Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jeremiah Y. Kim, Matthew G. Rosenberger, Siquan Chen, K. M. I. P. Carman, Azadeh Bahmani, Qing Chen, Jinjing Shen, Yifeng Tang, Andrew Wang, Emma Kenna, Minjun Son, Savas Tay, Andrew L. Ferguson, Aaron P. Esser-Kahn
Summary: Stimulation of the innate immune system is crucial for vaccinations and immunotherapies. Small molecule immunomodulators can improve adjuvant activity by modulating signaling activity, allowing customization of innate responses. These modulators have various applications, ranging from prophylactics to immunotherapy enhancement.
ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Michal Scur, Brendon D. Parsons, Sayanti Dey, Andrew P. Makrigiannis
Summary: Our understanding of CTLRs has expanded beyond their initial roles in pathogen recognition, now encompassing scavenger receptor activity, cell death and cell transformation sensing, and immune response regulation. The diversity in expression and signaling activity among individual CTLR members, as well as the discovery of new receptor binding capabilities and interactions, cellular expression profiles, and receptor structures and signaling mechanisms, has revealed the defining roles of CTLRs in immunity. NK cell receptors, specifically the NKRP1 family of CTLRs, exemplify this functional diversity, displaying essential immune functions beyond NK cells. It is crucial to better understand the functional potential of these receptor families in immune defense and pathology, given the ever-expanding evidence for their involvement in various biological processes.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Angela Holder, Jeannine Kolakowski, Chloe Rosentreter, Ellen Knuepfer, Sabine A. F. Jegouzo, Oliver Rosenwasser, Heather Harris, Lotta Baumgaertel, Amanda Gibson, Dirk Werling
Summary: Innate immune receptors form complexes with secondary receptors to activate multiple signaling pathways, regulating homeostasis and immunity. A bovine homologue of Mincle (boMincle) has been characterized to be structurally and functionally similar to the human orthologue (huMincle), although there are some differences. BoMincle is predominantly expressed by myeloid cells, but mRNA transcripts were also detected in granulocytes, B cells, and T cells. BoMincle has the potential to recognize endogenous ligands, suggesting its role in homeostasis in cattle.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Jean-Yves Dube, Fiona McIntosh, Marcel A. Behr
Summary: Pattern recognition receptors Mincle and NOD2 are associated with mycobacterial immunity, but single gene knockout studies have shown mild phenotypes. Researchers hypothesized that dual knockout of Mincle and Nod2 would result in a more severe immune phenotype, but the results showed no further effect compared to Nod2 knockout alone.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Ilaria Mormile, Francesca Wanda Rossi, Nella Prevete, Francescopaolo Granata, Valentina Pucino, Amato de Paulis
Summary: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease involving innate immunity mechanisms. Formyl peptide receptors (FPRs) play a key role in modulating inflammatory responses in RA. Research suggests a potential association between FPRs and clinic-pathologic parameters in RA patients.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhi Zong, Zhengkui Zhang, Liming Wu, Long Zhang, Fangfang Zhou
Summary: Innate antiviral immunity is the first line of defense against viral pathogens, relying on pattern recognition receptors to recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns and initiate signaling cascades producing proinflammatory cytokines and IFN-I. The ubiquitin system, specifically DUBs, plays crucial roles in regulating immune responses, with viral DUBs counteracting host immunity. The potential of utilizing DUBs as therapeutic targets for infectious diseases is discussed, along with the challenges.
