Aging and cytomegalovirus infection differentially and jointly affect distinct circulating T cell subsets in humans

Multidimensional profiling of human T cells reveals high CD38 expression, marking recent thymic emigrants and age-related naive T cell remodeling

Thymic involution is a key factor in human immune aging, leading to reduced thymic output and a decline in recent thymic emigrant (RTE) naive T cells in circulation. Currently, the precise definition of human RTEs and their corresponding cell surface markers lacks clarity. Analysis of single-cell RNA-seq/ATAC-seq data distinguished RTEs by the expression of SOX4, IKZF2, and TOX and CD38 protein, whereby surface CD38hi expression universally identified CD8+ and CD4+ RTEs. We further determined the dynamics of RTEs and mature cells in a cohort of 158 individuals, including age-associated transcriptional reprogramming and shifts in cytokine production. Spectral cytometry profiling revealed two axes of aging common to naive CD8+ and CD4+ T cells: (1) a decrease in CD38++ cells (RTEs) and (2) an increase in CXCR3hi cells. Identification of RTEs enables direct assessment of thymic health. Furthermore, resolving the dynamics of naive T cell remodeling yields insight into vaccination and infection responsiveness throughout aging.

Anti-cytomegalovirus antibody levels stratify human immune profiles across the lifespan

Human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) is a ubiquitous latent persistent herpesvirus infecting 60-90% of the population worldwide. hCMV carriage in immunocompetent people is asymptomatic; thus, hCMV can be considered a component of normative aging. However, hCMV powerfully modulates many features of the immune, and likely other, systems and organs. Questions remain as to how hCMV carriage affects the human host. We used anti-CMV antibody titers as a stratifying criterion to examine the impact of "intensity" of hCMV infection as a potential biomarker of aging, inflammation, and immune homeostasis in a cohort of 247 participants stratified into younger (21-40 years) and older (> 65 years of age) groups. We showed that anti-CMV antibody titers increased with age and directly correlated to increased levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor (sTNFR) I in younger but not older participants. CD8 + cell numbers were reduced in the older group due to the loss in CD8 + T naïve (Tn) cells. In CMV carriers and, in particular, in anti-CMV Ab-high participants, this loss was mitigated or reversed by an increase in the numbers of CD8 + T effector memory (Tem) and T effector memory reexpressing CD45RA (Temra) cells. Analysis of CD38, HLA-DR, and CD57 expression revealed subset (CD4 or CD8)-specific changes that correlated with anti-CMV Ab levels. In addition, anti-CMV Ab levels predicted anti-CMV CD8 T cell responsiveness to different CMV open reading frames (ORFs) selectively in older participants, which correlated to the transcriptional order of expression of specific CMV ORFs. Implications of these results for the potential predictive value of anti-CMV Ab titers during aging are discussed.

DAMPs in immunosenescence and cancer

Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are endogenous molecules released by cells in response to injury or stress, recognized by host pattern recognition receptors that assess the immunological significance of cellular damage. The interaction between DAMPs and innate immune receptors triggers sterile inflammation, which serves a dual purpose: promoting tissue repair and contributing to pathological conditions, including age-related diseases. Chronic inflammation mediated by DAMPs accelerates immunosenescence and influences both tumor progression and anti-tumor immunity, underscoring the critical role of DAMPs in the nexus between aging and cancer. This review explores the characteristics of immunosenescence and its impact on age-related cancers, investigates the various types of DAMPs, their release mechanisms during cell death, and the immune activation pathways they initiate. Additionally, we examine the therapeutic potential of targeting DAMPs in age-related diseases. A detailed understanding of DAMP-induced signal transduction could provide critical insights into immune regulation and support the development of innovative therapeutic strategies.

Longitudinal Multi-omic Immune Profiling Reveals Age-Related Immune Cell Dynamics in Healthy Adults

The generation and maintenance of protective immunity is a dynamic interplay between host and environment that is impacted by age. Understanding fundamental changes in the healthy immune system that occur over a lifespan is critical in developing interventions for age-related susceptibility to infections and diseases. Here, we use multi-omic profiling (scRNA-seq, proteomics, flow cytometry) to examined human peripheral immunity in over 300 healthy adults, with 96 young and older adults followed over two years with yearly vaccination. The resulting resource includes scRNA-seq datasets of >16 million PBMCs, interrogating 71 immune cell subsets from our new Immune Health Atlas. This study allows unique insights into the composition and transcriptional state of immune cells at homeostasis, with vaccine perturbation, and across age. We find that T cells specifically accumulate age-related transcriptional changes more than other immune cells, independent from inflammation and chronic perturbation. Moreover, impaired memory B cell responses to vaccination are linked to a Th2-like state shift in older adults' memory CD4 T cells, revealing possible mechanisms of immune dysregulation during healthy human aging. This extensive resource is provided with a suite of exploration tools at https://apps.allenimmunology.org/aifi/insights/dynamics-imm-health-age/ to enhance data accessibility and further the understanding of immune health across age.

Transgenerational impacts of early life adversity: from health determinants, implications to epigenetic consequences

Exposure to different environmental factors, social and socioeconomic factors promotes development of the early-life adversity (ELA) phenotype. The persistence of this phenotype across generations is an interesting phenomenon that remains unexplored. Of late many studies have focused on disease-associated outcomes of ELA following exposure during childhood but the persistence of epigenetic imprints transmitted by ELA exposed parents to their offspring remains poorly described. It is possible that both parents are able to transmit ELA-associated genetic imprints to their offspring via transgenerational inheritance mechanisms. Here, we highlight the role of the mother and father in the biological process of conception, from epigenetic reprogramming cycles to later environmental exposures. We explain some of the known determinants of ELA (pollution, socioeconomic challenges, infections, etc.) and their disease-associated outcomes. Finally, we highlight the role of epigenetics, mitochondria and ncRNAs as mechanisms mediating transgenerational inheritance. Whether these transgenerational inheritance mechanisms occur in the human context remains unclear but there is a large body of suggestive evidence in non-human models that points out to its existence.

