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Quiros-Roldan E, Sottini A, Natali PG, Imberti L. The Impact of Immune System Aging on Infectious Diseases. Microorganisms 2024; 12:775. [PMID: 38674719 PMCID: PMC11051847 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12040775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Immune system aging is becoming a field of increasing public health interest because of prolonged life expectancy, which is not paralleled by an increase in health expectancy. As age progresses, innate and adaptive immune systems undergo changes, which are defined, respectively, as inflammaging and immune senescence. A wealth of available data demonstrates that these two conditions are closely linked, leading to a greater vulnerability of elderly subjects to viral, bacterial, and opportunistic infections as well as lower post-vaccination protection. To face this novel scenario, an in-depth assessment of the immune players involved in this changing epidemiology is demanded regarding the individual and concerted involvement of immune cells and mediators within endogenous and exogenous factors and co-morbidities. This review provides an overall updated description of the changes affecting the aging immune system, which may be of help in understanding the underlying mechanisms associated with the main age-associated infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenia Quiros-Roldan
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, ASST- Spedali Civili and DSCS- University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy;
| | - Alessandra Sottini
- Clinical Chemistry Laboratory, Services Department, ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy;
| | - Pier Giorgio Natali
- Mediterranean Task Force for Cancer Control (MTCC), Via Pizzo Bernina, 14, 00141 Rome, Italy;
| | - Luisa Imberti
- Section of Microbiology, University of Brescia, P. le Spedali Civili, 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy
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Pan T, Cao G, Tang E, Zhao Y, Penaloza-MacMaster P, Fang Y, Huang J. A single-cell atlas reveals shared and distinct immune responses and metabolic profiles in SARS-CoV-2 and HIV-1 infections. Front Genet 2023; 14:1105673. [PMID: 36992700 PMCID: PMC10040851 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1105673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Within the inflammatory immune response to viral infection, the distribution and cell type-specific profiles of immune cell populations and the immune-mediated viral clearance pathways vary according to the specific virus. Uncovering the immunological similarities and differences between viral infections is critical to understanding disease progression and developing effective vaccines and therapies. Insight into COVID-19 disease progression has been bolstered by the integration of single-cell (sc)RNA-seq data from COVID-19 patients with data from related viruses to compare immune responses. Expanding this concept, we propose that a high-resolution, systematic comparison between immune cells from SARS-CoV-2 infection and an inflammatory infectious disease with a different pathophysiology will provide a more comprehensive picture of the viral clearance pathways that underscore immunological and clinical differences between infections. Methods: Using a novel consensus single-cell annotation method, we integrate previously published scRNA-seq data from 111,566 single PBMCs from 7 COVID-19, 10 HIV-1+, and 3 healthy patients into a unified cellular atlas. We compare in detail the phenotypic features and regulatory pathways in the major immune cell clusters. Results: While immune cells in both COVID-19 and HIV-1+ cohorts show shared inflammation and disrupted mitochondrial function, COVID-19 patients exhibit stronger humoral immunity, broader IFN-I signaling, elevated Rho GTPase and mTOR pathway activity, and downregulated mitophagy. Discussion: Our results indicate that differential IFN-I signaling regulates the distinct immune responses in the two diseases, revealing insight into fundamental disease biology and potential therapeutic candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony Pan
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Guoshuai Cao
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Erting Tang
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Yu Zhao
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | | | - Yun Fang
- Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Jun Huang
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
