Editorial Material
Immunology
Aaron M. Joffe, Eun-Chung Park, Alison Augustine, Chao Jiang, Mercy PrabhuDas, Nancy Vazquez-Maldonado, Peter Aaby, Galit Alter, Maziar Divangahi, Peter Hotez, Shabaana Khader, Mihai G. Netea, William A. Petri, Stanley Plotkin, Kimberly M. Thompson
Summary: The virtual workshop organized by NIAID from July 27-29, 2021, focused on secondary vaccine effects and discussed existing evidence, potential immunological mechanisms, and public health implications.
Article
Immunology
Timothy A. A. Gondre-Lewis, Chao Jiang, Mandy L. Ford, David M. Koelle, Alessandro Sette, Alex K. Shalek, Paul G. Thomas
Summary: On June 15-16, 2022, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases organized a virtual workshop to discuss T cell technologies including assays, development of novel technologies, their applications in both laboratory and clinical settings, as well as the challenges and innovations in the field.
Article
Immunology
Anjali Singh, Cesar Boggiano, Michael A. Eller, Milton Maciel Jr, Mary A. Marovich, Vijay L. Mehra, Annie X. Mo, Kentner L. Singleton, Wolfgang W. Leitner
Summary: This report summarizes the highlights of a workshop convened by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), on April 4-5, 2022. The workshop aimed to provide a discussion forum for sharing insights on the current landscape of promising adjuvants in HIV vaccine studies and to gather recommendations on scientific, regulatory, and operational guidelines for bridging the gaps in adjuvant selection and formulation. The NIAID Vaccine Adjuvant Program working group remains committed to promoting promising adjuvants and fostering collaborations between adjuvant and HIV vaccine developers.
Article
Cell Biology
Jiawei Hao, Jinqian Li, Zhenzhen Zhang, Yang Yang, Qing Zhou, Tiantian Wu, Tongling Chen, Zhongdao Wu, Ping Zhang, Jun Cui, Yi-Ping Li
Summary: This study demonstrates that NLRC5 exerts an antiviral effect by mediating the degradation of a multifunctional protein of DENV, providing a novel understanding of the regulatory network of NLRC5 in the host defense against virus infection.
Article
Immunology
Ginger Young, Melissa Zahralban-Steele, Hansi J. Dean
Summary: This study evaluated the immunogenicity and efficacy of Takeda's purified inactivated Zika vaccine (PIZV) candidate in macaques previously vaccinated with several commercially available heterologous flavivirus vaccines. Heterologous flavivirus vaccination did not induce Zika virus neutralizing antibodies and did not affect neutralizing antibody titers after one dose of PIZV. After a second PIZV dose, previous vaccination with flavivirus vaccines had a variable impact on Zika virus neutralizing antibody titers. However, all macaques were protected against viremia after Zika virus challenge 8-12 months post-PIZV vaccination. Therefore, vaccine-induced immunity against heterologous flavivirus vaccines does not affect PIZV efficacy in macaques.
Review
Allergy
Lisa M. Wheatley, John W. Holloway, Cecilie Svanes, Malcolm R. Sears, Carrie Breton, Alexey V. Fedulov, Eric Nilsson, Donata Vercelli, Hongmei Zhang, Alkis Togias, Syed Hasan Arshad
Summary: There is increasing evidence that environmental exposures can have transgenerational effects on health, even without direct exposure to the original factor. Epigenetic factors may play a role in these cross-generational effects. Animal studies have shown that asthma risk can be transmitted across generations from a single exposure to a harmful factor, partly through changes in DNA methylation. The association between a father's prepuberty exposure and offspring's risk of asthma and lung function deficit may also be mediated by epigenetic processes.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY
(2022)
Article
Virology
Omar Zepeda, Daniel O. O. Espinoza, Evelin Martinez, Kaitlyn A. A. Cross, Sylvia Becker-Dreps, Aravinda M. M. de Silva, Natalie M. M. Bowman, Lakshmanane Premkumar, Elizabeth M. M. Stringer, Filemon Bucardo, Matthew H. H. Collins
Summary: This study aims to understand the dynamics of Zika virus-specific antibody immunity in children born to mothers in a flavivirus-endemic region. The results show that most mothers in the dengue-endemic area had flavivirus immunity during pregnancy. The ZIKV-specific antibodies in infants disappeared within 6-9 months, while the antibodies in the mothers remained after two years.
