Article
Immunology
Shubhranshu Zutshi, Aditya Yashwant Sarode, Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Mukesh Kumar Jha, Raki Sudan, Sunil Kumar, Late Parag Sadhale, Somenath Roy, Bhaskar Saha
Summary: In this study, a hypothetical protein named LmjF.36.3850 with similarities to sucrose non-fermenting protein was identified in virulent Leishmania major parasites. The protein was predicted to bind diacylglycerol and may enhance disease-promoting responses by affecting PKC activation. Vaccination with LmjF.36.3850 resulted in a skewed Th2 response in mice, indicating its potential role as a virulence factor.
Review
Immunology
Lauren A. Zenewicz
Summary: Cytokines, including IL-22, play crucial roles in inflammation, with their activity regulated by factors like IL-22BP. IL-22BP, a soluble receptor homolog, binds to IL-22 with greater affinity, impacting the biological functions of IL-22, yet further research is needed to fully understand its role and regulation mechanisms.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sama Rashidi, Seyed Nooreddin Faraji, Amirreza Javadi Mamaghani, Saeid Hatam, Bahram Kazemi, Peyman Bemani, Seyyed Javad Seyyed Tabaei, Gholamreza Hatam
Summary: Leishmaniasis, especially Cutaneous Leishmania (CL), is a major infectious disease worldwide. This study aims to design a new multi-epitope DNA vaccine using immune bioinformatics to effectively control the disease. Multiple antigens were selected and their MHC-I epitopes were used to construct the vaccine. The designed vaccine showed high stability and antigenicity, making it a suitable model for further animal and human studies.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Helen Ashwin, Jovana Sadlova, Barbora Vojtkova, Tomas Becvar, Patrick Lypaczewski, Eli Schwartz, Elizabeth Greensted, Katrien Van Bocxlaer, Marion Pasin, Kai S. Lipinski, Vivak Parkash, Greg Matlashewski, Alison M. Layton, Charles J. Lacey, Charles L. Jaffe, Petr Volf, Paul M. Kaye
Summary: Leishmaniasis is considered a vaccine-preventable disease, but costs and uncertainty hinder progress in vaccine development. Controlled human infection models offer a way to speed up vaccine development and gain better understanding of disease pathogenesis.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Tiago R. Ferreira, Ehud Inbar, Jahangheer Shaik, Brendan M. Jeffrey, Kashinath Ghosh, Deborah E. Dobson, Stephen M. Beverley, David Sacks
Summary: Leishmania, a parasitic protozoa that causes various diseases collectively known as leishmaniases, has been found to undergo sexual reproduction inside the sand fly vector midgut. This study provides the first high resolution, whole-genome sequencing analysis of self-mating in Leishmania, revealing that self-hybridization can occur with comparable frequency as interstrain mating under experimental lab conditions, leading to important genomic alterations that can potentially take place within every naturally infected sand fly.
Editorial Material
Immunology
Jinzhi Duan, Juan D. Matute, Richard S. Blumberg
Summary: The research discovered that interleukin-22 (IL-22) has a regulatory effect on MHC class II expression in epithelial cells, with opposite impacts on chronic inflammatory disease and viral infection.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Hanan S. Al-Khalaifah
Summary: Leishmaniasis is a significant global health problem with a high number of new cases and a large population at risk. Understanding the determinants of Leishmania pathogenicity and its survival mechanisms is important for developing effective treatments and vaccines.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Catherine W. Cai, Anne O'Shea, Christopher S. S. Eickhoff, Hongjie Guo, Warren G. G. Lewis, Stephen M. M. Beverley, Daniel F. F. Hoft
Summary: This study demonstrated the successful generation of recombinant Leishmania major parasites expressing the immunogenic T. cruzi trans-sialidase (TS) antigen, which induced T cell and antibody responses in mice and provided protective immunity against T. cruzi infection. The findings suggest the potential of using attenuated Leishmania parasites as a vaccine for Chagas disease.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Nevien Ismail, Subir Karmakar, Parna Bhattacharya, Telly Sepahpour, Kazuyo Takeda, Shinjiro Hamano, Greg Matlashewski, Abhay R. Satoskar, Sreenivas Gannavaram, Ranadhir Dey, Hira L. Nakhasi
Summary: Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease transmitted by sand flies, and we have developed a live attenuated vaccine to combat this disease. Our study demonstrates that this vaccine generates T cells and skin memory cells similar to leishmanization, providing host protection.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Thais T. O. Santos, Amanda S. Machado, Fernanda F. Ramos, Joao A. Oliveira-da-Silva, Daniela P. Lage, Grasiele S. Tavares, Debora V. C. Mendonca, Mariana S. Cardoso, Williane F. Siqueira, Vivian T. Martins, Fernanda Ludolf, Thiago A. R. Reis, Livia M. Carvalho, Camila S. Freitas, Raquel S. Bandeira, Alessandra M. Silva, Jamil S. Oliveira, Ricardo L. F. Moreira, Ricardo T. Fujiwara, Bruno M. Roatt, Miguel A. Chavez-Fumagalli, Maria Humbert, Antonio L. Teixeira, Eduardo A. F. Coelho
Summary: The study demonstrates that the Leishmania eukaryotic Elongation Factor-1 beta (EF1b) protein can be a promising vaccine candidate for preventing L. infantum infection. Vaccination with EF1b induces specific Th1-type immune response, reduces parasite load, and provides stronger protection against infection.
MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yangyang Zhao, Qunjie Bi, Yu Wei, Ruohan Wang, Gang Wang, Gang Fu, Zhiguang Ran, Jiao Lu, Heyang Zhang, Ling Zhang, Rongrong Jin, Yu Nie
Summary: In this study, a DNA vaccine that enhances cellular immune response and prolongs protection period was developed using bioinformatics. Cationic arginine-rich lipid nanoparticles were utilized as a delivery vehicle with significantly higher transfection efficiency compared to commercial reagents. Intramuscular injection of this DNA vaccine induced similar humoral immune responses and significantly greater cellular responses compared to the commercial vaccine.
JOURNAL OF CONTROLLED RELEASE
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Anastasios D. Giannou, Joran Luecke, Dorte Kleinschmidt, Ahmad Mustafa Shiri, Babett Steglich, Mikolaj Nawrocki, Tao Zhang, Dimitra E. Zazara, Jan Kempski, Lilan Zhao, Olympia Giannou, Theodora Agalioti, Leonie Brockmann, Franziska Bertram, Morsal Sabihi, Marius Boettcher, Florian Ewald, Kornelius Schulze, Johann von Felden, Andres Machicote, Ioannis C. Maroulis, Petra C. Arck, Julia-Kristin Grass, Baris Mercanoglu, Matthias Reeh, Stefan Wolter, Michael Tachezy, Hannes Seese, Myrto Theodorakopoulou, Panagis M. Lykoudis, Asmus Heumann, Faik G. Uzunoglu, Tarik Ghadban, Oliver Mann, Jakob R. Izbicki, Jun Li, Anna Dupree, Nathaniel Melling, Nicola Gagliani, Samuel Huber
Summary: The study aimed to investigate the role and mechanisms of IL-22 and IL-22BP signaling in liver cancer. The results showed that IL-22 promoted HCC development, while IL-22BP reduced tumor growth. IL-22 was mainly produced by a subset of T cells in HCC, while IL-22BP was abundantly secreted by neutrophils. Hepatocytes were identified as a major target of this pathological IL-22 signaling.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Edlainne Pinheiro Ferreira-Sena, Daiana de Jesus Hardoim, Flavia de Oliveira Cardoso, Luiz Ney d'Escoffier, Isabela Ferreira Soares, Joao Pedro Rangel da Silva Carvalho, Ricardo Almir Angnes, Stenio Perdigao Fragoso, Carlos Roberto Alves, Salvatore Giovanni De-Simone, Josue da Costa Lima-Junior, Alvaro Luiz Bertho, Tania Zaverucha-do-Valle, Franklin Souza da Silva, Katia da Silva Calabrese
Summary: Leishmaniasis is a complex and diverse disease that is considered a major public health problem. Despite the availability of treatment options, there are currently no vaccines for cutaneous leishmaniasis. This study focused on the prediction and characterization of antigenic epitopes that could interact with major histocompatibility complex class I in mice or humans. Through a combination of immunogenicity prediction and interaction assays, nine antigenic peptides were identified as strong candidates for the development of a peptide vaccine against leishmaniasis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hung-Yu Chiang, Hsueh-Han Lu, Janaki N. Sudhakar, Yu-Wen Chen, Nien-Shin Shih, Yi-Ting Weng, Jr-Wen Shui
Summary: IL-22 induces IL-18 expression by intestinal epithelial cells, and IL-18 plays an important role in host defense against intestinal infection and inflammation.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Priya Das, Aditi Mukherjee, Subrata Adak
Summary: This study demonstrates the enrichment of Leishmania GAPDH in extracellular vesicles secreted during infection, which inhibits TNF-alpha expression in macrophages and affects disease progression. The findings highlight the crucial role of GAPDH in parasitic infection.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Masoud Foroutan, Fatemeh Ghaffarifar, Zohreh Sharifi, Abdolhosein Dalimi
COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2020)
Article
Immunology
Ali Dalir Ghaffari, Abdolhossein Dalimi, Fatemeh Ghaffarifar, Majid Pirestani
MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS
(2020)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Sayed Hussain Mosawi, Abdolhossein Dalimi, Najibullah Safi, Reza Fotouhi-Ardakani, Fatemeh Ghaffarifar, Javid Sadraei
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Omid Gohari, Abdolhossen Dalimi, Majid Pirestani
WIENER KLINISCHE WOCHENSCHRIFT
(2020)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Hossein Mehrabi Habibabadi, Masoud Parsania, Ali Akbar Pourfathollah, Asma Bahrami, Zohreh Sharifi
Summary: This study evaluated the prevalence of HTLV-1 infection in blood donors in Golestan province. Among 4226 blood donors, 8 samples were reactive with ELISA test and 4 samples were confirmed with further tests. The prevalence of HTLV-1 virus in Golestan province was approximately 0.09%, with a common ancestor of virus isolates found in the Khorasan region.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGICAL METHODS
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Hamidreza Majidiani, Abdolhossein Dalimi, Fatemeh Ghaffarifar, Majid Pirestani
Summary: This study focused on a novel multi-epitope vaccine designed in silico and successfully induced immune responses in mice, demonstrating potential protective effects against acute toxoplasmosis.
MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS
(2021)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Seyedeh Zahra Khademi, Fatemeh Ghaffarifar, Abdolhossein Dalimi, Mohammad Saaid Dayer, Amir Abdoli
Summary: Humidity plays a significant role in the prevalence of T. gondii in sheep, with the dominance of type III strain of T. gondii in sheep in the south of Iran.
VETERINARY MEDICINE INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Elham Razani, Hamid Reza Aghayan, Sepideh Alavi-Moghadam, Fatemeh Yari, Ahmad Gharehbaghian, Zohreh Sharifi
Summary: This study evaluated the efficacy of gamma irradiation and riboflavin/ultraviolet light as pathogen inactivation methods for human platelet lysate (hPL) and found that 30 kGy gamma irradiation and RB/UV were effective in inactivating viral and bacterial models in contaminated hPL. However, a dose of 45 kGy gamma irradiation significantly decreased the growth factor level of hPL and had adverse effects on cell growth kinetics.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGICAL METHODS
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Yalda Amiri Hezave, Zohreh Sharifi, Fahime Ranjbar Kermani, Majide Shahabi
Summary: Genetic differences, such as the rs4143815 polymorphism, play an important role in viral infections. This study examined the impact of rs4143815 polymorphism on HTLV-1 infection and found that certain alleles and genotypes were significantly higher in asymptomatic carriers compared to healthy controls, and were also associated with higher proviral load levels.
MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Seyedeh Zahra Khademi, Fatemeh Ghaffarifar, Abdolhossein Dalimi, Parivash Davoodian, Amir Abdoli
Summary: This study investigates the role of Toxoplasma gondii infection in spontaneous abortion in southern Iran. The results suggest that women who are seropositive for T. gondii are not protected from congenital transmission. However, further studies are needed to confirm these findings.
JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yalda Amiri Hezave, Zohreh Sharifi, Fahime Ranjbar Kermani
Summary: The rs11568821 and rs41386349 polymorphisms of the PD-1 gene are associated with an increased risk of HTLV-1 infection.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Nima Zouei, Abdolhossein Dalimi, Majid Pirestani, Fatemeh Ghaffarifar
Summary: By analyzing the changes in biomarkers such as miR-146a, BAG-1 gene, IL-6, and IL-10 in a mouse model of cerebral toxoplasmosis, this study found that these indicators can be used to evaluate the efficacy of antiparasitic and antibiotic treatment.
MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Ali Dalir Ghaffari, Abdolhossein Dalimi, Fatemeh Ghaffarifar, Majid Pirestani, Hamidreza Majidiani
Summary: This study focused on exploring the structural characteristics of MIC4 protein and designing a vaccine against Toxoplasma gondii. The results showed that MIC4 protein has multiple potential epitopes, with a diverse secondary structure containing elements such as random coil, extended strand, β-turn, and α helix.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL VACCINE RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Hossein Mehrabi Habibabadi, Masoud Parsania, Ali Akbar Pourfathollah, Setareh Haghighat, Zohreh Sharifi
REVISTA DA SOCIEDADE BRASILEIRA DE MEDICINA TROPICAL
(2020)
Article
Immunology
Ali Dalir Ghaffari, Abdolhossein Dalimi, Fatemeh Ghaffarifar, Majid Pirestani
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL VACCINE RESEARCH
(2020)