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Saitgalina MA, Ostankova YV, Liubimova NE, Semenov AV, Kuznetsova RN, Totolian AA. Modified quantitative approach for assessing peripheral blood TREC and KREC levels in immunodeficient patients. RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF INFECTION AND IMMUNITY 2022. [DOI: 10.15789/2220-7619-mmf-2039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Introduction. The immune status is a multifaceted parameter quantitatively and qualitatively analyzing functional activity immune system state in immune organs as well as some non-specific mechanisms of antimicrobial protection. Peripheral blood level of T-receptor excision rings (TREC) and B-cell excision rings (KREC), respectively, can serve as surrogate markers of T- and B-cell maturation. Currently, the diagnostic kits available on the market have two significant disadvantages: i) the kits are aimed at diagnosing immunodeficiency conditions only in newborns and children, while keeping adult patients uncovered; ii) essentially, use solely single reference normalization gene for data normalization resulting in increased variability and decreased sensitivity of the assay data. The aim: to develop a highly sensitive method for laboratory assessment of the state of immunity in immunodeficient patients by using real-time PCR for assessing TREC and KREC level in children and adults. Materials and methods. There were used whole blood and dry blood spot samples obtained from newborns and adults, apparently healthy individuals as well as patients with verified PID and HIV-infection. A total of 2577 samples were examined. Commercial kits were used as comparison methods. Results. Multiplex PCR was carried out, analyzing the number of target molecules TREC and KREC, as well as fragments of the HPRT and RPP30 normalization genes analyzed with the developed series of plasmid calibrators. The established analytical range of TREC/KREC DNA measurements comprised 103 to 109 copies/mL. The accuracy of measurements on a tablet-type instrument (CFX) was 95.84%, on a rotary-type instrument (Rotor-Gene 3000) 95.11%, which corresponds to the standard indicator. The equivalence between the data obtained after assessing whole blood samples and dry blood drops was shown. The data analysis allowed to find out 100%-diagnostic specificity and sensitivity of the method proposed. Conclusion. The method developed by us allows to diagnose decline in T- and/or B-cell immunity in children and adults and can be used to detect TREC and KREC molecules both in peripheral whole blood samples and dry blood spots using Guthrie cards. Moreover, the uniform values of reference norms can be used regardless of the type of analyzed clinical material. The study data evidence about potential for effective use of multiplex PCR diagnostics both for complex primary testing/screening of newborns and assessing state of immunity to identify adult patients with PID and as a part of the diagnostic monitoring of patients with secondary immunodeficiencies, e.g., HIV infection.
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A preliminary study of tracking B-cell kinetics in patients with lung transplantation by monitoring kappa-deleting recombination excision circles. TURK GOGUS KALP DAMAR CERRAHISI DERGISI 2022; 30:611-621. [PMID: 36605322 PMCID: PMC9801467 DOI: 10.5606/tgkdc.dergisi.2022.21672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Background This study aims to evaluate humoral immune system response by measuring copy numbers of kappa-deleting recombination excision circles (KREC) gene segment from B lymphocytes in patients with lung transplantation. Methods Between September 2015 and November 2016, a total of 11 patients (8 males, 3 females; mean age: 45.4±12.0 years; range, 23 to 59 years) who underwent lung transplantation with different primary indications were included. The copy numbers of KREC gene segment were quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction method in peripheral blood samples collected pre- and post-transplantation. The samples of the patients were compared with the KREC l evels i n deoxyribonucleic acid extracted from blood samples of healthy children. Results There was no significant change in KREC levels between pre- and post-operation (p=0.594 and p=0.657), although the median values indicated that the highest increase in the KREC levels (7x105- 12x105; 85-170) was on Day 7 of transplantation. There was a positive correlation between the KREC levels (mL in blood) and lymphocytes at 24 h after transplantation (p=0.043) and between KREC copies per 106 of blood and age on Day 7. Conclusion Our preliminary results suggest that KREC l evels a s an indicator of B lymphocyte production are elevated after lung transplantation. A prognostic algorithm by tracking B cell kinetics after post-transplantation for long-term follow-up can be developed following the confirmation of these preliminary results with more patient samples.
