diagnostic, therapeutic and prophylactic COVID-19 management.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Reiser ◽  
Arnob Banerjee

The adaptive immune system plays a pivotal role in the host’s ability to mount an effective, antigen-specific immune response against tumors. CD8+tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) mediate tumor rejection through recognition of tumor antigens and direct killing of transformed cells. In growing tumors, TILs are often functionally impaired as a result of interaction with, or signals from, transformed cells and the tumor microenvironment. These interactions and signals can lead to transcriptional, functional, and phenotypic changes in TILs that diminish the host’s ability to eradicate the tumor. In addition to effector and memory CD8+T cells, populations described as exhausted, anergic, senescent, and regulatory CD8+T cells have been observed in clinical and basic studies of antitumor immune responses. In the context of antitumor immunity, these CD8+T cell subsets remain poorly characterized in terms of fate-specific biomarkers and transcription factor profiles. Here we discuss the current characterization of CD8+T cell fates in antitumor immune responses and discuss recent insights into how signals in the tumor microenvironment influence TIL transcriptional networks to promote CD8+T cell dysfunction.


2012 ◽  
Vol 131 (11) ◽  
pp. 2573-2583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naruyasu Kakita ◽  
Tatsuya Kanto ◽  
Ichiyo Itose ◽  
Shoko Kuroda ◽  
Michiyo Inoue ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Gaballa ◽  
Lucas C. M. Arruda ◽  
Emelie Rådestad ◽  
Michael Uhlin

The role of gamma delta (γδ) T cells in human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) immune surveillance has been the focus of research interest for years. Recent reports have shown a substantial clonal proliferation of γδ T cells in response to HCMV, shedding light on the adaptive immune response of γδ T cells. Nevertheless, most efforts have focused on Vδ2negγδ T cell subset while less attention has been given to investigate other less common γδ T cell subsets. In this regard, a distinct subpopulation of γδ T cells that expresses the CD8 coreceptor (CD8+γδ T cells) has not been thoroughly explored. Whether it is implicated in HCMV response and its ability to generate adaptive response has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we combined flow cytometry and immune sequencing of the TCR γ-chain (TRG) to analyze in-depth bone marrow (BM) graft γδ T cells from CMV seropositive (CMV+) and CMV seronegative (CMV-) donors. We showed that the frequency of CD8+γδ T cells was significantly higher in CMV+ grafts compared to CMV- grafts (P<0.001). Further characterization revealed that CD8+γδ T cells from CMV+ grafts express Vγ9- and preferentially differentiated from a naive to terminal effector memory phenotype (CD27low/-CD45RO-). In line with these findings, TRG immune sequencing revealed clonal focusing and reduced usage of the Vγ9/JP gene segment in a CMV+ graft. Furthermore, CD8+γδ T cells showed an enhanced response to TCR/CD3 and cytokine stimulation in contrast to CD8-γδ T cells. We conclude that γδ T cells in BM grafts are reshaped by donor CMV serostatus and highlight the potential adaptive role of CD8+γδ T cells in HCMV immune response.


2017 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayara F. Maggioli ◽  
Steve Lawson ◽  
Marcelo de Lima ◽  
Lok R. Joshi ◽  
Tatiane C. Faccin ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Senecavirus A (SVA), an emerging picornavirus of swine, causes vesicular disease (VD) that is clinically indistinguishable from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in pigs. Many aspects of SVA interactions with the host and the host immune responses to infection, however, remain unknown. In the present study, humoral and cellular immune responses to SVA were evaluated following infection in pigs. We show that SVA infection elicited an early and robust virus-neutralizing (VN) antibody response, which coincided and was strongly correlated with VP2- and VP3-specific IgM responses. Notably, the neutralizing antibody (NA) responses paralleled the reduction of viremia and resolution of the disease. Analysis of the major porcine T-cell subsets revealed that during the acute/clinical phase of SVA infection (14 days postinfection [p.i.]), T-cell responses were characterized by an increased frequency of αβ T cells, especially CD4 + T cells, which were first detected by day 7 p.i. and increased in frequency until day 14 p.i. Additionally, the frequency of CD8 + and double-positive CD4 + CD8 + T cells (effector/memory T cells) expressing interferon gamma (IFN-γ) or proliferating in response to SVA antigen stimulation increased after day 10 p.i. Results presented here show that SVA elicits B- and T-cell activation early upon infection, with IgM antibody levels being correlated with early neutralizing activity against the virus and peak B- and T-cell responses paralleling clinical resolution of the disease. The work provides important insights into the immunological events that follow SVA infection in the natural host. IMPORTANCE Senecavirus A (SVA) has recently emerged in swine, causing outbreaks of vesicular disease (VD) in major swine-producing countries around the world, including the United States, Brazil, China, Thailand, and Colombia. Notably, SVA-induced disease is clinically indistinguishable from other high-consequence VDs of swine, such as FMD, swine vesicular disease, vesicular stomatitis, and vesicular exanthema of swine. Despite the clinical relevance of SVA-induced VD, many aspects of the virus infection biology remain unknown. Here, we assessed host immune responses to SVA infection. The results show that SVA infection elicits early B- and T-cell responses, with the levels of VN antibody and CD4 + T-cell responses paralleling the reduction of viremia and resolution of the disease. SVA-specific CD8 + T cells are detected later during infection. A better understanding of SVA interactions with the host immune system may allow the design and implementation of improved control strategies for this important pathogen of swine.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A438-A438
Author(s):  
Mara Shainheit ◽  
Devin Champagne ◽  
Gabriella Santone ◽  
Syukri Shukor ◽  
Ece Bicak ◽  
...  