An IL-10 homologue encoded by human cytomegalovirus is linked with the viral "footprint" in clinical samples

Persistent infections with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) affect the hosts' immune system and have been linked with chronic inflammation and cardiovascular disease. These effects may be influenced by a HCMV-encoded homologue of the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10 (cmvIL-10). To assess this, we quantitated cmvIL-10 in plasma from renal transplant recipients (RTR) and healthy adults. Detectable levels of cmvIL-10 associated with seropositivity in RTR, but were found in some seronegative healthy adults. RTR with detectable cmvIL-10 had elevated interferon-γ T-cell responses to HCMV antigens, whilst cmvIL-10 in healthy adults associated with reduced populations of terminally-differentiated T-cells - a known "footprint" of HCMV. Plasma cmvIL-10 associated with lower VCAM-1 levels in healthy adults. The data suggest cmvIL-10 may suppress seroconversion and/or reduce the footprint of HCMV in healthy adults. This appears to be subverted in RTR by their high burden of HCMV and/or immune dysregulation associated with transplantation. A role for cmvIL-10 in protection of vascular health is discussed.

Synergistic interplay between radiation and microgravity in spaceflight-related immunological health risks

Spaceflight poses a myriad of environmental stressors to astronauts´ physiology including microgravity and radiation. The individual impacts of microgravity and radiation on the immune system have been extensively investigated, though a comprehensive review on their combined effects on immune system outcomes is missing. Therefore, this review aims at understanding the synergistic, additive, and antagonistic interactions between microgravity and radiation and their impact on immune function as observed during spaceflight-analog studies such as rodent hindlimb unloading and cell culture rotating wall vessel models. These mimic some, but not all, of the physiological changes observed in astronauts during spaceflight and provide valuable information that should be considered when planning future missions. We provide guidelines for the design of further spaceflight-analog studies, incorporating influential factors such as age and sex for rodent models and standardizing the longitudinal evaluation of specific immunological alterations for both rodent and cellular models of spaceflight exposure.

Terminally differentiated effector memory T cells associate with cognitive and AD-related biomarkers in an aging-based community cohort

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The immune response changes during aging and the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementia (ADRD). Terminally differentiated effector memory T cells (called TEMRA) are important during aging and AD due to their cytotoxic phenotype and association with cognitive decline. However, it is not clear if the changes seen in TEMRAs are specific to AD-related cognitive decline specifically or are more generally correlated with cognitive decline. This study aimed to examine whether TEMRAs are associated with cognition and plasma biomarkers of AD, neurodegeneration, and neuroinflammation in a community-based cohort of older adults.

METHODS

Study participants from a University of Kentucky Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (UK-ADRC) community-based cohort of aging and dementia were used to test our hypothesis. There were 84 participants, 44 women and 40 men. Participants underwent physical examination, neurological examination, medical history, cognitive testing, and blood collection to determine plasma biomarker levels (Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio, total tau, Neurofilament Light chain (Nf-L), Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP)) and to isolate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Flow cytometry was used to analyze PBMCs from study participants for effector and memory T cell populations, including CD4+ and CD8+ central memory T cells (TCM), Naïve T cells, effector memory T cells (TEM), and effector memory CD45RA+ T cells (TEMRA) immune cell markers.

RESULTS

CD8+ TEMRAs were positively correlated with Nf-L and GFAP. We found no significant difference in CD8+ TEMRAs based on cognitive scores and no associations between CD8+ TEMRAs and AD-related biomarkers. CD4+ TEMRAs were associated with cognitive impairment on the MMSE. Gender was not associated with TEMRAs, but it did show an association with other T cell populations.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that the accumulation of CD8+ TEMRAs may be a response to neuronal injury (Nf-L) and neuroinflammation (GFAP) during aging or the progression of AD and ADRD. As our findings in a community-based cohort were not clinically-defined AD participants but included all ADRDs, this suggests that TEMRAs may be associated with changes in systemic immune T cell subsets associated with the onset of pathology.

Exploring the Complexity and Promise of Tumor Immunotherapy in Drug Development

Cancer represents a significant threat to human health, and traditional chemotherapy or cytotoxic therapy is no longer the sole or preferred approach for managing malignant tumors. With advanced research into the immunogenicity of tumor cells and the growing elderly population, tumor immunotherapy has emerged as a prominent therapeutic option. Its significance in treating elderly cancer patients is increasingly recognized. In this study, we review the conceptual classifications and benefits of immunotherapy, and discuss recent developments in new drugs and clinical progress in cancer treatment through various immunotherapeutic modalities with different mechanisms. Additionally, we explore the impact of immunosenescence on the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy and propose innovative and effective strategies to rejuvenate senescent T cells.

The Impact of Immune System Aging on Infectious Diseases

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.

Immune system and gut microbiota senescence in elderly IBD patients

In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the loss of immune tolerance against gut microbiota causes chronic inflammation and the progressive accumulation of organ damage in genetically susceptible individuals. In the elderly, IBD is often characterized by a different disease behavior when compared with pediatric and young adult disease. Besides disease behavior, another aspect of the multifaceted impact of age on elderly IBD course is increased susceptibility to infections. In this context, age-of-onset-dependent IBD behavior and clinical course are two major contributors to immune system senescence and change of gut microbiota in older subjects. Here, we review the available literature linking immunosenescence and age-dependent changes in the gut microbiota composition to IBD pathogenesis speculating on their possible implications in disease expression in this age class.