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Shinwari K, Bolkov M, Tuzankina IA, Chereshnev VA. Newborn Screening through TREC, TREC/KREC System for Primary Immunodeficiency with limitation of TREC/KREC. Comprehensive Review. Antiinflamm Antiallergy Agents Med Chem 2020; 20:132-149. [PMID: 32748762 DOI: 10.2174/1871523019999200730171600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Newborn screening (NBS) by quantifying T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) and Kappa receptor excision circles in neonatal dried blood spots (DBS) enables early diagnosis of different types of primary immune deficiencies. Global newborn screening for PID, using an assay to detect T-cell receptor excision circles (TREC) in dried blood spots (DBS), is now being performed in all states in the United States. In this review, we discuss the development and outcomes of TREC, TREC/KREC combines screening, and continued challenges to implementation. OBJECTIVE To review the diagnostic performance of published articles for TREC and TREC/ KREC based NBS for PID and its different types. METHODS Different research resources were used to get an approach for the published data of TREС and KREC based NBS for PID like PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Research gate EMBASE. We extracted TREC and KREC screening Publisher with years of publication, content and cut-off values, and a number of retests, repeat DBS, and referrals from the different published pilot, pilot cohort, Case series, and cohort studies. RESULTS We included the results of TREC, combined TREC/KREC system based NBS screening from different research articles, and divided these results between the Pilot studies, case series, and cohort. For each of these studies, different parameter data are excluded from different articles. Thirteen studies were included, re-confirming 89 known SCID cases in case series and reporting 53 new SCID cases in 3.15 million newborns. Individual TREC contents in all SCID patients were <25 TRECs/μl (except in those evaluated with the New York State assay). CONCLUSION TREC and KREC sensitivity for typical SCID and other types of PID was 100 %. It shows its importance and anticipating the significance of implementation in different undeveloped and developed countries in the NBS program in upcoming years. Data adapting the screening algorithm for pre-term/ill infants reduce the amount of false-positive test results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khyber Shinwari
- Department of Immunochemistry, Institute of Chemical Engineering, Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation
| | - Mikhail Bolkov
- Department of Immunochemistry, Institute of Chemical Engineering, Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation
| | - Irina A Tuzankina
- Institute of Immunology and Physiology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation
| | - Valery A Chereshnev
- Institute of Immunology and Physiology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation
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Badura R, Foxall RB, Ligeiro D, Rocha M, Godinho-Santos A, Trombetta AC, Sousa AE. Early ART in Acute HIV-1 Infection: Impact on the B-Cell Compartment. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:347. [PMID: 32766164 PMCID: PMC7378391 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.00347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 infection induces B cell defects, not fully recovered upon antiretroviral therapy (ART). Acute infection and the early start of ART provide unique settings to address the impact of HIV on the B cell compartment. We took advantage of a cohort of 21 seroconverters, grouped according to the presence of severe manifestations likely mediated by antibodies or immune complexes, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome and autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura, with a follow-up of 8 weeks upon effective ART. We combined B and T cell phenotyping with serum immunoglobulin level measurement and quantification of sj-KRECs and ΔB to estimate bone marrow output and peripheral proliferative history of B cells, respectively. We observed marked B cell disturbances, notably a significant expansion of cells expressing low levels of CD21, in parallel with markers of both impaired bone marrow output and increased peripheral B cell proliferation. This B cell dysregulation is likely to contribute to the severe immune-mediated conditions, as attested by the higher serum IgG and the reduced levels of sj-KRECs with increased ΔB in these individuals as compared to those patients with mild disease. Nevertheless, upon starting ART, the dynamic of B cell recovery was not distinct in the two groups, featuring both persistent alterations by week 8. Overall, we showed for the first time that acute HIV-1 infection is associated with decreased bone marrow B cell output assessed by sj-KRECs. Our study emphasizes the need to intervene in both bone marrow and peripheral responses to facilitate B cell recovery during acute HIV-1 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Badura
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Serviço de Doenças Infecciosas, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Russell B Foxall
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Dario Ligeiro
- Centro de Sangue e Transplantação de Lisboa, Instituto Português de Sangue e Transplantação, IP, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Miguel Rocha
