scholarly journals Regulation of the Immune Response in Cysticercosis: Lessons from an Old Acquainted Infection

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonadab E. Olguín ◽  
Luis Ignacio Terrazas

In the last decades, we have learned some critical lessons about the relationship between the human body and its interaction with many infectious diseases, where regularly, the immune system has a major role in protection. We learned to differentiate between the immune response occurring in either an intracellular or extracellular parasitic infection, between innate and adaptive immune response, between either inflammatory or anti-inflammatory responses, and finally, we learned to recognize very particular mechanisms, such as the inability of the immune system to respond during very particular scenarios, such as the inability of T cells to both proliferate and produce cytokines even after their exposure to mitogens or specific-antigens. Along with our increase in the knowledge in immunology, we figured out that immunoregulation and immunosuppression are processes used by many parasites to reduce the capacity of the immune system to eliminate them, and to persist in the host favoring their transmission and also to complete their life cycles. Immunoregulation involves several mechanisms such as anergy, apoptosis, induction of both suppressive cytokines and membrane-bound molecules, as well as specialized cell populations of the immune system like regulatory T cells, Alternative Activated Macrophages, or Myeloid-derived Suppressor Cells, that together modify the outcome of the immune response. In this chapter we will review the general differences between the different types of immunoregulation, the kind of cellular populations of the immune system used by the helminths Taenia solium and Taenia crassiceps to induce immunoregulation and immunosuppression and also, the mechanisms used by these parasites such as mimicking molecules of the immune system to replace directly these mechanisms. Understanding and deciphering all these regulatory mechanisms could be useful to develop new tools to control this infection.

Author(s):  
Yining Liu ◽  
Tatiana Segura

Endogenous regeneration aims to rebuild and reinstate tissue function through enlisting natural self-repairing processes. Promoting endogenous regeneration by reducing tissue-damaging inflammatory responses while reinforcing self-resolving inflammatory processes is gaining popularity. In this approach, the immune system is recruited as the principal player to deposit a pro-reparative matrix and secrete pro-regenerative cytokines and growth factors. The natural wound healing cascade involves many immune system players (neutrophils, macrophages, T cells, B cells, etc.) that are likely to play important and indispensable roles in endogenous regeneration. These cells support both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system and collectively orchestrate host responses to tissue damage. As the early responders during the innate immune response, macrophages have been studied for decades in the context of inflammatory and foreign body responses and were often considered a cell type to be avoided. The view on macrophages has evolved and it is now understood that macrophages should be directly engaged, and their phenotype modulated, to guide the timely transition of the immune response and reparative environment. One way to achieve this is to design immunomodulating biomaterials that can be placed where endogenous regeneration is desired and actively direct macrophage polarization. Upon encountering these biomaterials, macrophages are trained to perform more pro-regenerative roles and generate the appropriate environment for later stages of regeneration since they bridge the innate immune response and the adaptive immune response. This new design paradigm necessitates the understanding of how material design elicits differential macrophage phenotype activation. This review is focused on the macrophage-material interaction and how to engineer biomaterials to steer macrophage phenotypes for better tissue regeneration.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 15-16
Author(s):  
Angelina Bustos ◽  
Lai Xu ◽  
Garett Dunsmore ◽  
Shokrollah Elahi

Neonates have a weakened immune system that could be due to low exposure to pathogens resulting in low adaptive immunity and/or purposeful immune suppression to protect the weak neonate from a robust immune response. The purpose of this project is to find preliminary data to further investigate why the immune system of neonates are weaker, and to possibly improve neonatal immunity while protecting against a powerful immune response in the future.  Using processed mice spleen cells that were stained for CD4 and CD8 to be subjected to flow cytometry, an increase in the percent of helper CD4 and killer CD8 T cells were observed as the mice aged. This indicates that neonates do have a weaker immune system. Between healthy mice and mice infected with either Bordetella pertussis or Listeria, a decrease in the percent of CD4 and CD8 T cells were found, which could be because not enough time had passed for an adaptive immune response.


Author(s):  
Ruurd Torensma ◽  
Petra Zusterzeel

Nowadays the positive immune involvement in the eradication of tumor cells is assigned to the adaptive immune response. By awakening of in vivo responding T cells that are suppressed by the tumor and prevents immunological cure of the cancer. The adaptive immune response is a complex of different cells and protein molecules. Normally activated T cells are well-ordered by several late occurring inhibitors to contain the response to the unknown invaders and spare the normal cells. The tumor strengthens this inhibitory response to escape from immune elimination. Immunotherapy is to unleash the full capacity of the adaptive immune system by blocking this inhibitor response by monoclonal antibodies but with the potential drawback of autoimmune phenomena. Seen the success of the immunotherapy another feature of the immune system is overlooked. Cytokines and chemokines became in oblivion after their suspected necrosis of the tumor (TNF) did not fulfil their initial hope. When patients seek help for their complaints the ovarian cancer is in most cases already metastasized to the peritoneum and omentum. Here, we show that on the one hand chemokines produced by Th2, CD8 and NK cells inhibit cancer spreading and thus leads to a better operability and thus better survival. On the other hand, chemokine receptors are expressed by the tumor that are a decoy by binding chemokines that normally should attract antigen cross-presenting dendritic cells, which start an adaptive T cell response.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
A.H.J Staal ◽  
K.R.G Cortenbach ◽  
M.A.J Gorris ◽  
G.S.C Geuzebroek ◽  
L.J Wisse ◽  
...  