Review
Immunology
Jin Kyung Seok, Han Chang Kang, Yong-Yeon Cho, Hye Suk Lee, Joo Young Lee
Summary: Inflammation is a host protection mechanism that can eliminate invasive pathogens from the body, but chronic inflammation may lead to various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Recent studies have shown the significant contribution of the NLRP3 inflammasome to the pathology of various inflammatory diseases. Understanding the activation regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome by multiple signaling pathways, post-translational modifications, and cellular organelles is crucial for the development of therapeutic strategies.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Susan Breen, Rana Hussain, Emily Breeze, Hannah Brown, Ibrahim Alzwiy, Sara Abdelsayed, Trupti Gaikwad, Murray Grant
Summary: This study focuses on how well-characterized PRRs and coreceptors modulate chloroplast physiology, examining whether diverse signalling pathways converge to similarly modulate chloroplast function. Furthermore, the study unexpectedly found that even moderate changes in light intensity can uncouple plant immune signalling.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Alice J. West, Virginie Deswaerte, Alison C. West, Linden J. Gearing, Patrick Tan, Brendan J. Jenkins
Summary: Results from studying the role of NLRP3 in gastric cancer suggest that NLRP3 does not play a major role in promoting inflammasome-driven gastric tumorigenesis. Additionally, cellular processes associated with tumorigenesis and inflammasome activation levels were similar between mice with and without NLRP3. Further investigations are needed to identify the key inflammasome-associated PRR implicated in GC.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Karolina Sidor, Aldona Jeznach, Grazyna Hoser, Tomasz Skirecki
Summary: The NLRP3 inflammasome is a powerful intracellular sensor of danger and disturbances that can cause various inflammatory diseases. 1-MNA reduces the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and may be a potential therapeutic target for NLRP3-related disorders.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Kengo Nozaki, Lupeng Li, Edward A. Miao
Summary: Intracellular pathogens pose a significant threat to animals. Innate immune sensors detect these pathogens and trigger cell death responses, eliminating the infection and promoting immune responses. Pathogens evolve strategies to evade these sensors.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gabsik Yang, Han Chang Kang, Yong-Yeon Cho, Hye Suk Lee, Joo Young Lee
Summary: The inflammasome is a molecular platform that mediates the host immune response to cellular injury and infection. The NLRP3 inflammasome plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of various arthritic diseases.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Natsuki Okai, Tomohiro Watanabe, Kosuke Minaga, Ken Kamata, Hajime Honjo, Masatoshi Kudo
Summary: Crohn's disease (CD) is caused by the loss of tolerance to intestinal microbiota and excessive production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Impaired activation of pattern recognition receptor (PRR)-mediated signaling pathways and dysfunction of the autophagic machinery may be involved in the development of CD.
WORLD JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
Yinghan Wu, Yi Zheng, Yan Li, Yifeng Li, Donghong Niu
Summary: Two Fibrinogen-related proteins (FREPs), ScFREP-1 and ScFREP-2, identified in razor clams were found to play important roles in the immune response by recognizing pathogens and agglutinating invasive microbes. The expression levels of these proteins were upregulated after microbe infection, indicating their potential as pattern recognition receptors.
DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Yosuke Shikama, Mie Kurosawa, Masae Furukawa, Yasusei Kudo, Naozumi Ishimaru, Kenji Matsushita
Summary: This study found that IFN-lambda 1 enhances innate immune responses to oral viral infections by up-regulating the expression of RIG-I and TLR3, priming their functions in keratinocytes.
Article
Neurosciences
Navneesh Yadav, B. K. Thelma
Summary: Dysregulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) in astrocytes is implicated in neurodegenerative disorders. The potential chaperone role of RIC3 in nAChRs is poorly understood. This study characterized RIC3 in astrocytes derived from a del human iPSC line and found complex RNA regulatory mechanism induced by exonic deletion, contrasting effects of RIC-3 on co-expressed nAChR subtypes, and the potential of RIC3 as a drug target against ER stress for neurodegenerative disorders.
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Victoria E. J. M. Palasantzas, Isabel Tamargo-Rubio, Kieu Le, Jelle Slager, Cisca Wijmenga, Iris H. Jonkers, Vinod Kumar, Jingyuan Fu, Sebo Withoff
Summary: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous genetic variants associated with complex genetic diseases and drug efficacy. However, functional characterization of these variants is challenging due to the lack of human model systems. Organ-on-a-chip (OoC) platforms, enabled by advances in molecular and nanotechnology, provide personalized platforms for studying the impact of genetics and environment on organ physiology. This review highlights the technology and showcases the potential of OoCs in disease modeling and pharmacogenetic research.