- Grupo de Ativistas em Tratamentos, Community Based Center for HIV and STD, CheckpointLX, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Ana Godinho-Santos
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Amelia C Trombetta
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Ana E Sousa
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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Maternal Perinatal HIV Infection Is Associated With Increased Infectious Morbidity in HIV-exposed Uninfected Infants. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2019; 38:500-502. [PMID: 30461574 PMCID: PMC6465126 DOI: 10.1097/inf.0000000000002253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aging population of females with perinatally-acquired HIV (PHIV) are having their own children. HIV-exposed uninfected infants (HEU-N) born to women living with non-perinatally-acquired HIV (NPHIV) experience higher infectious morbidity compared with HIV-unexposed infants (HUU). Little is known about the infectious morbidity risk of HIV-exposed uninfected infants (HEU-P) born to PHIV women. METHODS We evaluated prevalence of infectious cause hospitalizations (ICH) during the first year of life among HEU-P, HEU-N and HUU infants in a United States (U.S) tertiary care center. Maternal HIV status was categorized as PHIV vs. NPHIV vs. HIV-uninfected. Generalized Estimating Equation models were fit to evaluate the association between maternal HIV status and infant ICH. RESULTS ICH was evaluated among 205 infants, 28 HEU-P infants, 112 HEU-N infants, and 65 HUU infants. PHIV women were younger compared with NPHIV and HIV-uninfected women (median age 22 years vs. 29 and 23 respectively, p<0.01). Overall, 21% of HEU-P, 4% of HEU-N and 12% of HUU infants experienced at least one ICH event (p<0.01) in the first year of life. After adjusting for confounders, HEU-P infants were at increased ICH risk compared with HEU-N infants [adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=7.45, 95% Confidence Interval (CI):1.58-35.04]. In sub-group analysis of HEU infants, excluding HUU infants, this relationship persisted after adjustment for maternal CD4 and HIV RNA level (aOR=10.24, 95% CI:1.66-63.31) CONCLUSIONS:: In a small U.S. cohort, HEU-P infants experienced increased ICH risk. Differences in intrauterine environments, social factors, or access to care may be important factors to assess in future larger studies.
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Payne H, Chain G, Adams S, Hunter P, Luckhurst N, Gilmour K, Lewis J, Babiker A, Cotton M, Violari A, Gibb D, Callard R, Klein N. Naive B Cell Output in HIV-Infected and HIV-Uninfected Children. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2019; 35:33-39. [PMID: 30298747 PMCID: PMC6863188 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2018.0170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, we aimed to quantify KREC (kappa-deleting recombination excision circle) levels and naive B cell output in healthy HIV-uninfected children, compared with HIV-infected South African children, before and after starting ART (antiretroviral therapy). Samples were acquired from a Child Wellness Clinic (n = 288 HIV-uninfected South African children, 2 weeks-12 years) and the Children with HIV Early Antiretroviral Therapy (CHER) trial (n = 153 HIV-infected South African children, 7 weeks-8 years). Naive B cell output was estimated using a mathematical model combining KREC levels to reflect B cell emigration into the circulation, flow cytometry measures of naive unswitched B cells to quantify total body naive B cells, and their rates of proliferation using the intracellular marker Ki67. Naive B cell output increases from birth to 1 year, followed by a decline and plateau into late childhood. HIV-infected children on or off ART had higher naive B cell outputs than their uninfected counterparts (p = .01 and p = .04). This is the first study to present reference ranges for measurements of KRECs and naive B cell output in healthy and HIV-infected children. Comparison between HIV-uninfected healthy children and HIV-infected children suggests that HIV may increase naive B cell output. Further work is required to fully understand the mechanisms involved and clinical value of measuring naive B cell output in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Payne
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
- Clinical Trials Unit, Medical Research Council, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gabriel Chain
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart Adams
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
| | - Patricia Hunter
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
| | - Natasha Luckhurst
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Immunology, Kingston University, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kimberly Gilmour
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
| | - Joanna Lewis
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
- CoMPLEX, UCL, London, United Kingdom
| | - Abdel Babiker
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Cotton
- Children's Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Avy Violari
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Diana Gibb
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robin Callard
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nigel Klein