Abstract Background/Introduction Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is associated with ascending aorta aneurysms and dissections. Presently, genetic factors and pathological flow patterns are considered responsible for aneurysm formation in BAV. Despite, indication for preventive surgery is presently only defined by vessel diameter which is poor marker for dissection, as it does not take other processes responsible for the vulnerability of the aorta into account. Purpose Inflammation is not considered a player in BAV aortopathy. We introduce a quantitative immunohistochemistry (IHC) approach to sensitively look at the potential role of both the innate and adaptive immune system in BAV aortopathy. Methods Dilated (n=8), non-dilated (n=14) and dissected (n=4) BAV ascending aortas were collected during surgery or from post-mortem donors. Median time from symptoms to surgery for dissections was just over 4 hours. Tissue was stained with a novel 8-colour IHC technique allowing for simultaneous visualization of 6 markers per slide, completed with DAPI nuclear counter-stain and elastin fiber autofluorescence. One panel focused on the adaptive immune system (identifying B cells and classic dendritic cells type 2 (cDC2s) and phenotyping T cells), and the other on the innate immune system (assessing macrophage polarization and neutrophil extravasation). All cells were identified and comprehensively phenotyped using automated quantitative analysis. Results Aneurysm formation was associated with an organized and consistent increase of lymphocytes in the adventitia. B cell follicles and helper T cell expansion were identified, suggestive of a targeted adaptive immune response (Fig. 1a). Only dissected aortas showed a statistically significant increase of helper T (p=0.3) and cDC2s (p=0.3) in the media, when compared to non-dilated and dilated samples (Fig. 1b). The short time between dissection symptoms and surgery suggests these cells were present before the dissection occurred. Furthermore, aneurysms and dissections are associated with a shift in macrophage phenotype to the more aggressive M1-like subset. In summary, we found that a progression of aggressive immune cells in the adventitia and media was correlated to a progression in disease state; from normal to dilated to dissected. Conclusions Aorta dilatation in patients with BAV is associated with an expansion of B and helper T cells in the adventitial compartment without changes in the media. This result might indicate an antigen-driven adaptive immune response. Only dissections show an increase in helper T cells and cDC2s in the media, together with polarization of macrophages to a more M1-like phenotype. We hypothesize that antigen-specific helper T cells expand in the adventitia, migrate to the media, and then potentiate macrophages which can eventually lead to tissue degeneration. These associations could shine light on the final step in the deterioration of the aorta towards a dissection. Figure 1. Microscopy results Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): TTW-NWO open technology grant (STW-14716), ERC-2014-StG-336454-CoNQUeST


2019 ◽  
Vol 80 (12) ◽  
pp. 999-1005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Misme-Aucouturier ◽  
Adel Touahri ◽  
Marjorie Albassier ◽  
Francine Jotereau ◽  
Patrice Le Pape ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tian-Yu Lei ◽  
Ying-Ze Ye ◽  
Xi-Qun Zhu ◽  
Daniel Smerin ◽  
Li-Juan Gu ◽  
...  

AbstractThrough considerable effort in research and clinical studies, the immune system has been identified as a participant in the onset and progression of brain injury after ischaemic stroke. Due to the involvement of all types of immune cells, the roles of the immune system in stroke pathology and associated effects are complicated. Past research concentrated on the functions of monocytes and neutrophils in the pathogenesis of ischaemic stroke and tried to demonstrate the mechanisms of tissue injury and protection involving these immune cells. Within the past several years, an increasing number of studies have elucidated the vital functions of T cells in the innate and adaptive immune responses in both the acute and chronic phases of ischaemic stroke. Recently, the phenotypes of T cells with proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory function have been demonstrated in detail. T cells with distinctive phenotypes can also influence cerebral inflammation through various pathways, such as regulating the immune response, interacting with brain-resident immune cells and modulating neurogenesis and angiogenesis during different phases following stroke. In view of the limited treatment options available following stroke other than tissue plasminogen activator therapy, understanding the function of immune responses, especially T cell responses, in the post-stroke recovery period can provide a new therapeutic direction. Here, we discuss the different functions and temporal evolution of T cells with different phenotypes during the acute and chronic phases of ischaemic stroke. We suggest that modulating the balance between the proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory functions of T cells with distinct phenotypes may become a potential therapeutic approach that reduces the mortality and improves the functional outcomes and prognosis of patients suffering from ischaemic stroke.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna H.E. Roukens ◽  
Marion König ◽  
Tim Dalebout ◽  
Tamar Tak ◽  
Shohreh Azimi ◽  
...  

AbstractThe immune system plays a major role in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pathogenesis, viral clearance and protection against re-infection. Immune cell dynamics during COVID-19 have been extensively documented in peripheral blood, but remain elusive in the respiratory tract. We performed minimally-invasive nasal curettage and mass cytometry to characterize nasal immune cells of COVID-19 patients during and 5-6 weeks after hospitalization. Contrary to observations in blood, no general T cell depletion at the nasal mucosa could be detected. Instead, we observed increased numbers of nasal granulocytes, monocytes, CD11c+ NK cells and exhausted CD4+ T effector memory cells during acute COVID-19 compared to age-matched healthy controls. These pro-inflammatory responses were found associated with viral load, while neutrophils also negatively correlated with oxygen saturation levels. Cell numbers mostly normalized following convalescence, except for persisting CD127+ granulocytes and activated T cells, including CD38+ CD8+ tissue-resident memory T cells. Moreover, we identified SARS-CoV-2 specific CD8+ T cells in the nasal mucosa in convalescent patients. Thus, COVID-19 has both transient and long-term effects on the immune system in the upper airway.


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