Tox4 regulates transcriptional elongation and reinitiation during murine T cell development

E3 ligase TRIM65 alleviates intestinal ischemia/reperfusion injury through inhibition of TOX4-mediated apoptosis

Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (II/R) injury is an urgent clinical disease with high incidence and mortality, and impaired intestinal barrier function caused by excessive apoptosis of intestinal cells is an important cause of its serious consequences. Tripartite motif-containing protein 65 (TRIM65) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that is recently reported to suppress the inflammatory response and apoptosis. However, the biological function and regulation of TRIM65 in II/R injury are totally unknown. We found that TRIM65 was significantly decreased in hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) induced intestinal epithelial cells and II/R-induced intestine tissue. TRIM65 knockout mice markedly aggravated intestinal apoptosis and II/R injury. To explore the molecular mechanism of TRIM65 in exacerbating II/R-induced intestinal apoptosis and damage, thymocyte selection-associated high mobility group box factor 4 (TOX4) was screened out as a novel substrate of TRIM65 using the yeast two-hybrid system. TRIM65 binds directly to the N-terminal of TOX4 through its coiled-coil and SPRY structural domains. Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy showed that they can co-localize both in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Furthermore, TRIM65 mediated the K48 ubiquitination and degradation of TOX4 depending on its E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. In addition, TRIM65 inhibits H/R-induced intestinal epithelial apoptosis via TOX4. In summary, our results indicated that TRIM65 promotes ubiquitination and degradation of TOX4 to inhibit apoptosis in II/R. These findings provide a promising target for the clinical treatment of II/R injury.

Bibliometric and visual analyses of trends in the field of T cell exhaustion research: Findings from 2000 to 2022

BACKGROUND

T cell exhaustion refers to a state wherein T cells become less functional as a result of their prolonged exposure to cognate antigens. A wealth of T cell exhaustion-focused research has been conducted in recent decades, transforming the current understanding of this biologically relevant process. However, there have not been any comprehensive bibliometric analyses to date focused on clarifying the T cell exhaustion-related research landscape. Here, a bibliometric analysis was thus conducted with the goal of better elucidating the current state of knowledge and emerging research hotspots in this field.

METHODS

The Web of Science Core Collection was searched for articles and reviews related to T cell exhaustion, with the CiteSpace and VOSviewer programs then being employed to analyze the countries, institutions, authors, references, and keywords associated with studies in this research space.

RESULTS

In total, 2676 studies were incorporated in this analysis, highlighting progressive annual increases in the number of T cell exhaustion-focused publications over the study period. These publications were affiliated with 3117 institutions in 85 countries, with the USA and China being the largest contributors to the field. Of the 18,032 authors associated with these publications, E. John Wherry exhibited the highest publication count and the greatest citation frequency. Keyword analyses indicated that immunotherapy, T cell exhaustion, and PD-1 are the dominant foci for T cell exhaustion-related research.

CONCLUSION

These findings highlight the importance of collaborations among institutions and nations in order to further propel novel studies of T cell exhaustion. Efforts to unravel the signal transduction and transcriptional mechanisms underlying the onset of T cell exhaustion were also identified as an emerging hotspot in this field. Ultimately, these results support the pivotal status of T cell exhaustion research as a key direction for immunotherapeutic research and development efforts in the coming years.