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
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Tessitore MV, Sottini A, Roccaro AM, Ghidini C, Bernardi S, Martellosio G, Serana F, Imberti L. Detection of newly produced T and B lymphocytes by digital PCR in blood stored dry on nylon flocked swabs. J Transl Med 2017; 15:70. [PMID: 28381232 PMCID: PMC5381048 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-017-1169-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Accepted: 03/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A normal number of T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) and K-deleting recombination excision circles (KRECs) is considered a biomarker for adequate new T- and B-cell production. In newborns, detection of TRECs and KRECs by real time PCR from dried blood spotted on filter paper is used for the screening of severe immunodeficiency. In adults, elderly and during diseases, where the number of TRECs is lower than in newborns and children, a large amount of DNA and a sensitive method of amplification are necessary to identify newly produced lymphocytes. METHODS DNA was prepared from blood of 203 healthy adults (range: 18-91 years old) absorbed for 10 s on flocked swabs and let to dry, or from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. DNA was subjected to digital PCR and to well established conventional real time PCR-based method using TREC- and KREC-specific primers and probes. The number of TRECs and KRECs was expressed per mL of blood. Statistical analysis was performed by nested ANOVA, Pearson coefficient of determination, and by linear regression tests. RESULTS The novel method for the storage of dried blood on nylon flocked swabs and the use of digital PCR allow quantification of TRECs and KRECs with high degree of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and precision. TRECs and KRECs were amplified by digital PCR in all tested blood samples, including those obtained from elderly individuals (>70 years old) and that were negative by real time PCR. Furthermore, values of TRECs and KRECs obtained by digital PCR were in the range of those acquired by real time PCR. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate that DNA isolation from dried blood on flocked swabs followed by digital PCR-based analysis represents a useful tool for studying new lymphocyte production in adults and elderly individuals. This suggests the potential use of the methodology when monitoring of clinical variables is limited by the number of molecules that can be amplified and detected, such as in patients with immunodeficiency or under immunosuppressive therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Vaglio Tessitore
- Centro di Ricerca Emato-oncologica AIL (CREA), ASST Spedali Civili, P.le Spedali Civili, 1, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Alessandra Sottini
- Centro di Ricerca Emato-oncologica AIL (CREA), ASST Spedali Civili, P.le Spedali Civili, 1, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Aldo M Roccaro
- Centro di Ricerca Emato-oncologica AIL (CREA), ASST Spedali Civili, P.le Spedali Civili, 1, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Claudia Ghidini
- Centro di Ricerca Emato-oncologica AIL (CREA), ASST Spedali Civili, P.le Spedali Civili, 1, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Simona Bernardi
- Centro di Ricerca Emato-oncologica AIL (CREA), ASST Spedali Civili, P.le Spedali Civili, 1, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Giovanni Martellosio
- Centro di Ricerca Emato-oncologica AIL (CREA), ASST Spedali Civili, P.le Spedali Civili, 1, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Federico Serana
- Centro di Ricerca Emato-oncologica AIL (CREA), ASST Spedali Civili, P.le Spedali Civili, 1, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Luisa Imberti
- Centro di Ricerca Emato-oncologica AIL (CREA), ASST Spedali Civili, P.le Spedali Civili, 1, 25123, Brescia, Italy.
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Sottini A, Serana F, Bertoli D, Chiarini M, Valotti M, Vaglio Tessitore M, Imberti L. Simultaneous quantification of T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) and K-deleting recombination excision circles (KRECs) by real-time PCR. J Vis Exp 2014:52184. [PMID: 25549107 PMCID: PMC4396956 DOI: 10.3791/52184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) and K-deleting recombination excision circles (KRECs) are circularized DNA elements formed during recombination process that creates T- and B-cell receptors. Because TRECs and KRECs are unable to replicate, they are diluted after each cell division, and therefore persist in the cell. Their quantity in peripheral blood can be considered as an estimation of thymic and bone marrow output. By combining well established and commonly used TREC assay with a modified version of KREC assay, we have developed a duplex quantitative real-time PCR that allows quantification of both newly-produced T and B lymphocytes in a single assay. The number of TRECs and KRECs are obtained using a standard curve prepared by serially diluting TREC and KREC signal joints cloned in a bacterial plasmid, together with a fragment of T-cell receptor alpha constant gene that serves as reference gene. Results are reported as number of TRECs and KRECs/10(6) cells or per ml of blood. The quantification of these DNA fragments have been proven useful for monitoring immune reconstitution following bone marrow transplantation in both children and adults, for improved characterization of immune deficiencies, or for better understanding of certain immunomodulating drug activity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Diego Bertoli
