scholarly journals Retracing the evolutionary emergence of thymopoiesis

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (48) ◽  
pp. eabd9585
Author(s):  
Jeremy B. Swann ◽  
Anja Nusser ◽  
Ryo Morimoto ◽  
Daisuke Nagakubo ◽  
Thomas Boehm

The onset of lymphocyte development in the vertebrate primordial thymus, about 500 million years ago, represents one of the foundational events of the emerging adaptive immune system. Here, we retrace the evolutionary trajectory of thymopoiesis, from early vertebrates to mammals, guided by members of the Foxn1/4 transcription factor gene family, which direct the differentiation of the thymic microenvironment. Molecular engineering in transgenic mice recapitulated a gene duplication event, exon replacements, and altered expression patterns. These changes predictably modified the lymphopoietic characteristics of the thymus, identifying molecular features contributing to conversion of a primordial bipotent lymphoid organ to a tissue specializing in T cell development. The phylogenetic reconstruction associates increasing efficiency of T cell generation with diminishing B cell–generating capacity of the thymus during jawed vertebrate evolution.

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 3076-3076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin M. Balko ◽  
Rami N Al-Rohil ◽  
Daniel Ying Wang ◽  
Yan Liang ◽  
Giang Ong ◽  
...  

3076 Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs; anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1) have shown clinical success in many cancers, but may cause rare irSAE. The molecular features of irSAE have not been extensively explored. Therefore, we characterized the immune composition of tissue affected by ICI-mediated inflammation with a focus on colitis and neurologic toxicity. Methods: We performed retrospective T-cell receptor (TCRβ) sequencing, RNA-sequencing (HTG EdgeSeq; > 2500 immune-related genes), and digital spatial profiling (NanoString) for 20 protein markers in 10 regions across tissues representing ICI-induced colitis, autoimmune inflammation (e.g. Crohn’s) and normal colon. Matched tumors were also included in a subset. We also analyzed the encephalitic and healthy brain of a unique presentation of anti-PD-1-induced encephalitis. Results: Patient-matched melanoma and colitis biopsies (n = 3) demonstrated shared T cell clones in all samples ranging from several shared clones to several hundred (0.4%, 2.7%, and 3% of rearrangements, respectively), including high-frequency clones. Shared TCRβ sequences were also identified among and between colon-irSAE and Crohn’s specimens. Gene expression patterns of inflammation in colon-irSAE resembled that of Crohn’s disease in principle components and clustering analysis, highlighting likeness between these diseases/SAEs. NanoString digital spatial profiling of regions of inflammation across samples showed higher CD68 and PD-L1 positivity in colon-irSAE specimens versus normal colon or Crohn’s specimens and reduced beta-catenin levels in both Crohn’s and colon-irSAE specimens relative to normal controls. Finally, we detected a high degree of TCR clonality in the encephalitic brain, including a single sequence present in ~20% of > 12,000 T cells, suggesting a distinct antigen-specific response. Conclusions: We report the molecular characteristics of irSAE in colon and brain specimens from patients receiving ICIs. Highly clonal TCRβ sequences were frequently detected, particularly in a unique case of encephalitis-irSAE. Furthermore, we identify molecular distinctions and similarities between autoimmune and colon-irSAEs at the gene expression and proteomic levels.


MicroRNA ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nato Teteloshvili ◽  
Katarzyna Smigielska-Czepiel ◽  
Bart-Jan Kroesen ◽  
Elisabeth Brouwer ◽  
Joost Kluiver ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Hollis ◽  
Barbara Stanley ◽  
John P. Thomson ◽  
Michael Churchman ◽  
Ian Croy ◽  
...  

AbstractEndometrioid ovarian carcinoma (EnOC) is an under-investigated ovarian cancer type. Recent studies have described disease subtypes defined by genomics and hormone receptor expression patterns; here, we determine the relationship between these subtyping layers to define the molecular landscape of EnOC with high granularity and identify therapeutic vulnerabilities in high-risk cases. Whole exome sequencing data were integrated with progesterone and oestrogen receptor (PR and ER) expression-defined subtypes in 90 EnOC cases following robust pathological assessment, revealing dominant clinical and molecular features in the resulting integrated subtypes. We demonstrate significant correlation between subtyping approaches: PR-high (PR + /ER + , PR + /ER−) cases were predominantly CTNNB1-mutant (73.2% vs 18.4%, P < 0.001), while PR-low (PR−/ER + , PR−/ER−) cases displayed higher TP53 mutation frequency (38.8% vs 7.3%, P = 0.001), greater genomic complexity (P = 0.007) and more frequent copy number alterations (P = 0.001). PR-high EnOC patients experience favourable disease-specific survival independent of clinicopathological and genomic features (HR = 0.16, 95% CI 0.04–0.71). TP53 mutation further delineates the outcome of patients with PR-low tumours (HR = 2.56, 95% CI 1.14–5.75). A simple, routinely applicable, classification algorithm utilising immunohistochemistry for PR and p53 recapitulated these subtypes and their survival profiles. The genomic profile of high-risk EnOC subtypes suggests that inhibitors of the MAPK and PI3K-AKT pathways, alongside PARP inhibitors, represent promising candidate agents for improving patient survival. Patients with PR-low TP53-mutant EnOC have the greatest unmet clinical need, while PR-high tumours—which are typically CTNNB1-mutant and TP53 wild-type—experience excellent survival and may represent candidates for trials investigating de-escalation of adjuvant chemotherapy to agents such as endocrine therapy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (20) ◽  
pp. eabf5835
Author(s):  
Wen Zhang ◽  
Peter G. Hawkins ◽  
Jing He ◽  
Namita T. Gupta ◽  
Jinrui Liu ◽  
...  

