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Mora VP, Quero FB, Troncoso-Bravo T, Orellana C, Pereira P, Mackern-Oberti JP, Funes SC, Soto JA, Bohmwald K, Bueno SM, Kalergis AM. Partial long-term clinical improvement after a BCG challenge in systemic lupus erythematosus-prone mice. Autoimmunity 2024; 57:2380465. [PMID: 39034498 DOI: 10.1080/08916934.2024.2380465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2024] [Accepted: 07/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder that causes a breakdown of immune tolerance. Current treatments mainly involve general immunosuppression, increasing the risk of infections. On the other hand, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) has been investigated as a potential therapy for autoimmune diseases in recent years, prompting an ongoing investigation. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of BCG vaccination on early and late clinical presentation of SLE in a murine disease model. MRL/MPJ-Faslpr mice were immunized with BCG or treated with PBS as a control. The progress of the disease was evaluated at 27 days post-immunization (dpi) (early) and 56 dpi (late). Clinical parameters and proteinuria were monitored. Blood samples were collected for measurement of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA), and cytokine determination was performed using ELISA. Samples collected from mice were analyzed by flow cytometry and histopathology. We observed a clinical improvement in BCG-treated mice, reduced proteinuria in the latter stages of the disease, and decreased TNF-α. However, BCG did not elicit significant changes in ANAs, anti-dsDNA, histopathological scores, or immune cell infiltration. BCG was only partially beneficial in an SLE mouse model, and further research is needed to determine whether the immunity induced by this vaccine can counteract lupus's autoimmune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina P Mora
- Millennium Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Francisco B Quero
- Millennium Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Tays Troncoso-Bravo
- Millennium Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Bioprocesos, Facultad de Ingeniería, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Claudia Orellana
- Millennium Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Patricia Pereira
- Millennium Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Juan P Mackern-Oberti
- Instituto de Medicina y Biología Experimental de Cuyo, CONICET, Mendoza, Argentina
- Instituto de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Samanta C Funes
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas-San Luis (IMIBIO-SL), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)-Universidad Nacional de San Luis (UNSL), San Luis, Argentina
| | - Jorge A Soto
- Millennium Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Karen Bohmwald
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Susan M Bueno
- Millennium Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Alexis M Kalergis
- Millennium Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Endocrinología, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Pierce ES, Jindal C, Choi YM, Cassidy K, Efird JT. Pathogenic mechanisms and etiologic aspects of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis as an infectious cause of cutaneous melanoma. MEDCOMM - ONCOLOGY 2024; 3:e72. [PMID: 38831791 PMCID: PMC11145504 DOI: 10.1002/mog2.72] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Infectious etiologies have previously been proposed as causes of both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. This exploratory overview explains and presents the evidence for the hypothesis that a microorganism excreted in infected ruminant animal feces, Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), is the cause of some cases of cutaneous melanoma (CM). Occupational, residential, and recreational contact with MAP-contaminated feces, soil, sand, and natural bodies of water may confer a higher rate of CM. Included in our hypothesis are possible reasons for the differing rates and locations of CM in persons with white versus nonwhite skin, why CM develops underneath nails and in vulvar skin, why canine melanoma is an excellent model for human melanoma, and why the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine has demonstrated efficacy in the prevention and treatment of CM. The pathogenic mechanisms and etiologic aspects of MAP, as a transmittable agent underlying CM risk, are carefully deliberated in this paper. Imbalances in gut and skin bacteria, genetic risk factors, and vaccine prevention/therapy are also discussed, while acknowledging that the evidence for a causal association between MAP exposure and CM remains circumstantial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen S. Pierce
- Independent Physician Researcher, Spokane Valley, Washington, USA
| | - Charulata Jindal
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Yuk Ming Choi
- Provider Services, Signify Health, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Kaitlin Cassidy
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jimmy T. Efird
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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3