- CREA, Diagnostics Department, Spedali Civili di Brescia
| | | | | | | | - Luisa Imberti
- CREA, Diagnostics Department, Spedali Civili di Brescia;
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Van Epps P, Matining RM, Tassiopoulos K, Anthony DD, Landay A, Kalayjian RC, Canaday DH. Older age is associated with peripheral blood expansion of naïve B cells in HIV-infected subjects on antiretroviral therapy. PLoS One 2014; 9:e107064. [PMID: 25207968 PMCID: PMC4160206 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0107064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2014] [Accepted: 08/06/2014] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Older HIV infected subjects were previously found to have significant B cell expansion during initial antiretroviral therapy in a prospective age-differentiated cohort of older and younger (≥45 vs. ≤30 years) HIV-infected subjects initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) through the AIDS Clinical Trials Group. Here to further describe this expansion, using a subset of subjects from the same cohort, we characterized B cell phenotypes at baseline and after 192 weeks of ART in both older and younger HIV-infected groups and compared them to uninfected age-matched controls. We also examined whether phenotypes at baseline associated with response to tetanus and hepatitis A vaccine at 12 weeks. Forty six subjects were analyzed in the HIV infected group (21 older, 25 younger) and 30 in the control group (15 per age group). We observed naïve B cells to normalize in younger subjects after 192 weeks of ART, while in older subjects naïve B cells increased to greater levels than those of controls (p = 0.045). Absolute resting memory (RM) cell count was significantly lower in the older HIV infected group at baseline compared to controls and numbers normalized after 192 weeks of ART (p<0.001). Baseline RM cell count positively correlated with week 12 increase in antibody to tetanus vaccine among both younger and older HIV-infected subjects combined (p = 0.01), but not in controls. The age-associated naïve B cell expansion is a novel finding and we discuss several possible explanations for this observation. Relationship between RM cells at baseline and tetanus responses may lead to insights about the effects of HIV infection on B cell memory function and vaccine responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puja Van Epps
- Geriatric Research Center Clinical Core (GRECC), Department of Infectious Diseases, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Roy M. Matining
- Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | | | - Donald D. Anthony
- Geriatric Research Center Clinical Core (GRECC), Department of Infectious Diseases, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Alan Landay
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Rush Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Robert C. Kalayjian
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Metrohealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America, and Geriatric Research Center Clinical Core (GRECC), Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - David H. Canaday
- Geriatric Research Center Clinical Core (GRECC), Department of Infectious Diseases, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
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Poonia B, Pauza CD. Levels of CD56+TIM-3- effector CD8 T cells distinguish HIV natural virus suppressors from patients receiving antiretroviral therapy. PLoS One 2014; 9:e88884. [PMID: 24520422 PMCID: PMC3919829 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2013] [Accepted: 01/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Prolonged antiretroviral therapy (ART) with effective HIV suppression and reconstitution of CD4 T cells, fails to restore CD8 T cell lytic effector function that is needed to eradicate the viral reservoir. Better understanding of the phenotype and function of circulating CD8 cells in HIV patients will contribute to new targeted therapies directed at increasing CD8 T cell lytic effector function and destruction of the viral reservoir. We show that CD8 T cells from ART treated patients had sharply reduced expression of CD56 (neural cell adhesion molecule-1), a marker associated with cytolytic function whereas elite patients who control HIV in the absence of ART had CD56+ CD8 T cell levels similar to uninfected controls. The CD56+ CD8 T cells had higher perforin upregulation as well as degranulation following stimulation with HIV gag peptides compared with CD56 negative CD8 T cells. Elite patients had the highest frequencies of perforin producing CD56+ CD8 T cells among all HIV+ groups. In patients receiving ART we noted high levels of the exhaustion marker TIM-3 on CD56+ CD8 T cells, implying that defective effector function was related to immune exhaustion. CD56+ CD8 T cells from elite or treated HIV patients responded to PMA plus ionomycin stimulation, and expressed transcription factors T-bet and EOMES at levels similar to uninfected controls. Consequently, the lytic effector defect in chronic HIV disease is due to immune exhaustion and quantitative loss of CD56+ CD8 T cells and this defect is not repaired in patients where viremia is suppressed and CD4 T cells are recovered after ART. Reconstituting the cytotoxic CD56+ subset of CD8+ T cells through new interventions might improve the lytic effector capacity and contribute to reducing the viral reservoir. Our initial studies indicate that IL-15 treatment partly reverses the CD56 defect, implying that myeloid cell defects could be targeted for immune therapy during chronic HIV disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhawna Poonia