BackgroundATLASTM is a cell-based bioassay that utilizes a cancer patient‘s own monocyte-derived dendritic cells and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells to screen their mutanome and identify neoantigens that elicit robust anti-tumor T cell responses, as well as, deleterious InhibigensTM.1 GEN-009, a personalized vaccine comprised of 4–20 ATLAS-identified neoantigens combined with Hiltonol®, harnesses the power of neoantigen-specific T cells to treat individuals with solid tumors. The safety and efficacy of GEN-009 is being assessed in a phase 1/2a clinical trial (NCT03633110).MethodsA cohort of 15 adults with solid tumors were enrolled in the study. During the screening period, patients received standard of care PD-1-based immunotherapies appropriate for their tumor type. Subsequently, patients were immunized with GEN-009 with additional doses administered at 3, 6, 12, and 24 weeks. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected at baseline, pre-vaccination (D1), as well as 29, 50, 92, and 176 days post first dose. Vaccine-induced immunogenicity and persistence were assessed by quantifying neoantigen-specific T cell responses in ex vivo and in vitro stimulation dual-analyte fluorospot assays. Polyfunctionality of neoantigen-specific T cells was evaluated by intracellular cytokine staining. Additionally, potential correlations between the ATLAS-identified profile and vaccine-induced immunogenicity were assessed.ResultsGEN-009 augmented T cell responses in 100% of evaluated patients, attributable to vaccine and not checkpoint blockade. Furthermore, neoantigen-induced secretion of IFNγ and/or TNFα by PBMCs, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells was observed in all patients. Responses were primarily from polyfunctional TEM cells and detectable in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets. Some patients had evidence of epitope spreading. Unique response patterns were observed for each patient with no apparent relationship between tumor types and time to emergence, magnitude or persistence of response. Ex vivo vaccine-induced immune responses were observed as early as 1 month, and in some cases, persisted for 176 days. Clinical efficacy possibly attributable to GEN-009 was observed in several patients, but no correlation has yet been identified with neoantigen number or magnitude of immune response.ConclusionsATLAS empirically identifies stimulatory neoantigens using the patient‘s own immune cells. GEN-009, which is comprised of personalized, ATLAS-identified neoantigens, elicits early, long-lasting and polyfunctional neoantigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in individuals with advanced cancer. Several patients achieved clinical responses that were possibly attributable to vaccine; efforts are underway to explore T cell correlates of protection. These data support that GEN-009, in combination with checkpoint blockade, represents a unique approach to treat solid tumors.AcknowledgementsWe are grateful to the patients and their families who consented to participate in the GEN-009-101 clinical trial.Trial RegistrationNCT03633110Ethics ApprovalThis study was approved by Western Institutional Review Board, approval number 1-1078861-1. All subjects contributing samples provided signed individual informed consent.ReferenceDeVault V, Starobinets H, Adhikari S, Singh S, Rinaldi S, Classon B, Flechtner J, Lam H. Inhibigens, personal neoantigens that drive suppressive T cell responses, abrogate protection of therapeutic anti-tumor vaccines. J. Immunol 2020; 204(1 Supplement):91.15.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline Teixeira ◽  
Alexandria Gillespie ◽  
Alehegne Yirsaw ◽  
Emily Britton ◽  
Janice Telfer ◽  
...  

Pathogenic Leptospira species cause leptospirosis, a neglected zoonotic disease recognized as a global public health problem. It is also the cause of the most common cattle infection that results in major economic losses due to reproductive problems. γδ T cells play a role in the protective immune response in livestock species against Leptospira while human γδ T cells also respond to Leptospira. Thus, activation of γδ T cells has emerged as a potential component for optimization of vaccine strategies. Bovine γδ T cells proliferate and produce IFN-γ in response to vaccination with inactivated leptospires and this response is mediated by a specific subpopulation of the WC1-bearing γδ T cells. WC1 molecules are members of the group B scavenger receptor cysteine rich (SRCR) superfamily and are composed of multiple SRCR domains, of which particular extracellular domains act as ligands for Leptospira. Since WC1 molecules function as both pattern recognition receptors and γδ TCR coreceptors, the WC1 system has been proposed as a novel target to engage γδ T cells. Here, we demonstrate the involvement of leptospiral protein antigens in the activation of WC1+ γδ T cells and identified two leptospiral outer membrane proteins able to interact directly with them. Interestingly, we show that the protein-specific γδ T cell response is composed of WC1.1+ and WC1.2+ subsets, although a greater number of WC1.1+ γδ T cells respond. Identification of protein antigens will enhance our understanding of the role γδ T cells play in the leptospiral immune response and in recombinant vaccine development.


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