Review
Immunology
Busranur Geckin, Friedrich Konstantin Fohse, Jorge Dominguez-Andres, Mihai G. Netea
Summary: The concept of only adaptive immunity being able to build immunological memory has been challenged in the past decade. It has been shown that live attenuated vaccines can reduce overall mortality beyond their effects on targeted diseases. After encountering a primary stimulus, changes in bone marrow progenitor cells and tissue immune cell populations result in enhanced immune responses against a secondary challenge.
CURRENT OPINION IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Dearbhla M. Murphy, Kingston H. G. Mills, Sharee A. Basdeo
Summary: Trained immunity, also known as innate immune training, involves the medium-term epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming of innate immune cells in response to an initial challenge, resulting in altered responses to subsequent challenges. It can lead to increased production of proinflammatory mediators, affect T cell responses, and create a new immune pattern that interacts with adaptive immunity.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Simona Arientova, Katerina Matuskova, Oldrich Bartos, Michal Holub, Ondrej Beran
Summary: This study examined the dynamics and duration of immune responses after a three-dose regimen of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. The results showed that the vaccine induced potent and enduring humoral and cellular immune responses, with enhanced protection after the third dose that remained stable up to a year later.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Immunology
Samer Singh, Dhiraj Kishore, Rakesh K. Singh
Summary: The preventive variables for childhood leukemia incidence are still unknown. Previous assertions about the potential protective effect of childhood vaccinations, particularly BCG, have been disputed due to inconsistent results in different studies. A recent examination of childhood leukemia incidence in European countries with similar confounders but varying BCG vaccination coverage has shown a negative correlation with Mycobacterium spp. exposure in BCG-vaccinated children. This suggests that early childhood BCG vaccination and subsequent trained immunity from exposure to Mycobacterium spp. may play a role in preventing and protecting against childhood leukemia.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Shivani Singh, Noemi Alejandra Saavedra-Avila, Sangeeta Tiwari, Steven A. Porcelli
Summary: BCG has been used as a tuberculosis vaccine since 1921 and is currently the only approved vaccine for this infection. Recent research has shown that BCG not only protects against disease progression, but also against initial infection, highlighting the importance of understanding the immune mechanisms involved. This review explores the components of immunity enhanced by BCG vaccination, and the efforts to improve its efficacy through recombinant strains and non-traditional routes. The ability of BCG to confer trained immunity in a non-specific manner is also discussed.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Henok Andualem, Elysia Hollams, Tobias R. Kollmann, Nelly Amenyogbe
Summary: BCG is a widely used vaccine with a long history and various medical applications. However, the mechanisms behind its broad benefits are still not well understood.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Srabanti Rakshit, Vasista Adiga, Asma Ahmed, Chaitra Parthiban, Nirutha Chetan Kumar, Pratibha Dwarkanath, Sudarshan Shivalingaiah, Srishti Rao, George D'Souza, Mary Dias, Thomas J. A. Maguire, Katie J. J. Doores, Martijn Zoodsma, Busranur Geckin, Prokar Dasgupta, Sudhir Babji, Krista E. E. van Meijgaarden, Simone J. A. Joosten, Tom H. M. Ottenhoff, Yang Li, Mihai G. G. Netea, Kenneth D. D. Stuart, Stephen C. C. De Rosa, M. Juliana McElrath, Annapurna Vyakarnam
Summary: This study demonstrates that prior BCG revaccination can enhance the antibody and T-cell responses induced by the COVISHIELD (TM) vaccine, providing strong evidence for the adjuvant effect of BCG and supporting its use to enhance adaptive immune responses to current and emerging COVID-19 vaccines.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Camila Covian, Mariana Rios, Roslye Berrios-Rojas, Susan M. Bueno, Alexis M. Kalergis
Summary: Vaccines play a crucial role in protecting humans from various pathogens and can induce trained immunity, providing non-specific memory against a wide range of pathogens. Recombinant BCG vaccines have shown potential in combating respiratory syncytial virus and metapneumovirus by simultaneously inducing specific adaptive immunity and non-specific trained immunity, offering broader protection against pathogenic viruses.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Esther Broset, Jacobo Pardo-Seco, Alex Kanno, Nacho Aguilo, Ana Isabel Dacosta, Irene Rivero-Calle, Jesus Gonzalo-Asensio, Camille Locht, Luciana C. C. Leite, Carlos Martin, Federico Martinon-Torres
Summary: The study showed that BCG and MTBVAC administered before DTaP can induce Th1 immune responses against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis in mice, while DTaP alone fails to trigger the same response. Analysis of human epidemiological data revealed that countries using both DTaP and BCG had significantly lower pertussis incidence compared to countries using only DTaP.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nicolas Serafini, Angelique Jarade, Laura Surace, Pedro Goncalves, Odile Sismeiro, Hugo Varet, Rachel Legendre, Jean-Yves Coppee, Olivier Disson, Scott K. Durum, Gad Frankel, James P. Di Santo
Summary: Group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) in the intestine remain activated for months after exposure to Citrobacter rodentium, leading to enhanced immune response and defense capability. These trained ILC3s undergo metabolic changes and exhibit enhanced proliferative capacity and IL-22 production.
