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The Severity of COVID-19 Affects the Plasma Soluble Levels of the Immune Checkpoint HLA-G Molecule. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23179736. [PMID: 36077133 PMCID: PMC9456149 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23179736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The non-classical histocompatibility antigen G (HLA-G) is an immune checkpoint molecule that has been implicated in viral disorders. We evaluated the plasma soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) in 239 individuals, arranged in COVID-19 patients (n = 189) followed up at home or in a hospital, and in healthy controls (n = 50). Increased levels of sHLA-G were observed in COVID-19 patients irrespective of the facility care, gender, age, and the presence of comorbidities. Compared with controls, the sHLA-G levels increased as far as disease severity progressed; however, the levels decreased in critically ill patients, suggesting an immune exhaustion phenomenon. Notably, sHLA-G exhibited a positive correlation with other mediators currently observed in the acute phase of the disease, including IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10. Although sHLA-G levels may be associated with an acute biomarker of COVID-19, the increased levels alone were not associated with disease severity or mortality due to COVID-19. Whether the SARS-CoV-2 per se or the innate/adaptive immune response against the virus is responsible for the increased levels of sHLA-G are questions that need to be further addressed.
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Zidi I. Puzzling out the COVID-19: Therapy targeting HLA-G and HLA-E. Hum Immunol 2020; 81:697-701. [PMID: 33046268 PMCID: PMC7539797 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2020.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV2 might conduce to rapid respiratory complications challenging healthcare systems worldwide. Immunological mechanisms associated to SARS-CoV2 infection are complex and not yet clearly elucidated. Arguments are in favour of a well host-adapted virus. Here I draw a systemic immunological representation linking actual SARS-CoV2 infection literature that hopefully might guide healthcare decisions to treat COVID-19. I suggest HLA-G and HLA-E, non classical HLA class I molecules, in the core of COVID-19 complications. These molecules are powerful in immune tolerance and might inhibit/suppress immune cells functions during SARS-CoV2 infection promoting virus subversion. Dosing soluble forms of these molecules in COVID-19 patients' plasma might help the identification of critical cases. I recommend also developing new SARS-CoV2 therapies based on the use of HLA-G and HLA-E or their specific receptors antibodies in combination with FDA approved therapeutics to combat efficiently COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inès Zidi
- Laboratory Microorganismes and Active Biomolecules, Sciences Faculty of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia.
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Bian X, Si Y, Zhang M, Wei R, Yang X, Ren H, Zheng G, Wang C, Zhang Y. Down-expression of miR-152 lead to impaired anti-tumor effect of NK via upregulation of HLA-G. Tumour Biol 2015; 37:3749-56. [PMID: 26468017 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-015-3669-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2015] [Accepted: 06/15/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
It is known that chronic HBV infection (CHB) is the major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) because CHB could not only cause liver tumorigenesis but also lead to change of local microenviroment and lower immune response to infected and cancerous cells (immune tolerance). Human leucocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) belongs to a non-classic MHC-I family and was considered to be an immune tolerance molecule, which could bind to immunosuppressive receptors of natural killer cell (NK) and T cells and trigger immunosuppressive signaling. Recently, numerous studies highlighted that microRNAs (miRNAs) were significantly differentially expressed in HCC tumorigenesis, and the expression was tissue-specific, indicating that miRNAs may cause great epigenetic changes in HCC tumorigenesis. In this study, we found that the expression of HLA-G was upregulated by hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and miR-152; a HLA-G-targeting miRNA was downregulated by HBV infection. And high expression of HLA-G further suppressed NK against cancer cells, providing a new concept that miR-152 was involved in HBV-induced hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaokun Bian
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China.,Department of Clinical Laboratory, Weifang People's Hospital, Shandong, China
| | - Yuanquan Si
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China.,Department of Clinical Laboratory, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Min Zhang
- Department of Medicine, Shandong Provincial Chest Hospital, Jinan, China
| | - Ran Wei
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Xiaomin Yang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Hao Ren
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Guixi Zheng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Chuanxin Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China.