Article
Immunology
Ruklanthi de Alwis, Raphael M. Zellweger, Edmond Chua, Lin-Fa Wang, Tanu Chawla, October M. Sessions, Damien Marlier, John E. Connolly, Veronika von Messling, Danielle E. Anderson
Summary: The differences in Asian sub-lineages of Zika virus may partially explain the range of disease severity observed. Neurotropic sub-lineages are associated with higher levels of systemic inflammation and cell recruitment in adults. Anti-inflammatory therapeutics may be explored as early treatment to prevent adult Zika-associated disease.
EMERGING MICROBES & INFECTIONS
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Lilan Xie, Yaoming Li
Summary: This review focuses on the advances in VV-based vaccine vector studies, including construction approaches, the impact of pre-existing immunity, and antigen-specific immune responses. The specific discussion is on recombinant VV-based flaviviruses.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kiran Bala Sharma, Sudhanshu Vrati, Manjula Kalia
Summary: Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a flavivirus transmitted by Culex mosquitoes, causing Japanese encephalitis (JE) which has a high mortality rate and potential for global spread. The disease can result in death or permanent neurological sequelae, with prognosis influenced by virus-host interactions. The pathogenesis of JEV involves a combination of direct virus-induced neuronal cell death and uncontrolled neuroinflammatory response, with cellular stress responses playing a key role in the disease progression.
MOLECULAR ASPECTS OF MEDICINE
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Jim Zoladek, Sebastien Nisole
Summary: Mosquito-borne flaviviruses pose a global public health concern, and understanding how they evade the host immune system could help in developing countermeasures.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rod A. Rahimi, Josalyn L. Cho, Claudia Jakubzick, Shabaana A. Khader, Bart N. Lambrecht, Clare M. Lloyd, Ari B. Molofsky, Sebastien Talbot, Catherine A. Bonham, Wonder P. Drake, Anne Sperling, Benjamin D. Singer
Summary: The mammalian airways and lungs are constantly exposed to various inhaled particles, allergens, and pathogens. The immune system plays a crucial role in protecting against respiratory pathogens, but an unbalanced immune response during respiratory infections can hinder pathogen clearance and cause immune-related diseases. Understanding the complex network of cells involved in sensing and responding to inhaled antigens is essential for developing effective mucosal vaccines and managing inflammatory pulmonary diseases. The American Thoracic Society has formed a working group to advance the study of lung immunology and improve human health.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Wikanda Tunterak, Kanana Rungprasert, Suwarak Wannaratana, Nichapat Yurayart, Duangduean Prakairungnamthip, Patchareeporn Ninvilai, Benchaphorn Limcharoen, Teerawut Nedumpun, Rodolphe Hamel, Wijit Banlunara, Aunyaratana Thontiravong
Summary: This study investigates the pathogenesis of cluster 1 DTMUV in ducks and compares it to cluster 2.1 DTMUV. The results show that cluster 1 DTMUV is generally less pathogenic and exhibits milder pathological changes compared to cluster 2.1 DTMUV. Significant antigenic differences are also observed between the two clusters.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Tongtong Zhu, Laurence G. Webb, Jeury Veloz, Maris Wilkins, Sebastian Aguirre, Ana Fernandez-Sesma
Summary: This article characterizes the interaction between human STING and the DENV viral protease complex NS2B3 and constructs serial deletion mutants of STING to explore this relationship. Our findings suggest that the DENV nonstructural protein NS2B interacts with the transmembrane domains of human STING, and NS3 interacts with the C-terminal cyclic dinucleotide binding domain of human STING. Additionally, as there is currently no ideal immunocompetent murine model that can support robust DENV replication and recapitulate the clinical manifestation of dengue disease, the authors express and study two promising human-mouse chimeric STING constructs that can be used for developing a relevant transgenic mouse model to study dengue in the future. Both constructs can activate normal interferon responses and be cleaved under infection conditions. The authors believe that their findings offer a roadmap to the further development of a murine model that can greatly facilitate antiviral discoveries and vaccine research for DENV.
Review
Immunology
Sophie Wilhelmina van Leur, Tiaan Heunis, Deeksha Munnur, Sumana Sanyal
Summary: The Flavivirus genus includes >70 members, some of which are significant human pathogens causing systemic disease and neurological complications. Despite varying success in vaccine development, mosquito-borne flaviviruses can persist long-term and re-emerge through vertical transmission in arthropods. Understanding the cellular and molecular determinants of viral lifecycle and immunopathology is crucial, while addressing current knowledge gaps in future studies is necessary.