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Jingjing Chen, Li Gao, Xinya Wu, Yuxin Fan, Meixiao Liu, Li Peng, Jieqin Song, Bingxue Li, Aihua Liu, Fukai Bao
Summary: The BCG vaccine, discovered a century ago, is not only effective in preventing tuberculosis but also has a non-specific protective effect known as trained immunity, mediated by innate immune cells. Trained immunity, involving epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming, as well as long-term protection by hematopoietic stem cells, has shown beneficial effects on cancer, viral infections, autoimmune diseases, and other diseases. The immune response modulation by BCG has led to the development of recombinant vaccines, and further exploration of its potential role is of great significance for disease prevention and treatment.
JOURNAL OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Alisha Kang, Gluke Ye, Ramandeep Singh, Sam Afkhami, Jegarubee Bavananthasivam, Xiangqian Luo, Maryam Vaseghi-Shanjani, Fatemah Aleithan, Anna Zganiacz, Mangalakumari Jeyanathan, Zhou Xing
Summary: BCG vaccine can provide non-specific protection against unrelated pathogens by modulating the innate immune system, known as trained innate immunity. A study shows that subcutaneous BCG vaccination can enhance innate protection against heterologous respiratory bacterial infections, and this enhanced protection is mediated by increased neutrophilia in the lung, independent of centrally trained circulating monocytes. This study provides new insights for designing novel effective vaccination strategies against unrelated respiratory bacterial pathogens.
EMBO MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Nicole L. Messina, Mariana G. Sperotto, Marco A. M. Puga, Patricia V. da Silva, Roberto D. de Oliveira, Cecilia L. Moore, Laure F. Pittet, Tenaya Jamieson, Margareth Dalcolmo, Glauce dos Santos, Bruno Jardim, Marcus V. G. Lacerda, Nigel Curtis, Julio Croda, BRACE Trial Consortium Grp
Summary: This study compared antibody responses to CoronaVac (Sinovac) and ChAdOx1-S (AstraZeneca-Oxford) vaccines in 874 healthcare workers in Brazil. The results showed that ChAdOx1-S induced a stronger anti-spike IgG response than CoronaVac. Recent BCG vaccination did not affect the antibody responses to either vaccine.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Gurpreet Kaur, Sanpreet Singh, Sidhanta Nanda, Mohammad Adeel Zafar, Jonaid Ahmad Malik, Mohammad Umar Arshi, Taruna Lamba, Javed Naim Agrewala
Summary: The BCG vaccine, used against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is known to induce non-specific heterologous immunity and may have a role in protecting against COVID-19. However, the effectiveness of vaccines against COVID-19 remains uncertain.
Review
Immunology
Samanta C. Funes, Mariana Rios, Ayleen Fernandez-Fierro, Maria S. Di Genaro, Alexis M. Kalergis
Summary: A dysregulated immune response is a characteristic of autoimmune and autoinflammatory disorders. Monocytes and macrophages (Mo/Ma) have been found to significantly contribute to the development of both types of diseases, but their functional plasticity makes it difficult to understand their exact role.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Allergy
Bowen Zhang, Lennart M. Roesner, Stephan Traidl, Valerie A. C. M. Koeken, Cheng-Jian Xu, Thomas Werfel, Yang Li
Summary: Single-cell analysis of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis patients revealed disease-specific T cell clusters and identified cell type-specific gene expression associated with inflammation signatures and disease severity. The study shed light on the complexity of inflammatory responses and provided valuable insights for further investigation and therapeutic approaches for these chronic inflammatory skin diseases.
Article
Agronomy
Xiquan Wang, Hongyuan Zhang, Zhizhong Zhang, Chenping Zhang, Kai Zhang, Huancheng Pang, Stephen M. Bell, Yuyi Li, Ji Chen
Summary: The relationship between salt-affected soils and their adjacent river systems is important for addressing the challenges of soil salinization in agriculture. A study found that the distance along the river is closely related to the level of soil salinization, with soil salinity increasing as the distance along the river increases. This is likely due to the leaching of ions from upstream soils and their accumulation in downstream soils.
AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jose Manuel Sanchez-Maldonado, Antonio Jose Cabrera-Serrano, Subhayan Chattopadhyay, Daniele Campa, Maria del Pilar Garrido, Angelica Macauda, Rob Ter Horst, Andres Jerez, Mihai G. G. Netea, Yang Li, Kari Hemminki, Federico Canzian, Asta Foersti, Juan Sainz
Summary: This study found that obesity-related genetic variants do not impact the risk of developing MM, based on genomic association studies conducted in German and Spanish populations.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Antonio Jose Cabrera-Serrano, Jose Manuel Sanchez-Maldonado, Rob ter Horst, Angelica Macauda, Paloma Garcia-Martin, Yolanda Benavente, Stefano Landi, Alyssa Clay-Gilmour, Yasmeen Niazi, Blanca Espinet, Juan Jose Rodriguez-Sevilla, Eva Maria Perez, Rossana Maffei, Gonzalo Blanco, Matteo Giaccherini, James R. Cerhan, Roberto Marasca, Miguel Angel Lopez-Nevot, Tzu Chen-Liang, Hauke Thomsen, Irene Gamez, Daniele Campa, Victor Moreno, Silvia de Sanjose, Rafael Marcos-Gragera, Maria Garcia-Alvarez, Trinidad Dierssen-Sotos, Andres Jerez, Aleksandra Butrym, Aaron D. Norman, Mario Luppi, Susan L. Slager, Kari Hemminki, Yang Li, Sonja I. Berndt, Delphine Casabonne, Miguel Alcoceba, Anna Puiggros, Mihai G. Netea, Asta Foersti, Federico Canzian, Juan Sainz
Summary: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common leukemia among adults worldwide. However, a study found that the GWAS-identified risk variants for CLL do not significantly impact overall survival and disease progression in CLL patients. The polygenic risk scores (PRSs) built with these risk variants also have limited accuracy in predicting patient survival and disease progression.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Esther Clavero, Jose Manuel Sanchez-Maldonado, Angelica Macauda, Rob Ter Horst, Belem Sampaio-Marques, Artur Jurczyszyn, Alyssa Clay-Gilmour, Angelika Stein, Michelle A. T. Hildebrandt, Niels Weinhold, Gabriele Buda, Ramon Garcia-Sanz, Waldemar Tomczak, Ulla Vogel, Andres Jerez, Daria Zawirska, Marzena Watek, Jonathan N. Hofmann, Stefano Landi, John J. Spinelli, Aleksandra Butrym, Abhishek Kumar, Joaquin Martinez-Lopez, Sara Galimberti, Maria Eugenia Sarasquete, Edyta Subocz, Elzbieta Iskierka-Jazdzewska, Graham G. Giles, Malwina Rybicka-Ramos, Marcin Kruszewski, Niels Abildgaard, Francisco Garcia Verdejo, Pedro Sanchez Rovira, Miguel Inacio da Silva Filho, Katalin Kadar, Malgorzata Razny, Wendy Cozen, Matteo Pelosini, Manuel Jurado, Parveen Bhatti, Marek Dudzinski, Agnieszka Druzd-Sitek, Enrico Orciuolo, Yang Li, Aaron D. Norman, Jan Maciej Zaucha, Rui Manuel Reis, Miroslaw Markiewicz, Juan Jose Rodriguez Sevilla, Vibeke Andersen, Krzysztof Jamroziak, Kari Hemminki, Sonja I. Berndt, Vicent Rajkumar, Grzegorz Mazur, Shaji K. Kumar, Paula Ludovico, Arnon Nagler, Stephen J. Chanock, Charles Dumontet, Mitchell J. Machiela, Judit Varkonyi, Nicola J. Camp, Elad Ziv, Annette Juul Vangsted, Elizabeth E. Brown, Daniele Campa, Celine M. Vachon, Mihai G. Netea, Federico Canzian, Asta Foersti, Juan Sainz
Summary: By conducting a meta-analysis on the germline genetic data of 234 autophagy-related genes from three independent study populations, we investigated the influence of autophagy-related variants on the risk of Multiple Myeloma (MM) and examined the functional mechanisms behind the observed associations. We identified SNPs within the six CD46, IKBKE, PARK2, ULK4, ATG5, and CDKN2A loci associated with MM risk and found that their effect on disease risk was mediated by specific subsets of immune cells, as well as vitamin D3-, MCP-2-, and IL20-dependent mechanisms.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Aiping Zhang, Xiao Wang, Yunying Fang, Xueyang Sun, Ehsan Tavakkoli, Yuyi Li, Di Wu, Zhangliu Du
Summary: A 9-year field trial in a temperate agroecosystem of North China reveals that biochar application is more effective than stubble management in increasing soil organic carbon accumulation and preservation, especially in microaggregates and organo-mineral complexes.