TRENDS IN GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Iker Malaina, Luis Martinez, Juan Manuel Montoya, Santos Alonso, Maria Dolores Boyano, Aintzane Asumendi, Rosa Izu, Ana Sanchez-Diez, Goikoane Cancho-Galan, Ildefonso M. de la Fuente
Summary: The article introduces a universal mathematics-aided vaccine design method against malignant melanoma based on neoantigens. The method can be customized for each patient based on their mutanome and transcription profile. The authors extracted the most frequent mutations in melanoma and associated them with a vector of 10 components. They prepared a universal table of these mutations in decreasing order of viability for candidate vaccines.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Anirban Mukhopadhyay, Smita N. Deshpande, Triptish Bhatia, B. K. Thelma
Summary: Despite a wealth of genome-wide association data, the genetic causes of schizophrenia remain poorly understood. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which likely have regulatory roles, are emerging as key players in neuro-psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. This study prioritized important lncRNAs based on their association strength, frequency, regulatory potential, and relevance to schizophrenia. By testing specific SNPs associated with schizophrenia and its endophenotypes, the researchers identified significant associations between certain SNPs and the disease, providing evidence for the involvement of lncRNAs in schizophrenia and their interactions with protein-coding genes.
EUROPEAN ARCHIVES OF PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Buyun Dang, Qingxiang Gao, Lishan Zhang, Jia Zhang, Hanyi Cai, Yanhui Zhu, Qiumei Zhong, Junqiao Liu, Yujia Niu, Kairui Mao, Nengming Xiao, Wen-Hsien Liu, Shu-hai Lin, Jialiang Huang, Stanley Ching-Cheng Huang, Ping-Chih Ho, Shih-Chin Cheng
Summary: This study demonstrates the important role of IL-4-primed M2 macrophages in inflammation resolution and wound healing. The metabolic divergence between canonical M2 and non-canonical proinflammatory-prone M2INF macrophages occurs after the IL-4Ra/Stat6 axis, and glycolysis supports the proinflammatory phenotype of M2INF macrophages. The findings also suggest that IL-4 induction of M2INF macrophages can confer a survival advantage against bacterial infection in vivo.
Article
Biology
Hadewych ter Hofstede, Jeroen Haex, Michael Belias, Marije Oosting, Leo A. B. Joosten, Foekje F. Stelma
Summary: Little is known about the dynamics of immune responses to Borrelia spp. and the development of serological markers over time after repeated exposure to tick bites. In this study, we followed 106 forestry service workers for 8 years and found that antibody levels were positively correlated with the number of tick bites, and active smoking was associated with antibody seroconversion. Overall, we rated the importance of this study as 8 out of 10.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Martin E. Baumdick, Annika Niehrs, Frauke Degenhardt, Maria Schwerk, Ole Hinrichs, Ana Jordan-Paiz, Benedetta Padoan, Lucy H. M. Wegner, Sebastian Schloer, Britta F. Zecher, Jakob Malsy, Vinita R. Joshi, Christin Illig, Jennifer Schroeder-Schwarz, Kimberly J. Moeller, Maureen P. Martin, Yuko Yuki, Mikki Ozawa, Juergen Sauter, Alexander H. Schmidt, Daniel Perez, Anastasios D. Giannou, Mary Carrington, Randall S. Davis, Udo Schumacher, Guido Sauter, Samuel Huber, Victor G. Puelles, Nathaniel Melling, Andre Franke, Marcus Altfeld, Madeleine J. Bunders
Summary: The study identified HLA-DP401 as a risk haplotype and HLA-DP301 as a protective haplotype for UC in European populations. Higher expression of HLA-DP was observed on IECs of individuals with UC compared to controls. Interaction between HLA-DP401 and NKp44 resulted in increased damage to intestinal epithelial cells, while blocking this interaction reduced NK cell-mediated destruction in UC.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gurvisha Sandhu, Praveen Agrawal, Surojit Bose, B. K. Thelma
Summary: Standard force field-based simulations are a powerful tool for structure-based evaluations of lead molecules. By combining protein fragmentation and continuum solvation methods, quantum mechanics-based electronic structure calculations of macromolecules in realistic environments can be achieved, allowing for accurate description of electrostatics in protein-inhibitor systems and effective drug design.