Immune aging: biological mechanisms, clinical symptoms, and management in lung transplant recipients

While chronologic age can be precisely defined, clinical manifestations of advanced age occur in different ways and at different rates across individuals. The observed phenotype of advanced age likely reflects a superposition of several biological aging mechanisms which have gained increasing attention as the world contends with an aging population. Even within the immune system, there are multiple age-associated biological mechanisms at play, including telomere dysfunction, epigenetic dysregulation, immune senescence programs, and mitochondrial dysfunction. These biological mechanisms have associated clinical syndromes, such as telomere dysfunction leading to short telomere syndrome (STS), and optimal patient management may require recognition of biologically based aging syndromes. Within the clinical context of lung transplantation, select immune aging mechanisms are particularly pronounced. Indeed, STS is increasingly recognized as an indication for lung transplantation. At the same time, common aging phenotypes may be evoked by the stress of transplantation because lung allografts face a potent immune response, necessitating higher levels of immune suppression and associated toxicities, relative to other solid organs. Age-associated conditions exacerbated by lung transplant include bone marrow suppression, herpes viral infections, liver cirrhosis, hypogammaglobulinemia, frailty, and cancer risk. This review aims to dissect the molecular mechanisms of immune aging and describe their clinical manifestations in the context of lung transplantation. While these mechanisms are more likely to manifest in the context of lung transplantation, this mechanism-based approach to clinical syndromes of immune aging has broad relevance to geriatric medicine.

Cytotoxic CD8+ Temra cells show loss of chromatin accessibility at genes associated with T cell activation

As humans age, their memory T cell compartment expands due to the lifelong exposure to antigens. This expansion is characterized by terminally differentiated CD8+ T cells (Temra), which possess NK cell-like phenotype and are associated with chronic inflammatory conditions. Temra cells are predominantly driven by the sporadic reactivation of cytomegalovirus (CMV), yet their epigenomic patterns and cellular heterogeneity remain understudied. To address this gap, we correlated their gene expression profiles with chromatin openness and conducted single-cell transcriptome analysis, comparing them to other CD8+ subsets and CMV-responses. We confirmed that Temra cells exhibit high expression of genes associated with cytotoxicity and lower expression of costimulatory and chemokine genes. The data revealed that CMV-responsive CD8+ T cells (Tcmv) were predominantly derived from a mixed population of Temra and memory cells (Tcm/em) and shared their transcriptomic profiles. Using ATAC-seq analysis, we identified 1449 differentially accessible chromatin regions between CD8+ Temra and Tcm/em cells, of which only 127 sites gained chromatin accessibility in Temra cells. We further identified 51 gene loci, including costimulatory CD27, CD28, and ICOS genes, whose chromatin accessibility correlated with their gene expression. The differential chromatin regions Tcm/em cells were enriched in motifs that bind multiple transcriptional activators, such as Jun/Fos, NFkappaB, and STAT, whereas the open regions in Temra cells mainly contained binding sites of T-box transcription factors. Our single-cell analysis of CD8+CCR7loCD45RAhi sorted Temra population showed several subsets of Temra and NKT-like cells and CMC1+ Temra populations in older individuals that were shifted towards decreased cytotoxicity. Among CD8+CCR7loCD45RAhi sorted cells, we found a decreased proportion of IL7R+ Tcm/em-like and MAIT cells in individuals with high levels of CMV antibodies (CMVhi). These results shed new light on the molecular and cellular heterogeneity of CD8+ Temra cells and their relationship to aging and CMV infection.

Variation in the basal immune state and implications for disease

Analysis of pre-existing immunity and its effects on acute infection often focus on memory responses associated with a prior infectious exposure. However, memory responses occur in the context of the overall immune state and leukocytes must interact with their microenvironment and other immune cells. Thus, it is important to also consider non-antigen-specific factors which shape the composite basal state and functional capacity of the immune system, termed here as I0 ('I naught'). In this review, we discuss the determinants of I0. Utilizing influenza virus as a model, we then consider the effect of I0 on susceptibility to infection and disease severity. Lastly, we outline a mathematical framework and demonstrate how researchers can build and tailor models to specific needs. Understanding how diverse factors uniquely and collectively impact immune competence will provide valuable insights into mechanisms of immune variation, aid in screening for high-risk populations, and promote the development of broadly applicable prophylactic and therapeutic treatments.

Vaccine development: Current trends and technologies

Despite the effectiveness of vaccination in reducing or eradicating diseases caused by pathogens, there remain certain diseases and emerging infections for which developing effective vaccines is inherently challenging. Additionally, developing vaccines for individuals with compromised immune systems or underlying medical conditions presents significant difficulties. As well as traditional vaccine different methods such as inactivated or live attenuated vaccines, viral vector vaccines, and subunit vaccines, emerging non-viral vaccine technologies, including viral-like particle and nanoparticle vaccines, DNA/RNA vaccines, and rational vaccine design, offer new strategies to address the existing challenges in vaccine development. These advancements have also greatly enhanced our understanding of vaccine immunology, which will guide future vaccine development for a broad range of diseases, including rapidly emerging infectious diseases like COVID-19 and diseases that have historically proven resistant to vaccination. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of emerging non-viral vaccine production methods and their application in addressing the fundamental and current challenges in vaccine development.