- Institute of Human Virology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - C. David Pauza
- Institute of Human Virology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
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Serana F, Chiarini M, Zanotti C, Sottini A, Bertoli D, Bosio A, Caimi L, Imberti L. Use of V(D)J recombination excision circles to identify T- and B-cell defects and to monitor the treatment in primary and acquired immunodeficiencies. J Transl Med 2013; 11:119. [PMID: 23656963 PMCID: PMC3666889 DOI: 10.1186/1479-5876-11-119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2013] [Accepted: 05/06/2013] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) and kappa-deleting recombination excision circles (KRECs) are circular DNA segments generated in T and B cells during their maturation in the thymus and bone marrow. These circularized DNA elements persist in the cells, are unable to replicate, and are diluted as a result of cell division, thus are considered markers of new lymphocyte output. The quantification of TRECs and KRECs, which can be reliably performed using singleplex or duplex real-time quantitative PCR, provides novel information in the management of T- and B-cell immunity-related diseases. In primary immunodeficiencies, when combined with flow cytometric analysis of T- and B-cell subpopulations, the measure of TRECs and KRECs has contributed to an improved characterization of the diseases, to the identification of patients’ subgroups, and to the monitoring of stem cell transplantation and enzyme replacement therapy. For the same diseases, the TREC and KREC assays, introduced in the newborn screening program, allow early disease identification and may lead to discovery of new genetic defects. TREC and KREC levels can also been used as a surrogate marker of lymphocyte output in acquired immunodeficiencies. The low number of TRECs, which has in fact been extensively documented in untreated HIV-infected subjects, has been shown to increase following antiretroviral therapy. Differently, KREC number, which is in the normal range in these patients, has been shown to decrease following long-lasting therapy. Whether changes of KREC levels have relevance in the biology and in the clinical aspects of primary and acquired immunodeficiencies remains to be firmly established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Serana
- Inter-Departmental AIL Laboratory, Diagnostics Department, Spedali Civili of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
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Imami N, Westrop SJ, Grageda N, Herasimtschuk AA. Long-Term Non-Progression and Broad HIV-1-Specific Proliferative T-Cell Responses. Front Immunol 2013; 4:58. [PMID: 23459797 PMCID: PMC3585435 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2013.00058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2013] [Accepted: 02/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Complex mechanisms underlying the maintenance of fully functional, proliferative, HIV-1-specific T-cell responses involve processes from early T-cell development through to the final stages of T-cell differentiation and antigen recognition. Virus-specific proliferative CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses, important for the control of infection, are observed in some HIV-1(+) patients during early stages of disease, and are maintained in long-term non-progressing subjects. In the vast majority of HIV-1(+) patients, full immune functionality is lost when proliferative HIV-1-specific T-cell responses undergo a variable progressive decline throughout the course of chronic infection. This appears irreparable despite administration of potent combination antiretroviral therapy, which to date is non-curative, necessitating life-long administration and the development of effective, novel, therapeutic interventions. While a sterilizing cure, involving clearance of virus from the host, remains a primary aim, a "functional cure" may be a more feasible goal with considerable impact on worldwide HIV-1 infection. Such an approach would enable long-term co-existence of host and virus in the absence of toxic and costly drugs. Effective immune homeostasis coupled with a balanced response appropriately targeting conserved viral antigens, in a manner that avoids hyperactivation and exhaustion, may prove to be the strongest correlate of durable viral control. This review describes novel concepts underlying full immune functionality in the context of HIV-1 infection, which may be utilized in future strategies designed to improve upon existing therapy. The aim will be to induce long-term non-progressor or elite controller status in every infected host, through immune-mediated control of viremia and reduction of viral reservoirs, leading to lower HIV-1 transmission rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nesrina Imami
- Department of Medicine, Imperial College LondonLondon, UK
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