T cell receptor (TCR) antigen–specific recognition is essential for the adaptive immune system. However, building a TCR-antigen interaction map has been challenging due to the staggering diversity of TCRs and antigens. Accordingly, highly multiplexed dextramer-TCR binding assays have been recently developed, but the utility of the ensuing large datasets is limited by the lack of robust computational methods for normalization and interpretation. Here, we present a computational framework comprising a novel method, ICON (Integrative COntext-specific Normalization), for identifying reliable TCR-pMHC (peptide–major histocompatibility complex) interactions and a neural network–based classifier TCRAI that outperforms other state-of-the-art methods for TCR-antigen specificity prediction. We further demonstrated that by combining ICON and TCRAI, we are able to discover novel subgroups of TCRs that bind to a given pMHC via different mechanisms. Our framework facilitates the identification and understanding of TCR-antigen–specific interactions for basic immunological research and clinical immune monitoring.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 2219
Author(s):  
Monika Prill ◽  
Agnieszka Karkucinska-Wieckowska ◽  
Magdalena Lebiedzinska-Arciszewska ◽  
Giampaolo Morciano ◽  
Agata Charzynska ◽  
...  

Numerous papers have reported altered expression patterns of Ras and/or ShcA proteins in different types of cancers. Their level can be potentially associated with oncogenic processes. We analyzed samples of pediatric brain tumors reflecting different groups such as choroid plexus tumors, diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumors, embryonal tumors, ependymal tumors, and other astrocytic tumors as well as tumor malignancy grade, in order to characterize the expression profile of Ras, TrkB, and three isoforms of ShcA, namely, p66Shc, p52Shc, and p46Shc proteins. The main aim of our study was to evaluate the potential correlation between the type of pediatric brain tumors, tumor malignancy grade, and the expression patterns of the investigated proteins.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven F. Gameiro ◽  
Farhad Ghasemi ◽  
Peter Y. F. Zeng ◽  
Neil Mundi ◽  
Christopher J. Howlett ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Frequent mutations in the nuclear receptor binding SET domain protein 1 (NSD1) gene have been observed in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). NSD1 encodes a histone 3 lysine-36 methyltransferase. NSD1 mutations are correlated with improved clinical outcomes and increased sensitivity to platinum-based chemotherapy agents in human papillomavirus-negative (HPV-) tumors, despite weak T-cell infiltration. However, the role of NSD1 and related family members NSD2 and NSD3 in human papillomavirus-positive (HPV+) HNSCC is unclear. Methods Using data from over 500 HNSCC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we compared the relative level of mRNA expression of NSD1, NSD2, and NSD3 in HPV+ and HPV- HNSCC. Correlation analyses were performed between T-cell infiltration and the relative level of expression of NSD1, NSD2, and NSD3 mRNA in HPV+ and HPV- HNSCC. In addition, overall survival outcomes were compared for both the HPV+ and HPV- subsets of patients based on stratification by NSD1, NSD2, and NSD3 expression levels. Results Expression levels of NSD1, NSD2 or NSD3 were not correlated with altered lymphocyte infiltration in HPV+ HNSCC. More importantly, low expression of NSD1, NSD2, or NSD3 correlated with significantly reduced overall patient survival in HPV+, but not HPV- HNSCC. Conclusion These results starkly illustrate the contrast in molecular features between HPV+ and HPV- HNSCC tumors and suggest that NSD1, NSD2, and NSD3 expression levels should be further investigated as novel clinical metrics for improved prognostication and patient stratification in HPV+ HNSCC.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 2482
Author(s):  
Ching-Feng Chiu ◽  
Hsin-Yi Chang ◽  
Chun-Yine Huang ◽  
Chen-Zou Mau ◽  
Tzu-Ting Kuo ◽  
...  