Single-cell atlas of healthy human blood unveils age-related loss of NKG2C+GZMB-CD8+ memory T cells and accumulation of type 2 memory T cells

Extensive, large-scale single-cell profiling of healthy human blood at different ages is one of the critical pending tasks required to establish a framework for the systematic understanding of human aging. Here, using single-cell RNA/T cell receptor (TCR)/BCR-seq with protein feature barcoding, we profiled 317 samples from 166 healthy individuals aged 25-85 years old. From this, we generated a dataset from ∼2 million cells that described 55 subpopulations of blood immune cells. Twelve subpopulations changed with age, including the accumulation of GZMK+CD8+ T cells and HLA-DR+CD4+ T cells. In contrast to other T cell memory subsets, transcriptionally distinct NKG2C+GZMB-CD8+ T cells counterintuitively decreased with age. Furthermore, we found a concerted age-associated increase in type 2/interleukin (IL)4-expressing memory subpopulations across CD4+ and CD8+ T cell compartments (CCR4+CD8+ Tcm and Th2 CD4+ Tmem), suggesting a systematic functional shift in immune homeostasis with age. Our work provides novel insights into healthy human aging and a comprehensive annotated resource.

Sicilian semi- and supercentenarians: identification of age-related T-cell immunophenotype to define longevity trait

The immunophenotype of oldest centenarians, i.e. semi- and supercentenarians, could provide important information about their ability to adapt to factors associated with immune changes, including ageing per se and chronic Cytomegalovirus infection. We investigated, by flow cytometry, variations in percentages and absolute numbers of immune cell subsets, focusing on T cells, and pro-inflammatory parameters in a cohort of 28 women and 26 men (age range 19-110 years). We observed variability in hallmarks of immunosenescence related to age and Cytomegalovirus serological status. The eight oldest centenarians showed the lowest percentages of naïve T cells, due to their age, and the highest percentages of T-effector memory cells re-expressing CD45RA (TEMRA), according to their cytomegalovirus status, and high levels of serum pro-inflammatory parameters, although their means were lower than that of remaining 90+ donors. Some of them showed CD8 naïve and TEMRA percentages, and exhaustion/pro-inflammatory markers comparable to the younger ones. Our study supports the suggestion that immune ageing, especially of oldest centenarians, exhibits great variability that is not only attributable to a single contributor but should also be the full result of a combination of several factors. Everyone ages differently because he/she is unique in genetics and experience of life and this applies even more to the immune system; everybody has had a different immunological history. Furthermore, our findings on inflammatory markers, TEMRA and CMV seropositivity in centenarians, discussed in the light of the most recent literature, suggest that these changes might be not unfavourable for centenarians, and in particular for the oldest ones.

Terminally differentiated effector memory T cells associate with cognitive and AD-related biomarkers in an aging-based community cohort

Background and Purpose

The immune response changes during aging and the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementia (ADRD). Terminally differentiated effector memory T cells (called TEMRA) are important during aging and AD due to their cytotoxic phenotype and association with cognitive decline. However, it is not clear if the changes seen in TEMRAs are specific to AD-related cognitive decline specifically or are more generally correlated with cognitive decline. This study aimed to examine whether TEMRAs are associated with cognition and plasma biomarkers of AD, neurodegeneration, and neuroinflammation in a community-based cohort of older adults.

Methods

Study participants from a University of Kentucky Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (UK-ADRC) community-based cohort of aging and dementia were used to test our hypothesis. There were 84 participants, 44 women and 40 men. Participants underwent physical examination, neurological examination, medical history, cognitive testing, and blood collection to determine plasma biomarker levels (Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio, total tau, Neurofilament Light chain (Nf-L), Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP)) and to isolate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Flow cytometry was used to analyze PBMCs from study participants for effector and memory T cell populations, including CD4+ and CD8+ central memory T cells (TCM), Naïve T cells, effector memory T cells (TEM), and effector memory CD45RA+ T cells (TEMRA) immune cell markers.

Results

CD8+ TEMRAs were positively correlated with Nf-L and GFAP. We found no significant difference in CD8+ TEMRAs based on cognitive scores and no associations between CD8+ TEMRAs and AD-related biomarkers. CD4+ TEMRAs were associated with cognitive impairment on the MMSE. Gender was not associated with TEMRAs, but it did show an association with other T cell populations.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that the accumulation of CD8+ TEMRAs may be a response to neuronal injury (Nf-L) and neuroinflammation (GFAP) during aging or the progression of AD and ADRD. As our findings in a community-based cohort were not clinically-defined AD participants but included all ADRDs, this suggests that TEMRAs may be associated with changes in systemic immune T cell subsets associated with the onset of pathology.

Immunosenescence and cancer: Opportunities and challenges

As individuals age, cancer becomes increasingly common. This continually rising risk can be attributed to various interconnected factors that influence the body's susceptibility to cancer. Among these factors, the accumulation of senescent cells in tissues and the subsequent decline in immune cell function and proliferative potential are collectively referred to as immunosenescence. Reduced T-cell production, changes in secretory phenotypes, increased glycolysis, and the generation of reactive oxygen species are characteristics of immunosenescence that contribute to cancer susceptibility. In the tumor microenvironment, senescent immune cells may promote the growth and spread of tumors through multiple pathways, thereby affecting the effectiveness of immunotherapy. In recent years, immunosenescence has gained increasing attention due to its critical role in tumor development. However, our understanding of how immunosenescence specifically impacts cancer immunotherapy remains limited, primarily due to the underrepresentation of elderly patients in clinical trials. Furthermore, there are several age-related intervention methods, including metformin and rapamycin, which involve genetic and pharmaceutical approaches. This article aims to elucidate the defining characteristics of immunosenescence and its impact on malignant tumors and immunotherapy. We particularly focus on the future directions of cancer treatment, exploring the complex interplay between immunosenescence, cancer, and potential interventions.

