Leishmaniasis: From Innate and Adaptive Immunity to Vaccine Development

2020 ◽  
Nanomedicine ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (29) ◽  
pp. 2883-2894
Author(s):  
Saborni Chattopadhyay ◽  
Che-Ming Jack Hu

The discovery of stimulator of interferon genes (STING) and their agonists as primary components that link antiviral innate and adaptive immunity has motivated growing research on STING agonist-mediated immunotherapy and vaccine development. To overcome the delivery challenge in shuttling highly polar STING agonists, typically in the form of cyclic dinucleotides, to target cells and to STING proteins in cellular cytosol, numerous nanoformulation strategies have been implemented for effective STING activation. While many STING-activating nanoparticles are developed to enhance anticancer immunotherapy, their adoption as vaccine adjuvant has vastly propelled antiviral vaccination efforts against challenging public health threats, including HIV, influenza and coronaviruses. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic that has thrusted vaccine development into the public spotlight, this review highlights advances in nanomedicinal STING agonist delivery with an emphasis on their applications in antiviral vaccination.


2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 435-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulf Dittmer ◽  
Kathrin Sutter ◽  
George Kassiotis ◽  
Gennadiy Zelinskyy ◽  
Zoltán Bánki ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTApproximately 4.4% of the human genome is comprised of endogenous retroviral sequences, a record of an evolutionary battle between man and retroviruses. Much of what we know about viral immunity comes from studies using mouse models. Experiments using the Friend virus (FV) model have been particularly informative in defining highly complex anti-retroviral mechanisms of the intrinsic, innate and adaptive arms of immunity. FV studies have unraveled fundamental principles about how the immune system controls both acute and chronic viral infections. They led to a more complete understanding of retroviral immunity that begins with cellular sensing, production of type I interferons, and the induction of intrinsic restriction factors. Novel mechanisms have been revealed, which demonstrate that these earliest responses affect not only virus replication, but also subsequent innate and adaptive immunity. This review on FV immunity not only surveys the complex host responses to a retroviral infection from acute infection to chronicity, but also highlights the many feedback mechanisms that regulate and counter-regulate the various arms of the immune system. In addition, the discovery of molecular mechanisms of immunity in this model have led to therapeutic interventions with implications for HIV cure and vaccine development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. e001698
Author(s):  
Haifa Maalmi ◽  
Kristiaan Wouters ◽  
Hans H C M Savelberg ◽  
Jeroen H P M van der Velde ◽  
Jos P H Reulen ◽  
...  

IntroductionDistal sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN) is common in people with diabetes but is also found in pre-diabetes. Peripheral nerve myelin damage, which can be assessed by reduced nerve conduction velocity (NCV), is an essential feature of DSPN. Emerging evidence indicates that the development of DSPN may involve the activation of the immune system. However, available studies have mainly investigated circulating immune mediators, whereas the role of immune cells remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to test whether leukocyte subsets are associated with NCV.Research design and methodsThis cross-sectional study analyzed data from 850 individuals (of whom 252 and 118 had type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes, respectively) of the Maastricht Study. NCV was measured in the peroneal and tibial motor nerves and the sural sensory nerve and summed to calculate a standardized NCV sum score. Associations between percentages of leukocyte subsets and NCV sum scores were estimated using linear regression models adjusted for demographic, lifestyle, metabolic and clinical covariates.ResultsAfter adjustment for covariates, higher percentages of basophils and CD4+ T cells were associated with lower NCV (p=0.014 and p=0.005, respectively). The percentage of CD8+ T cells was positively associated with NCV (p=0.022). These associations were not modified by glucose metabolism status (all pinteraction >0.05). No associations were found for monocytes, eosinophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes, total T cells, Treg cells and B cells.ConclusionsThe associations of basophils, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells with NCV suggest that cell types from both innate and adaptive immunity may be implicated in the development of DSPN.


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