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive disease with a 5-year survival rate of <8%. Therefore, finding new treatment strategies against PDAC cells is an imperative issue. Betulinic acid (BA), a plant-derived natural compound, has shown great potential to combat cancer owing to its versatile physiological functions. In this study, we observed the impacts of BA on the cell viability and migratory ability of PDAC cell lines, and screened differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) by an LC-MS/MS-based proteomics analysis. Our results showed that BA significantly inhibited the viability and migratory ability of PDAC cells under a relatively low dosage without affecting normal pancreatic cells. Moreover, a functional analysis revealed that BA-induced downregulation of protein clusters that participate in mitochondrial complex 1 activity and oxidative phosphorylation, which was related to decreased expressions of RNA polymerase mitochondrial (POLRMT) and translational activator of cytochrome c oxidase (TACO1), suggesting that the influence on mitochondrial function explains the effect of BA on PDAC cell growth and migration. In addition, BA also dramatically increased Apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1) expression and decreased NLR family CARD domain-containing protein 4 (NLRC4) expression, which may be involved in the dampening of PDAC migration. Notably, altered expression patterns of APOA1 and NLRC4 indicated a favorable clinical prognosis of PDAC. Based on these findings, we identified potential proteins and pathways regulated by BA from a proteomics perspective, which provides a therapeutic window for PDAC.


npj Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Di Pilato ◽  
Miguel Palomino-Segura ◽  
Ernesto Mejías-Pérez ◽  
Carmen E. Gómez ◽  
Andrea Rubio-Ponce ◽  
...  

AbstractNeutrophils are innate immune cells involved in the elimination of pathogens and can also induce adaptive immune responses. Nα and Nβ neutrophils have been described with distinct in vitro capacity to generate antigen-specific CD8 T-cell responses. However, how these cell types exert their role in vivo and how manipulation of Nβ/Nα ratio influences vaccine-mediated immune responses are not known. In this study, we find that these neutrophil subtypes show distinct migratory and motility patterns and different ability to interact with CD8 T cells in the spleen following vaccinia virus (VACV) infection. Moreover, after analysis of adhesion, inflammatory, and migration markers, we observe that Nβ neutrophils overexpress the α4β1 integrin compared to Nα. Finally, by inhibiting α4β1 integrin, we increase the Nβ/Nα ratio and enhance CD8 T-cell responses to HIV VACV-delivered antigens. These findings provide significant advancements in the comprehension of neutrophil-based control of adaptive immune system and their relevance in vaccine design.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1321.1-1321
Author(s):  
S. Nagpal ◽  
S. Cole ◽  
A. Floudas ◽  
M. Wechalekar ◽  
Q. Song ◽  
...  

Background:Immune checkpoint blockade with agents targeting CTLA4 and PD-1/PD-L1 alone or in combination has demonstrated exceptional efficacy in multiple cancer types by “unleashing” the cytotoxic action of quiescent, tumor-infiltrating T cells. However, the therapeutic action of these immunotherapies goes hand in hand with the loss of immune tolerance and appearance of immune-related adverse events such as colitis, arthralgia and inflammatory arthritis in responsive patients. Therefore, immune checkpoint molecules have been proposed as targets for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.Objectives:Herein, we interrogate the potential of BTLA/HVEM axis as a target for restoring immune homeostasis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Sjogren’s Syndrome (SjS) by examining their expression patterns in autoimmune disease tissues.Methods:Message and protein expression of BTLA and HVEM were examined in RA and SLE synovial tissues, SLE cutaneous lesions, SjS salivary glands and peripheral blood samples of autoimmune disease by RNA sequencing and flow cytometry.Results:Tissue dysregulation of the BTLA-HVEM axis was observed: Increased BTLA RNA level in RA synovium, SLE-affected skin, and SjS salivary gland samples, whereas HVEM level was affected only in the RA synovium when compared to unaffected tissues. Detailed immunophenotyping of B, T, and myeloid cell populations in RA, SLE, SjS and healthy control PBMCs revealed differential modulation of the BTLA+ or HVEM+ immune cell subsets in a disease-context dependent manner. SjS patients showed an overall decrease in memory B cells and most of the BTLA+ B cell subsets while a decrease in HVEM+ B cells was observed only in SLE PBMC samples and not RA and SLE samples. Immunophenotyping with a T cell panel exhibited decreased BTLA and HVEM expression on T cell subsets in SjS and SLE but not in RA patients. In addition, protein levels of HVEM were differentially decreased in SLE myeloid cell subsets. Finally, we demonstrate tissue-specific surface expression patterns of BTLA in RA and SLE samples: higher surface BTLA levels on RA and SLE PBMC B cells than matched tissue-derived B cells.Conclusion:Our results demonstrate a dysregulation of the BTLA/HVEM axis in either lesional tissue or peripheral blood in an autoimmune disease context-dependent manner. These results also indicate the potential of targeting BTLA-HVEM axis for the treatment of multiple autoimmune diseases.Disclosure of Interests:Sunil Nagpal Shareholder of: Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Employee of: Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Suzanne Cole Shareholder of: Janssen Research & Development employee, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development employee, Achilleas Floudas: None declared, Mihir Wechalekar Grant/research support from: Grant from Janssen Research & Development, Qingxuan Song Shareholder of: Employee of Janssen Research, Employee of: Employee of Janssen Research, Tom Gordon: None declared, Roberto Caricchio Grant/research support from: Financial grant from Janssen Research & Development, Douglas Veale: None declared, Ursula Fearon: None declared, Navin Rao Shareholder of: Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Employee of: Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Ling-Yang Hao Shareholder of: Employee of Janssen Research, Employee of: Employee of Janssen Research


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