Early-to-mid stage idiopathic Parkinson's disease shows enhanced cytotoxicity and differentiation in CD8 T-cells in females

Neuroinflammation in the brain contributes to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD), but the potential dysregulation of peripheral immunity has not been systematically investigated for idiopathic PD (iPD). Here we showed an elevated peripheral cytotoxic immune milieu, with more terminally-differentiated effector memory (TEMRA) CD8 T, CD8+ NKT cells and circulating cytotoxic molecules in fresh blood of patients with early-to-mid iPD, especially females, after analyzing > 700 innate and adaptive immune features. This profile, also reflected by fewer CD8+FOXP3+ T cells, was confirmed in another subcohort. Co-expression between cytotoxic molecules was selectively enhanced in CD8 TEMRA and effector memory (TEM) cells. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis demonstrated the accelerated differentiation within CD8 compartments, enhanced cytotoxic pathways in CD8 TEMRA and TEM cells, while CD8 central memory (TCM) and naïve cells were already more-active and transcriptionally-reprogrammed. Our work provides a comprehensive map of dysregulated peripheral immunity in iPD, proposing candidates for early diagnosis and treatments.

Th17-inducing dendritic cell vaccines stimulate effective CD4 T cell-dependent antitumor immunity in ovarian cancer that overcomes resistance to immune checkpoint blockade

BACKGROUND

Ovarian cancer (OC), a highly lethal cancer in women, has a 48% 5-year overall survival rate. Prior studies link the presence of IL-17 and Th17 T cells in the tumor microenvironment to improved survival in OC patients. To determine if Th17-inducing vaccines are therapeutically effective in OC, we created a murine model of Th17-inducing dendritic cell (DC) (Th17-DC) vaccination generated by stimulating IL-15 while blocking p38 MAPK in bone marrow-derived DCs, followed by antigen pulsing.

METHODS

ID8 tumor cells were injected intraperitoneally into mice. Mice were treated with Th17-DC or conventional DC (cDC) vaccine alone or with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). Systemic immunity, tumor associated immunity, tumor size and survival were examined using a variety of experimental strategies.

RESULTS

Th17-DC vaccines increased Th17 T cells in the tumor microenvironment, reshaped the myeloid microenvironment, and improved mouse survival compared with cDC vaccines. ICB had limited efficacy in OC, but Th17-inducing DC vaccination sensitized it to anti-PD-1 ICB, resulting in durable progression-free survival by overcoming IL-10-mediated resistance. Th17-DC vaccine efficacy, alone or with ICB, was mediated by CD4 T cells, but not CD8 T cells.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings emphasize using biologically relevant immune modifiers, like Th17-DC vaccines, in OC treatment to reshape the tumor microenvironment and enhance clinical responses to ICB therapy.

Newborn and child-like molecular signatures in older adults stem from TCR shifts across human lifespan

CD8+ T cells provide robust antiviral immunity, but how epitope-specific T cells evolve across the human lifespan is unclear. Here we defined CD8+ T cell immunity directed at the prominent influenza epitope HLA-A*02:01-M158-66 (A2/M158) across four age groups at phenotypic, transcriptomic, clonal and functional levels. We identify a linear differentiation trajectory from newborns to children then adults, followed by divergence and a clonal reset in older adults. Gene profiles in older adults closely resemble those of newborns and children, despite being clonally distinct. Only child-derived and adult-derived A2/M158+CD8+ T cells had the potential to differentiate into highly cytotoxic epitope-specific CD8+ T cells, which was linked to highly functional public T cell receptor (TCR)αβ signatures. Suboptimal TCRαβ signatures in older adults led to less proliferation, polyfunctionality, avidity and recognition of peptide mutants, although displayed no signs of exhaustion. These data suggest that priming T cells at different stages of life might greatly affect CD8+ T cell responses toward viral infections.

Beyond youth: Understanding CAR T cell fitness in the context of immunological aging

Population aging, a pervasive global demographic trend, is anticipated to challenge health and social systems worldwide. This phenomenon is due to medical advancements enabling longer lifespans, with 20% of the US population soon to be over 65 years old. Consequently, there will be a surge in age-related diseases. Senescence, characterized by the loss of biological maintenance and homeostasis at molecular and cellular levels, either correlates with or directly causes age-related phenotypic changes. Decline of the immune system is a critical factor in the senescence process, with cancer being a primary cause of death in elderly populations. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, an innovative approach, has demonstrated success mainly in pediatric and young adult hematological malignancies but remains largely ineffective for diseases affecting older populations, such as late-in-life B cell malignancies and most solid tumor indications. This limitation arises because CAR T cell efficacy heavily relies on the fitness of the patient-derived starting T cell material. Numerous studies suggest that T cell senescence may be a key driver of CAR T cell deficiency. This review examines correlates and underlying factors associated with favorable CAR T cell outcomes and explores potential experimental and clinically actionable strategies for T cell rejuvenation.

Proteostasis in T cell aging

Aging leads to a decline in immune cell function, which leaves the organism vulnerable to infections and age-related multimorbidities. One major player of the adaptive immune response are T cells, and recent studies argue for a major role of disturbed proteostasis contributing to reduced function of these cells upon aging. Proteostasis refers to the state of a healthy, balanced proteome in the cell and is influenced by synthesis (translation), maintenance and quality control of proteins, as well as degradation of damaged or unwanted proteins by the proteasome, autophagy, lysosome and cytoplasmic enzymes. This review focuses on molecular processes impacting on proteostasis in T cells, and specifically functional or quantitative changes of each of these upon aging. Importantly, we describe the biological consequences of compromised proteostasis in T cells, which range from impaired T cell activation and function to enhancement of inflamm-aging by aged T cells. Finally, approaches to improve proteostasis and thus rejuvenate aged T cells through pharmacological or physical interventions are discussed.