JOURNAL OF BIOMOLECULAR STRUCTURE & DYNAMICS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Toyanji Joseph Punchaichira, Prachi Kukshal, Triptish Bhatia, Smita Neelkanth Deshpande, B. K. Thelma
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the association of functional splice variants in dopamine and calcium signaling pathways with schizophrenia. The results showed that these markers were not associated with schizophrenia, but were associated with tardive dyskinesia and cognitive abilities.
MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Nick Keur, Maria Saridaki, Isis Ricano-Ponce, Mihai G. Netea, Evangelos J. Giamarellos-Bourboulis, Vinod Kumar
Summary: This study identified protein biomarkers associated with COVID-19 severity through the measurement of plasma protein levels. It also identified three clinical endotypes of the disease. These findings suggest that circulating proteins may be useful for predicting COVID-19 outcomes and may be applicable to other populations.
RESPIRATORY MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Liang Zhang, Yao Jiang, Jinhang He, Junyu Chen, Ruoyao Qi, Lunzhi Yuan, Tiange Shao, Hui Zhao, Congjie Chen, Yaode Chen, Xijing Wang, Xing Lei, Qingxiang Gao, Chunlan Zhuang, Ming Zhou, Jian Ma, Wei Liu, Man Yang, Rao Fu, Yangtao Wu, Feng Chen, Hualong Xiong, Meifeng Nie, Yiyi Chen, Kun Wu, Mujin Fang, Yingbin Wang, Zizheng Zheng, Shoujie Huang, Shengxiang Ge, Shih Chin Cheng, Huachen Zhu, Tong Cheng, Quan Yuan, Ting Wu, Jun Zhang, Yixin Chen, Tianying Zhang, Changgui Li, Hai Qi, Yi Guan, Ningshao Xia
Summary: This study investigates the immune responses induced by an NS1-deleted influenza virus vectored intranasal COVID-19 vaccine (dNS1-RBD) in hamsters, which provides broad-spectrum protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants. Intranasal delivery of dNS1-RBD induces innate immunity, trained immunity, and tissue-resident memory T cells in the respiratory tract. The vaccine reduces the inflammatory response and tissue injury by suppressing viral load and cytokine levels post SARS-CoV-2 challenge.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Upasana Bhattacharyya, Preeti Deswal, Sunil Kumar Polipalli, Diksha Sharma, Manpreet Kaur, Seema Kapoor, B. K. Thelma, Serb-Nbs Initiative Grp
Summary: This study conducted a prospective screening for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency in newborns in India and found that Mediterranean mutation is the most common type. The findings can help predict the severity of the disease and guide appropriate management.
JOURNAL OF GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Abigail E. Page, Milagros Ruiz, Mark Dyble, Daniel Major-Smith, Andrea B. Migliano, Sarah Myers
Summary: Research on the Agta population in the Philippines shows that although increasing wealth inequality is associated with poor health, this relationship is not evident in small-scale societies.
EVOLUTION MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Shixian Hu, J. Casper Swarte, Yanni Li, Johannes Bjork, Ranko Gacesa, Arnau Vich Vila, Rianne Douwes, Valerie Collij, Alexander Kurilshikov, Aadrian Post, Marjolein A. Y. Klaassen, Michele F. Eisenga, Antonio W. Gomes-Neto, Daan Kremer, Bernadien H. Jansen, Tim J. Knobbe, Stefan P. Berger, Jan-Stephan F. Sanders, M. Rebecca Heiner-Fokkema, Robert J. Porte, Frans J. C. Cuperus, Vincent E. Demeijer, Cisca Wijmenga, Eleonora A. M. Festen, Alexandra Zhernakova, Jingyuan Fu, Hermie J. M. Harmsen, Hans Blokzijl, Stephan J. L. Bakker, Rinse Weersma
JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Nidhi Sharma, Pratibha Banerjee, Ajit Sood, Vandana Midha, B. K. Thelma, Sabyasachi Senapati
Summary: Clinical and public health research has identified shared genetic loci and expression QTL effects between patients with celiac disease (CD) and neuropsychiatric diseases. The MHC locus, along with other non-HLA genes, may play a dominant role in the shared pathogenesis of CD and neuropsychiatric diseases. Functional validation of these shared candidate genes is needed to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying their co-occurrence.
JOURNAL OF GENETICS
(2023)