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Amiot L, Vu N, Samson M. Biology of the immunomodulatory molecule HLA-G in human liver diseases. J Hepatol 2015; 62:1430-7. [PMID: 25772038 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2015.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2014] [Revised: 02/05/2015] [Accepted: 03/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The non-classical human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G), plays an important role in inducing tolerance, through its immunosuppressive effects on all types of immune cells. Immune tolerance is a key issue in the liver, both in liver homeostasis and in the response to liver injury or cancer. It would therefore appear likely that HLA-G plays an important role in liver diseases. Indeed, this molecule was recently shown to be produced by mast cells in the livers of patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Furthermore, the number of HLA-G-positive mast cells was significantly associated with fibrosis progression. The generation of immune tolerance is a role common to both HLA-G, as a molecule, and the liver, as an organ. This review provides a summary of the evidence implicating HLA-G in liver diseases. In the normal liver, HLA-G transcripts can be detected, but there is no HLA-G protein. However, HLA-G protein is detectable in the liver tissues and/or plasma of patients suffering from hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatitis B or C, or visceral leishmaniasis and in liver transplant recipients. The cells responsible for producing HLA-G differ between diseases. HLA-G expression is probably induced by microenvironmental factors, such as cytokines. The expression of HLA-G receptors, such as ILT2, ILT4, and KIRD2L4, on liver cells has yet to be investigated, but these receptors have been detected on all types of immune cells, and such cells are present in liver. The tolerogenic properties of HLA-G explain its deleterious effects in cancers and its beneficial effects in transplantation. Given the key role of HLA-G in immune tolerance, new therapeutic agents targeting HLA-G could be tested for the treatment of these diseases in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Amiot
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (Inserm), U.1085, Institut de Recherche Santé Environnement & Travail (IRSET), F-35043 Rennes, France; Université de Rennes 1, F-35043 Rennes, France; Fédération de Recherche BioSit de Rennes UMS 3480, F-35043 Rennes, France; Department of Biology, University Hospital Pontchaillou, CHU Pontchaillou, Rennes, France.
| | - Nicolas Vu
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (Inserm), U.1085, Institut de Recherche Santé Environnement & Travail (IRSET), F-35043 Rennes, France; Université de Rennes 1, F-35043 Rennes, France; Fédération de Recherche BioSit de Rennes UMS 3480, F-35043 Rennes, France
| | - Michel Samson
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (Inserm), U.1085, Institut de Recherche Santé Environnement & Travail (IRSET), F-35043 Rennes, France; Université de Rennes 1, F-35043 Rennes, France; Fédération de Recherche BioSit de Rennes UMS 3480, F-35043 Rennes, France
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HLA-G gene expression influenced at allelic level in association with end stage renal disease and acute allograft rejection. Hum Immunol 2014; 75:833-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2014.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2013] [Revised: 06/03/2014] [Accepted: 06/03/2014] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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Rebmann V, da Silva Nardi F, Wagner B, Horn PA. HLA-G as a tolerogenic molecule in transplantation and pregnancy. J Immunol Res 2014; 2014:297073. [PMID: 25143957 PMCID: PMC4131093 DOI: 10.1155/2014/297073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2014] [Revised: 05/07/2014] [Accepted: 05/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
HLA-G is a nonclassical HLA class I molecule. In allogeneic situations such as pregnancy or allograft transplantation, the expression of HLA-G has been related to a better acceptance of the fetus or the allograft. Thus, it seems that HLA-G is crucially involved in mechanisms shaping an allogeneic immune response into tolerance. In this contribution we focus on (i) how HLA-G is involved in transplantation and human reproduction, (ii) how HLA-G is regulated by genetic and microenvironmental factors, and (iii) how HLA-G can offer novel perspectives with respect to therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Rebmann
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Essen, Virchowstraße 179, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Fabiola da Silva Nardi
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Essen, Virchowstraße 179, 45147 Essen, Germany
- CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, 70.040-020 Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | - Bettina Wagner
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Essen, Virchowstraße 179, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Peter A. Horn
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Essen, Virchowstraße 179, 45147 Essen, Germany
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Misra MK, Prakash S, Kapoor R, Pandey SK, Sharma RK, Agrawal S. Association of HLA-G promoter and 14-bp insertion-deletion variants with acute allograft rejection and end-stage renal disease. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 82:317-26. [DOI: 10.1111/tan.12210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2012] [Revised: 08/27/2013] [Accepted: 09/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - S. Prakash