Better safe than sorry: Naive T-cell dynamics in healthy ageing

It is well-known that the functioning of the immune system gradually deteriorates with age, and we are increasingly confronted with its consequences as the life expectancy of the human population increases. Changes in the T-cell pool are among the most prominent features of the changing immune system during healthy ageing, and changes in the naive T-cell pool in particular are generally held responsible for its gradual deterioration. These changes in the naive T-cell pool are thought to be due to involution of the thymus. It is commonly believed that the gradual loss of thymic output induces compensatory mechanisms to maintain the number of naive T cells at a relatively constant level, and induces a loss of diversity in the T-cell repertoire. Here we review the studies that support or challenge this widely-held view of immune ageing and discuss the implications for vaccination strategies.

Disorganization of secondary lymphoid organs and dyscoordination of chemokine secretion as key contributors to immune aging

Aging is characterized by progressive loss of organ and tissue function, and the immune system is no exception to that inevitable principle. Of all the age-related changes in the body, reduction of the size of, and naïve T (Tn) cell output from, the thymus occurs earliest, being prominent already before or by the time of puberty. Therefore, to preserve immunity against new infections, over much of their lives, vertebrates dominantly rely on peripheral maintenance of the Tn cell pool in the secondary lymphoid organs (SLO). However, SLO structure and function subsequently also deteriorate with aging. Several recent studies have made a convincing case that this deterioration is of major importance to the erosion of protective immunity in the last third of life. Specifically, the SLO were found to accumulate multiple degenerative changes with aging. Importantly, the results from adoptive transfer and parabiosis studies teach us that the old microenvironment is the limiting factor for protective immunity in old mice. In this review, we discuss the extent, mechanisms, and potential role of stromal cell aging in the age-related alteration of T cell homeostatic maintenance and immune function decline. We use that discussion to frame the potential strategies to correct the SLO stromal aging defects - in the context of other immune rejuvenation approaches, - to improve functional immune responses and protective immunity in older adults.

Morphological and molecular comparison of HIV-associated and sporadic inclusion body myositis

OBJECTIVE

The molecular characteristics of sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) have been intensively studied, and specific patterns on the cellular, protein and RNA level have emerged. However, these characteristics have not been studied in the context of HIV-associated IBM (HIV-IBM). In this study, we compared clinical, histopathological, and transcriptomic patterns of sIBM and HIV-IBM.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, we compared patients with HIV-IBM and sIBM based on clinical and morphological features as well as gene expression levels of specific T-cell markers in skeletal muscle biopsy samples. Non-disease individuals served as controls (NDC). Cell counts for immunohistochemistry and gene expression profiles for quantitative PCR were used as primary outcomes.

RESULTS

14 muscle biopsy samples (7 HIV-IBM, 7 sIBM) of patients and 6 biopsy samples from NDC were included. Clinically, HIV-IBM patients showed a significantly lower age of onset and a shorter period between symptom onset and muscle biopsy. Histomorphologically, HIV-IBM patients showed no KLRG1+ or CD57+ cells, while the number of PD1+ cells did not differ significantly between the two groups. All markers were shown to be significantly upregulated at gene expression level with no significant difference between the IBM subgroups.

CONCLUSION

Despite HIV-IBM and sIBM sharing important clinical, histopathological, and transcriptomic signatures, the presence of KLRG1+ cells discriminated sIBM from HIV-IBM. This may be explained by longer disease duration and subsequent T-cell stimulation in sIBM. Thus, the presence of TEMRA cells is characteristic for sIBM, but not a prerequisite for the development of IBM in HIV+ patients.

Stabilization of the human cytomegalovirus UL136p33 reactivation determinant overcomes the requirement for UL135 for replication in hematopoietic cells

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a beta herpesvirus that persists indefinitely in the human host through a latent infection. The polycistronic UL133-UL138 gene locus of HCMV encodes genes regulating latency and reactivation. While UL138 is pro-latency, restricting virus replication in CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs), UL135 overcomes this restriction and is required for reactivation. By contrast, UL136 is expressed with later kinetics and encodes multiple proteins with differential roles in latency and reactivation. Like UL135, the largest UL136 isoform, UL136p33, is required for reactivation from latency in HPCs; viruses failing to express either protein are unresponsive to reactivation stimuli. Furthermore, UL136p33 is unstable, and its instability is important for the establishment of latency, and sufficient accumulation of UL136p33 is a checkpoint for reactivation. We hypothesized that stabilizing UL136p33 might overcome the requirement of UL135 for replication. We generated recombinant viruses lacking UL135 that expressed a stabilized variant of UL136p33. Stabilizing UL136p33 did not impact the replication of the UL135 mutant virus in fibroblasts. However, in the context of infection in HPCs, stabilization of UL136p33 strikingly compensated for the loss of UL135, resulting in increased replication in CD34+ HPCs and in humanized NOD-scid IL2Rγcnull (huNSG) mice. This finding suggests that while UL135 is essential for replication in HPCs, it functions largely at steps preceding the accumulation of UL136p33, and that stabilized expression of UL136p33 largely overcomes the requirement for UL135. Taken together, our genetic evidence indicates an epistatic relationship between UL136p33 and UL135, whereby UL135 may initiate events early in reactivation that drive the accumulation of UL136p33 to a threshold required for productive reactivation. IMPORTANCE Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is one of nine human herpesviruses and a significant human pathogen. While HCMV establishes a lifelong latent infection that is typically asymptomatic in healthy individuals, its reactivation from latency can have devastating consequences in the immunocompromised. Defining viral genes important in the establishment of or reactivation from latency is important to defining the molecular basis of latent and replicative states and in controlling infection and CMV disease. Here we define a genetic relationship between two viral genes in controlling virus reactivation from latency using primary human hematopoietic progenitor cells and humanized mouse models.