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Zhen L, Chen Y, Gao J, Li B, Jia Y. MicroRNA-99b Regulates Bacillus Calmette-Guerin-Infected Immature Dendritic Cell-Induced CD4+ T Cell Differentiation by Targeting mTOR Signaling. Crit Rev Immunol 2024; 44:35-47. [PMID: 38305335 DOI: 10.1615/critrevimmunol.2023050312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
This study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms by which microRNA-99b (miR-99b) regulates CD4+ T cell differentiation induced by Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG)-infected immature dendritic cells (imDCs). Levels of miR-99b, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), Foxp3, interleukin (IL)-10, IL-17, IL-23, and ROR-γt were assessed. Effects of miR-99b inhibition and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) agonist on Th17/Treg cell ratio and cytokine levels (IL-6, IL-17, IL-23) were studied. Expression of mTOR, S6K1, and 4E-BP1 related to miR-99b was analyzed. BCG-infected imDCs led to CD4+ T cell differentiation and altered levels of IFN-γ, Foxp3, IL-10, miR-99b, IL-17, IL-23, and ROR-γt. Inhibition of miR-99b increased the Th17/Treg cell ratio in CD4+ T cells co-cultured with BCG-infected imDCs, and this effect was further enhanced by the mTOR agonist. Additionally, the miR-99b inhibitor elevated the levels of IL-6, IL-17, and IL-23 when CD4+ T cells were co-cultured with BCG-infected imDCs, and the mTOR agonist further amplified this increase. Notably, miR-99b negatively regulated mTOR signaling, as the miR-99b inhibitor upregulated the expression levels of mTOR, S6K1, and 4E-BP1 while decreasing miR-99b. It was concluded that miR-99b modulates CD4+ T cell differentiation via mTOR pathway in response to BCG-infected im-DCs. Inhibiting miR-99b affects Th17/Treg ratio and pro-inflammatory cytokines, potentially impacting tuberculosis immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Libo Zhen
- Department of Tuberculosis, Affiliated Hangzhou Chest Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310030, China
| | - Yuanyuan Chen
- Tuberculosis Laboratory, Affiliated Hangzhou Chest Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310030, China
| | - Juwei Gao
- Department of Oncology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310061, China
| | - Boying Li
- Department of Tuberculosis, Affiliated Hangzhou Chest Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310030, China
| | - Yangmin Jia
- Department of Occupational Medicine, Affiliated Hangzhou Chest Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310030, China
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Kumari R S, Sethi G, Krishna R. Development of multi-epitope based subunit vaccine against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis using immunoinformatics approach. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-20. [PMID: 37880982 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2270065] [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: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
The etiological agent of tuberculosis (TB), Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a deadly pathogen that adapts to thrive within the host. Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has had colossal health, societal, and economic consequences, which have affected the reporting of new incidences and mortality cases of TB. As per the WHO 2022 report, 10.6 million people were diagnosed with TB, and 1.6 million died worldwide. The increase in resistant strains of tuberculosis is making it more burdensome to reach the End TB strategy. A reliable and efficient TB vaccine that may avert both primary infection and recurrence of latent TB in adults and adolescents is of the utmost importance. In this study, we used computational techniques to predict the ability of HLA molecules to display epitopes for six TB proteins (PPE68, PE_PGRS17, EspC, LDT4, RpfD, and RpfC) to design the multi-epitope subunit vaccine. From the aimed proteins, the potential B-cell, helper T lymphocyte (HTL), and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes were predicted and linked together with LPA adjuvant, and the vaccine was designed. The vaccine's physicochemical analysis demonstrates that it is non-allergic, non-toxic, and antigenic. Then, the vaccine structure was predicted, improved, and verified to yield the optimal structure. The developed vaccine's binding mechanism with distinct immunogenic receptors (Tlr2 and MHC-II) was assessed utilizing molecular docking. The molecular dynamic simulation and MMPBSA analysis were performed to comprehend the complexes' dynamics and stability. The immune simulation was utilized to anticipate the vaccine's immunogenic attributes. In silico cloning was employed to demonstrate the efficient expression of the designed vaccine in E. coli as a host. Moreover, in vitro and in vivo animal testing is required to determine the efficacy of the in silico developed vaccine.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Savita Kumari R
- Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
| | - Guneswar Sethi
- Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
- Department of Predictive Toxicology, Korea Institute of Toxicology (KIT), Republic of Korea
| | - Ramadas Krishna
- Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
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