- Department of Medical genetics; Sanjay Gandhi Post-graduate Institute of Medical Sciences; Lucknow; India
| | - R. Kapoor
- Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation; Sanjay Gandhi Post-graduate Institute of Medical Sciences; Lucknow; India
| | - S. K. Pandey
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Medical Sciences; Banaras Hindu University; Varanasi; India
| | - R. K. Sharma
- Department of Nephrology; Sanjay Gandhi Post-graduate Institute of Medical Sciences; Lucknow; India
| | - S. Agrawal
- Department of Medical genetics; Sanjay Gandhi Post-graduate Institute of Medical Sciences; Lucknow; India
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Göhner C, Svensson-Arvelund J, Pfarrer C, Häger JD, Faas M, Ernerudh J, Cline JM, Dixon D, Buse E, Markert UR. The placenta in toxicology. Part IV: Battery of toxicological test systems based on human placenta. Toxicol Pathol 2013; 42:345-51. [PMID: 23548605 DOI: 10.1177/0192623313482206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
This review summarizes the potential and also some limitations of using human placentas, or placental cells and structures for toxicology testing. The placenta contains a wide spectrum of cell types and tissues, such as trophoblast cells, immune cells, fibroblasts, stem cells, endothelial cells, vessels, glands, membranes, and many others. It may be expected that in many cases the relevance of results obtained from human placenta will be higher than those from animal models due to species specificity of metabolism and placental structure. For practical and economical reasons, we propose to apply a battery of sequential experiments for analysis of potential toxicants. This should start with using cell lines, followed by testing placenta tissue explants and isolated placenta cells, and finally by application of single and dual side ex vivo placenta perfusion. With each of these steps, the relative workload increases while the number of feasible repeats decreases. Simultaneously, the predictive power enhances by increasing similarity with in vivo human conditions. Toxic effects may be detected by performing proliferation, vitality and cell death assays, analysis of protein and hormone expression, immunohistochemistry or testing functionality of signaling pathways, gene expression, transport mechanisms, and so on. When toxic effects appear at any step, the subsequent assays may be cancelled. Such a system may be useful to reduce costs and increase specificity in testing questionable toxicants. Nonetheless, it requires further standardization and end point definitions for better comparability of results from different toxicants and to estimate the respective in vivo translatability and predictive value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Göhner
- 1Placenta-Labor, Department of Obstetrics, University Hospital, Jena, Germany
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Akhter A, Faridi RM, Das V, Pandey A, Naik S, Agrawal S. In vitro up-regulation of HLA-G using dexamethasone and hydrocortisone in first-trimester trophoblast cells of women experiencing recurrent miscarriage. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 80:126-35. [PMID: 22563925 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-0039.2012.01884.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The trophoblast cells at the maternal-fetal interface express an unusual combination of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-C, HLA-E and HLA-G. Altered expression of HLA-G on the extravillous cytotrophoblast has been implicated in the etiology of recurrent miscarriages (RMs). We have assessed HLA-G expression in extravillous cytotrophoblast in cell cultures prepared from RM patients and compared with those of first-trimester voluntarily terminated normal pregnancies (control). Glucocorticoids, dexamethasone and hydrocortisone were examined for their role in modulation of the HLA-G expression. HLA-G promoter and 3'UTR variants were investigated for their effect on the transcription of HLA-G. Cultured cytotrophoblast cells from the first-trimester RM patients were treated with dexamethasone and hydrocortisone (dose concentration 0-1000 ng/ml). HLA-G gene transcription was determined by semiquantitative and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), while protein expression was determined by a specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), flow cytometry and western blot analyses. HLA-G polymorphisms were detected by PCR and/or sequence-based typing. Low level of HLA-G was observed in untreated trophoblast cells obtained from RM patients as compared with controls. Upon treatment with glucocorticoids, the expression of HLA-G in these cells was up-regulated in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05), with no change in cellular proliferation and viability. There was no significant association between HLA-G polymorphism in RM patients and controls. HLA-G is minimally expressed in cultured trophoblast cells of RM patients. It can be up-regulated upon exposure with both dexamethasone and hydrocortisone. Glucocorticoids have the potential to modulate HLA-G expression in vitro, and can be further examined for their therapeutic applicability in RM.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Akhter
- Department of Medical Genetics, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
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HLA-G regulators in cancer medicine: an outline of key requirements. Tumour Biol 2011; 32:1071-86. [DOI: 10.1007/s13277-011-0213-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2011] [Accepted: 07/08/2011] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
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