Immunosenescence as a convergence pathway in neurodegeneration

Immunity refers to the body's defense mechanism to protect itself against illness or to produce antibodies against pathogens. Senescence is a cellular phenomenon that integrates a sustainable growth restriction, other phenotypic abnormalities and including a pro-inflammatory secretome. It is highly involved in regulating developmental stages, tissue homeostasis, and tumor proliferation monitoring. Contemporary experimental reports imply that abolition of senescent cells employing evolved genetic and therapeutic approaches augment the chances of survival and boosts the health span of an individual. Immunosenescence is considered as a process in which dysfunction of the immune system occurs with aging and greatly includes remodeling of lymphoid organs. This in turn causes fluctuations in the immune function of the elderly that has strict relation with the expansion of autoimmune diseases, infections, malignant tumors and neurodegenerative disorders. The interaction of the nervous and immune systems during aging is marked by bi-directional influence and mutual correlation of variations. The enhanced systemic inflammatory condition in the elderly, and the neuronal immune cell activity can be modulated by inflamm-aging and peripheral immunosenescence resulting in chronic low-grade inflammatory processes in the central Nervous system known as neuro-inflammaging. For example, glia excitation by cytokines and glia pro-inflammatory productions contribute significantly to memory injury as well as in acute systemic inflammation, which is associated with high levels of Tumor necrosis factor -α and a rise in cognitive decline. In recent years its role in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease has caught research interest to a large extent. This article reviews the connection concerning the immune and nervous systems and highlights how immunosenescence and inflamm-aging can affect neurodegenerative disorders.

Cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus co-infected young and middle-aged adults can have an aging-related T-cell phenotype

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is known to alter circulating effector memory or re-expressing CD45RA⁺ (TemRA) T-cell numbers, but whether Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) does the same or this is amplified during a CMV and EBV co-infection is unclear. Immune cell numbers in blood of children and young, middle-aged, and senior adults (n = 336) were determined with flow cytometry, and additional multivariate linear regression, intra-group correlation, and cluster analyses were performed. Compared to non-infected controls, CMV-seropositive individuals from all age groups had more immune cell variance, and CMV⁺ EBV^- senior adults had more late-differentiated CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ TemRA and CD4⁺ effector memory T-cells. EBV-seropositive children and young adults had a more equal immune cell composition than non-infected controls, and CMV^- EBV⁺ senior adults had more intermediate/late-differentiated CD4⁺ TemRA and effector memory T-cells than non-infected controls. CMV and EBV co-infected young and middle-aged adults with an elevated BMI and anti-CMV antibody levels had a similar immune cell composition as senior adults, and CMV⁺ EBV⁺ middle-aged adults had more late-differentiated CD8⁺ TemRA, effector memory, and HLA-DR⁺ CD38^- T-cells than CMV⁺ EBV^- controls. This study identified changes in T-cell numbers in CMV- or EBV-seropositive individuals and that some CMV and EBV co-infected young and middle-aged adults had an aging-related T-cell phenotype.

Inflammation and aging: signaling pathways and intervention therapies

Aging is characterized by systemic chronic inflammation, which is accompanied by cellular senescence, immunosenescence, organ dysfunction, and age-related diseases. Given the multidimensional complexity of aging, there is an urgent need for a systematic organization of inflammaging through dimensionality reduction. Factors secreted by senescent cells, known as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), promote chronic inflammation and can induce senescence in normal cells. At the same time, chronic inflammation accelerates the senescence of immune cells, resulting in weakened immune function and an inability to clear senescent cells and inflammatory factors, which creates a vicious cycle of inflammation and senescence. Persistently elevated inflammation levels in organs such as the bone marrow, liver, and lungs cannot be eliminated in time, leading to organ damage and aging-related diseases. Therefore, inflammation has been recognized as an endogenous factor in aging, and the elimination of inflammation could be a potential strategy for anti-aging. Here we discuss inflammaging at the molecular, cellular, organ, and disease levels, and review current aging models, the implications of cutting-edge single cell technologies, as well as anti-aging strategies. Since preventing and alleviating aging-related diseases and improving the overall quality of life are the ultimate goals of aging research, our review highlights the critical features and potential mechanisms of inflammation and aging, along with the latest developments and future directions in aging research, providing a theoretical foundation for novel and practical anti-aging strategies.

The gastrointestinal-brain-microbiota axis: a promising therapeutic target for ischemic stroke

Ischemic stroke is a highly complex systemic disease characterized by intricate interactions between the brain and gastrointestinal tract. While our current understanding of these interactions primarily stems from experimental models, their relevance to human stroke outcomes is of considerable interest. After stroke, bidirectional communication between the brain and gastrointestinal tract initiates changes in the gastrointestinal microenvironment. These changes involve the activation of gastrointestinal immunity, disruption of the gastrointestinal barrier, and alterations in gastrointestinal microbiota. Importantly, experimental evidence suggests that these alterations facilitate the migration of gastrointestinal immune cells and cytokines across the damaged blood-brain barrier, ultimately infiltrating the ischemic brain. Although the characterization of these phenomena in humans is still limited, recognizing the significance of the brain-gastrointestinal crosstalk after stroke offers potential avenues for therapeutic intervention. By targeting the mutually reinforcing processes between the brain and gastrointestinal tract, it may be possible to improve the prognosis of ischemic stroke. Further investigation is warranted to elucidate the clinical relevance and translational potential of these findings.

