A peaceful death orchestrates immune balance in a chaotic environment

The multifunctional protein HMGB1: 50 years of discovery

Fifty years since the initial discovery of HMGB1 in 1973 as a structural protein of chromatin, HMGB1 is now known to regulate diverse biological processes depending on its subcellular or extracellular localization. These functions include promoting DNA damage repair in the nucleus, sensing nucleic acids and inducing innate immune responses and autophagy in the cytosol and binding protein partners in the extracellular environment and stimulating immunoreceptors. In addition, HMGB1 is a broad sensor of cellular stress that balances cell death and survival responses essential for cellular homeostasis and tissue maintenance. HMGB1 is also an important mediator secreted by immune cells that is involved in a range of pathological conditions, including infectious diseases, ischaemia-reperfusion injury, autoimmunity, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic disorders and cancer. In this Review, we discuss the signalling mechanisms, cellular functions and clinical relevance of HMGB1 and describe strategies to modify its release and biological activities in the setting of various diseases.

Dysregulation of the mevalonate pathway during SARS-CoV-2 infection: An in silico study

SARS-CoV-2 triggers a dysregulated innate immune system activation. As the mevalonate pathway (MVP) prevents the activation of inflammasomes and cytokine release and regulates endosomal transport, compromised signaling could be associated with the pathobiology of COVID-19. Prior transcriptomic studies of host cells in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection have not reported to date the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the MVP. In this study, we accessed public data sets to report in silico investigations into gene expression. In addition, we proposed candidate genes that are thought to have a direct association with the pathogenesis of COVID-19, and which may be dependent on signals derived from the MVP. Our results revealed dysregulation of genes involved in the MVP. These results were not found when investigating the gene expression data from host cells infected with H3N2 influenza virus, H1N1 influenza virus, or respiratory syncytial virus. Our manually curated gene set showed significant gene expression variability in A549 cells infected with SARS-CoV-2, as per Blanco-Melo et al. data set (GSE147507). In light of the present findings, SARS-CoV-2 could hijack the MVP, leading to hyperinflammatory responses. Prompt reconstitution of this pathway with available agents should be considered in future studies.

Consensus guidelines for the definition, detection and interpretation of immunogenic cell death

Cells succumbing to stress via regulated cell death (RCD) can initiate an adaptive immune response associated with immunological memory, provided they display sufficient antigenicity and adjuvanticity. Moreover, multiple intracellular and microenvironmental features determine the propensity of RCD to drive adaptive immunity. Here, we provide an updated operational definition of immunogenic cell death (ICD), discuss the key factors that dictate the ability of dying cells to drive an adaptive immune response, summarize experimental assays that are currently available for the assessment of ICD in vitro and in vivo, and formulate guidelines for their interpretation.