Microbiota Induces Expression of Tumor Necrosis Factor in Postnatal Mouse Skin

Changes in Symbiotic Microbiota and Immune Responses in Early Development Stages of Rapana venosa (Valenciennes, 1846) Provide Insights Into Immune System Development in Gastropods

The symbiotic microbiota can stimulate modulation of immune system, which also can promote immune system mature in critical developmental periods. In this study, we have investigated the symbiotic microbiota in Rapana venosa at five early development stages using Illumina high-throughput sequencing, and detected immune responses in larvae. Analysis of the symbiotic microbiota sequences identified that the most abundant phylum was Proteobacteria. Beta diversity analysis indicated that the structure of the symbiotic microbiota dramatically shifted in early development stages. The abundance of immune-related KEGG Orthologs (KOs) also increased in competent larval (J4, 30-day post-hatching) and postlarval after 3 days of metamorphosis (Y5, 33-day post-hatching) stages. Acid phosphatase activity decreased significantly in the Y5 stage, and alkaline phosphatase activity also at a lower level in Y5 stage, whereas lysozyme activities exhibited no remarkable change. Also, the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase activities decreased dramatically during early development stages of R. venosa. Dramatic changes in the symbiotic microbiota and the immune response mainly occurred in the initially hatched veliger (C1), competent larval (J4) and postlarval (Y5) stages, during which the hosts might experience substantial environmental changes or changes in physiological structure and function. These findings expand our understanding of the stage-specific symbiotic microbiota in R. venosa and the close association between immune system and symbiotic microbiota in mollusks, however, the specific relationship may need more researches are needed to investigated in the future.

Properties of Fluorescent Far-Red Anti-TNF Nanobodies

Upregulation of the expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α, TNF) has a significant role in the development of autoimmune diseases. The fluorescent antibodies binding TNF may be used for personalized therapy of TNF-dependent diseases as a tool to predict the response to anti-TNF treatment. We generated recombinant fluorescent proteins consisting of the anti-TNF module based on the variable heavy chain (VHH) of camelid antibodies fused with the far-red fluorescent protein Katushka (Kat). Two types of anti-TNF VHH were developed: one (BTN-Kat) that was bound both human or mouse TNF, but did not neutralize their activity, and a second (ITN-Kat) that was binding and neutralizing human TNF. BTN-Kat does not interfere with TNF biological functions and can be used for whole-body imaging. ITN-Kat can be evaluated in humanized mice or in cells isolated from humanized mice. It is able to block human TNF (hTNF) activities both in vitro and in vivo and may be considered as a prototype of a theranostic agent for autoimmune diseases.

The skin microbiome: impact of modern environments on skin ecology, barrier integrity, and systemic immune programming

Skin barrier structure and function is essential to human health. Hitherto unrecognized functions of epidermal keratinocytes show that the skin plays an important role in adapting whole-body physiology to changing environments, including the capacity to produce a wide variety of hormones, neurotransmitters and cytokine that can potentially influence whole-body states, and quite possibly, even emotions. Skin microbiota play an integral role in the maturation and homeostatic regulation of keratinocytes and host immune networks with systemic implications. As our primary interface with the external environment, the biodiversity of skin habitats is heavily influenced by the biodiversity of the ecosystems in which we reside. Thus, factors which alter the establishment and health of the skin microbiome have the potential to predispose to not only cutaneous disease, but also other inflammatory non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Indeed, disturbances of the stratum corneum have been noted in allergic diseases (eczema and food allergy), psoriasis, rosacea, acne vulgaris and with the skin aging process. The built environment, global biodiversity losses and declining nature relatedness are contributing to erosion of diversity at a micro-ecological level, including our own microbial habitats. This emphasises the importance of ecological perspectives in overcoming the factors that drive dysbiosis and the risk of inflammatory diseases across the life course.