JOURNAL OF SOILS AND SEDIMENTS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Wenchao Li, Simone J. C. F. M. Moorlag, Valerie A. C. M. Koeken, Rutger J. Roring, L. Charlotte J. de Bree, Vera P. Mourits, Manoj K. Gupta, Bowen Zhang, Jianbo Fu, Zhenhua Zhang, Inge Grondman, Krista E. van Meijgaarden, Liang Zhou, Ahmed Alaswad, Leo A. B. Joosten, Reinout van Crevel, Cheng-Jian Xu, Mihai G. Netea, Yang Li
Summary: BCG vaccination induces trained immunity in humans, resulting in an enhanced response of innate immune cells to different stimuli. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, this study investigates the heterogeneity of trained immunity induction by BCG vaccination. The findings reveal the diverse transcriptional responses of monocytes and CD8+ T cells and their active crosstalk, the critical role of the interferon-g pathway, and the important transcription factor STAT1. The study also highlights the relevance of type I interferon and neutrophil-related transcriptional programs in sepsis patients.
Article
Cell Biology
Anaisa V. Ferreira, Sarantos Kostidis, Laszlo A. Groh, Valerie A. C. M. Koeken, Mariolina Bruno, Ilayda Baydemir, Gizem Kilic, Ozlem Bulut, Theano Andriopoulou, Victoria Spanou, Kalliopi D. Synodinou, Theologia Gkavogianni, Simone J. C. F. M. Moorlag, L. Charlotte de Bree, Vera P. Mourits, Vasiliki Matzaraki, Werner J. H. Koopman, Frank L. van de Veerdonk, Georgios Renieris, Martin Giera, Evangelos J. Giamarellos-Bourboulis, Boris Novakovic, Jorge Dominguez-Andres
Summary: Dimethyl itaconate can induce long-term trained immunity, enhancing responsiveness to microbial stimulation and improving survival rate in infection.
Article
Immunology
Konstantin Fohse, Esther J. M. Taks, Simone J. C. F. M. Moorlag, Marc J. M. Bonten, Reinout van Crevel, Jaap ten Oever, Cornelis H. van Werkhoven, Mihai G. Netea, Josephine S. van de Maat, Jacobien J. Hoogerwerf
Summary: A recent study investigated the impact of circadian rhythm on the immunological effects induced by BCG vaccination. It found that BCG vaccination in the afternoon offered better protection against SARS-CoV-2 infections in the first six months after vaccination compared to morning vaccination.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Simone J. C. F. M. Moorlag, Jordy P. M. Coolen, Bart van den Bosch, Elisabeth Hui-Mei Jin, Jochem B. B. Buil, Heiman F. L. Wertheim, Willem J. G. Melchers
Summary: The study evaluates the clinical utility of a novel method called 16S RC-PCR for the identification of bacterial species. It shows that this method is more sensitive and accurate compared to the traditional 16S Sanger sequencing method, leading to improved clinical outcomes and patient care.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Konstantin Foehse, Buesra Geckin, Martijn Zoodsma, Gizem Kilic, Zhaoli Liu, Rutger J. Roering, Gijs J. Overheul, Josephine van de Maata, Ozlem Buluta, Jacobien J. Hoogerwerf, Jaap ten Oever, Elles Simonetti, Heiner Schaal, Ortwin Adams, Lisa Mueller, Philipp Niklas Ostermann, Frank L. van de Veerdonk, Leo A. B. Joosten, Bart L. Haagmans, Reinout van Crevel, Ronald P. van Rij, Corine Geurtsvankessel, Marien I. de Jonge, Yang Li, Jorge Dominguez-Andres, Mihai G. Netea
Summary: The mRNA-based BNT162b2 vaccine provides protection against severe disease and mortality caused by SARS-CoV-2 by inducing specific antibody and T-cell responses. The vaccine also modulates innate immune responses and induces long-term changes in immune cells.
CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Bowen Zhang, Zhenhua Zhang, Valerie A. C. M. Koeken, Saumya Kumar, Michelle Aillaud, Hsin-Chieh Tsay, Zhaoli Liu, Anke R. M. Kraft, Chai Fen Soon, Ivan Odak, Berislav Bosnjak, Anna Vlot, Morris A. Swertz, Uwe Ohler, Robert Geffers, Thomas Illig, Jochen Huehn, Antoine-Emmanuel Saliba, Leif Erik Sander, Reinhold Foerster, Cheng-Jian Xu, Markus Cornberg, Leon N. Schulte, Yang Li
Summary: This study identifies diverse genetic and epigenetic regulators that contribute to the severity of COVID-19 through single-cell analysis of patients.