scholarly journals Could Antigen Presenting Cells Represent a Protective Element during SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children?

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 476
Author(s):  
Rita Lauro ◽  
Natasha Irrera ◽  
Ali H. Eid ◽  
Alessandra Bitto

Antigen Presenting Cells (APC) are immune cells that recognize, process, and present antigens to lymphocytes. APCs are among the earliest immune responders against an antigen. Thus, in patients with COVID-19, a disease caused by the newly reported SARS-CoV-2 virus, the role of APCs becomes increasingly important. In this paper, we dissect the role of these cells in the fight against SARS-CoV-2. Interestingly, this virus appears to cause a higher mortality among adults than children. This may suggest that the immune system, particularly APCs, of children may be different from that of adults, which may then explain differences in immune responses between these two populations, evident as different pathological outcome. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms that differentiate juvenile from other APCs are not well understood. Whether juvenile APCs are one reason why children are less susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 requires much attention. The goal of this review is to examine the role of APCs, both in adults and children. The molecular mechanisms governing APCs, especially against SARS-CoV-2, may explain the differential immune responsiveness in the two populations.

2016 ◽  
Vol 9s1 ◽  
pp. CPath.S39925 ◽  
Author(s):  
Botros B. Shenoda ◽  
Seena K. Ajit

Exosome-mediated signaling is important in mediating the inflammatory response. To exert their biological or pathophysiological functions in the recipient cells, exosomes deliver a diverse array of biomacromolecules including long and short coding and non-coding RNAs, proteins, and lipids. Exosomes secreted by antigen-presenting cells can confer therapeutic benefits by attenuating or stimulating the immune response. Exosomes play a crucial role in carrying and presenting functional major histocompatibility peptide complexes to modulate antigen-specific T cell responses. Exosomes from Dendritic Cells (DCs) can activate T and B cells and have been explored for their immunostimulatory properties in cancer therapy. The immunosuppressive properties of exosomes derived from macrophages and DCs can reduce inflammation in animal models for several inflammatory disorders. This review focuses on the protective role of exosomes in attenuating inflammation or augmenting immune response, emphasizing studies on exosomes derived from DCs and macrophages.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 92-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grazia Maria Virzì ◽  
Jun Zhang ◽  
Federico Nalesso ◽  
Claudio Ronco ◽  
Peter A. McCullough

Backgrounds: Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells that play a central role in innate and adaptive immune responses; however, the cross talk between cardiac and renal DCs in cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) has not yet been fully elucidated. In this setting, endothelial cells (ECs) also contribute to immune responses. Summary: DC and EC activation and dysfunction have a central role in the pathogenesis of CRS. Regarding immune responses in CRS, it is unknown whether ECs may serve as antigen-presenting cells or act synergistically with DCs to actively participate in innate and adaptive immune responses. This review first focuses on the burden of concomitant heart and renal DCs in the context of CRS; it examines what is known of DCs in animal models, and proposes a central role for DCs in all types of CRS. Second, this review briefly describes the role of ECs in the context of CRS. Key Messages: Understanding the role of DCs and ECs in immune response could lead to the development of novel therapies for the prevention and treatment of CRS.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 965
Author(s):  
Sahra Bashiri ◽  
Prashamsa Koirala ◽  
Istvan Toth ◽  
Mariusz Skwarczynski

Modern subunit vaccines are composed of antigens and a delivery system and/or adjuvant (immune stimulator) that triggers the desired immune responses. Adjuvants mimic pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) that are typically associated with infections. Carbohydrates displayed on the surface of pathogens are often recognized as PAMPs by receptors on antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Consequently, carbohydrates and their analogues have been used as adjuvants and delivery systems to promote antigen transport to APCs. Carbohydrates are biocompatible, usually nontoxic, biodegradable, and some are mucoadhesive. As such, carbohydrates and their derivatives have been intensively explored for the development of new adjuvants. This review assesses the immunological functions of carbohydrate ligands and their ability to enhance systemic and mucosal immune responses against co-administered antigens. The role of carbohydrate-based adjuvants/delivery systems in the development of subunit vaccines is discussed in detail.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. eabc2331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose M. Ayuso ◽  
Shujah Rehman ◽  
Maria Virumbrales-Munoz ◽  
Patrick H. McMinn ◽  
Peter Geiger ◽  
...  

Solid tumors generate a suppressive environment that imposes an overwhelming burden on the immune system. Nutrient depletion, waste product accumulation, hypoxia, and pH acidification severely compromise the capacity of effector immune cells such as T and natural killer (NK) cells to destroy cancer cells. However, the specific molecular mechanisms driving immune suppression, as well as the capacity of immune cells to adapt to the suppressive environment, are not completely understood. Thus, here, we used an in vitro microfluidic tumor-on-a-chip platform to evaluate how NK cells respond to the tumor-induced suppressive environment. The results demonstrated that the suppressive environment created by the tumor gradually eroded NK cell cytotoxic capacity, leading to compromised NK cell surveillance and tumor tolerance. Further, NK cell exhaustion persisted for an extended period of time after removing NK cells from the microfluidic platform. Last, the addition of checkpoint inhibitors and immunomodulatory agents alleviated NK cell exhaustion.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (13) ◽  
pp. 7227
Author(s):  
Lai-San Wong ◽  
Yu-Ta Yen ◽  
Chih-Hung Lee

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a prototypic inflammatory disease that presents with intense itching. The pathophysiology of AD is multifactorial, involving environmental factors, genetic susceptibility, skin barrier function, and immune responses. A recent understanding of pruritus transmission provides more information about the role of pruritogens in the pathogenesis of AD. There is evidence that pruritogens are not only responsible for eliciting pruritus, but also interact with immune cells and act as inflammatory mediators, which exacerbate the severity of AD. In this review, we discuss the interaction between pruritogens and inflammatory molecules and summarize the targeted therapies for AD.


Author(s):  
Sebastian Wawrocki ◽  
Magdalena Druszczynska

The development of effective innate and subsequent adaptive host immune responses is highly dependent on the production of proinflammatory cytokines that increase the activity of immune cells. The key role in this process is played by inflammasomes, multimeric protein complexes serving as a platform for caspase-1, an enzyme responsible for proteolytic cleavage of IL-1βand IL-18 precursors. Inflammasome activation, which triggers the multifaceted activity of these two proinflammatory cytokines, is a prerequisite for developing an efficient inflammatory response against pathogenicMycobacterium tuberculosis(M.tb). This review focuses on the role of NLRP3 and AIM2 inflammasomes inM.tb-driven immunity.


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