Human cytomegalovirus UL138 interaction with USP1 activates STAT1 in infection

Innate immune responses are crucial for limiting virus infection. However, viruses often hijack our best defenses for viral objectives. Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a beta herpesvirus which establishes a life-long latent infection. Defining the virus-host interactions controlling latency and reactivation is vital to the control of viral disease risk posed by virus reactivation. We defined an interaction between UL138, a pro-latency HCMV gene, and the host deubiquitinating complex, UAF1-USP1. UAF1 is a scaffold protein pivotal for the activity of ubiquitin specific peptidases (USP), including USP1. UAF1-USP1 sustains an innate immune response through the phosphorylation and activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription-1 (pSTAT1), as well as regulates the DNA damage response. After the onset of viral DNA synthesis, pSTAT1 levels are elevated in infection and this depends upon UL138 and USP1. pSTAT1 localizes to viral centers of replication, binds to the viral genome, and influences UL138 expression. Inhibition of USP1 results in a failure to establish latency, marked by increased viral genome replication and production of viral progeny. Inhibition of Jak-STAT signaling also results in increased viral genome synthesis in hematopoietic cells, consistent with a role for USP1-mediated regulation of STAT1 signaling in the establishment of latency. These findings demonstrate the importance of the UL138-UAF1-USP1 virus-host interaction in regulating HCMV latency establishment through the control of innate immune signaling. It will be important going forward to distinguish roles of UAF1-USP1 in regulating pSTAT1 relative to its role in the DNA damage response in HCMV infection.

Immunosenescence: molecular mechanisms and diseases

Infection susceptibility, poor vaccination efficacy, age-related disease onset, and neoplasms are linked to innate and adaptive immune dysfunction that accompanies aging (known as immunosenescence). During aging, organisms tend to develop a characteristic inflammatory state that expresses high levels of pro-inflammatory markers, termed inflammaging. This chronic inflammation is a typical phenomenon linked to immunosenescence and it is considered the major risk factor for age-related diseases. Thymic involution, naïve/memory cell ratio imbalance, dysregulated metabolism, and epigenetic alterations are striking features of immunosenescence. Disturbed T-cell pools and chronic antigen stimulation mediate premature senescence of immune cells, and senescent immune cells develop a proinflammatory senescence-associated secretory phenotype that exacerbates inflammaging. Although the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be addressed, it is well documented that senescent T cells and inflammaging might be major driving forces in immunosenescence. Potential counteractive measures will be discussed, including intervention of cellular senescence and metabolic-epigenetic axes to mitigate immunosenescence. In recent years, immunosenescence has attracted increasing attention for its role in tumor development. As a result of the limited participation of elderly patients, the impact of immunosenescence on cancer immunotherapy is unclear. Despite some surprising results from clinical trials and drugs, it is necessary to investigate the role of immunosenescence in cancer and other age-related diseases.

CD4+ T cells are the major predictor of HCMV control in allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients on letermovir prophylaxis

Introduction

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) causes significant morbidity and mortality in allogeneic stem cell transplant (alloSCT) recipients. Recently, antiviral letermovir prophylaxis during the first 100 days after alloSCT replaced PCR-guided preemptive therapy as the primary standard of care for HCMV reactivations. Here, we compared NK-cell and T-cell reconstitution in alloSCT recipients receiving preemptive therapy or letermovir prophylaxis in order to identify potential biomarkers predicting prolonged and symptomatic HCMV reactivation.

Methods

To that end, the NK-cell and T-cell repertoire of alloSCT recipients managed with preemptive therapy (n=32) or letermovir prophylaxis (n=24) was characterized by flow cytometry on days +30, +60, +90 and +120 after alloSCT. Additionally, background-corrected HCMV-specific T-helper (CD4+IFNγ+) and cytotoxic (CD8+IFNγ+CD107a+) T cells were quantified after pp65 stimulation.

Results

Compared to preemptive therapy, letermovir prophylaxis prevented HCMV reactivation and decreased HCMV peak viral loads until days +120 and +365. Letermovir prophylaxis resulted in decreased T-cell numbers but increased NK-cell numbers. Interestingly, despite the inhibition of HCMV, we found high numbers of "memory-like" (CD56dimFcεRIγ- and/or CD159c+) NK cells and an expansion of HCMV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in letermovir recipients. We further compared immunological readouts in patients on letermovir prophylaxis with non/short-term HCMV reactivation (NSTR) and prolonged/symptomatic HCMV reactivation (long-term HCMV reactivation, LTR). Median HCMV-specific CD4+ T-cell frequencies were significantly higher in NSTR patients (day +60, 0.35 % vs. 0.00 % CD4+IFNγ+/CD4+ cells, p=0.018) than in patients with LTR, whereas patients with LTR had significantly higher median regulatory T-cell (Treg) frequencies (day +90, 2.2 % vs. 6.2 % CD4+CD25+CD127dim/CD4+ cells, p=0.019). ROC analysis confirmed low HCMV specific CD4+ (AUC on day +60: 0.813, p=0.019) and high Treg frequencies (AUC on day +90: 0.847, p=0.021) as significant predictors of prolonged and symptomatic HCMV reactivation.

Discussion

Taken together, letermovir prophylaxis delays HCMV reactivation and alters NK- and T-cell reconstitution. High numbers of HCMV-specific CD4+ T cells and low numbers of Tregs seem to be pivotal to suppress post-alloSCT HCMV reactivation during letermovir prophylaxis. Administration of more advanced immunoassays that include Treg signature cytokines might contribute to the identification of patients at high-risk for long-term and symptomatic HCMV reactivation who might benefit from prolonged administration of letermovir.

12-week combined strength and endurance exercise attenuates CD8+ T-cell differentiation and affects the kynurenine pathway in the elderly: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Age-related accumulation of highly differentiated CD8⁺ effector memory re-expressing CD45RA (EMRA) T-cells and disruption of the kynurenine (KYN) pathway are associated with chronic inflammation and the development of insulin resistance. In this study the aim was to investigate the effects of 12-week combined strength and endurance exercise on CD8⁺ T-cell differentiation and KYN pathway metabolites. Ninety-six elderly subjects (f/m, aged 50-70) were randomized to a control (CON) or exercise (EX) group. The EX group completed combined strength and endurance training twice weekly for one hour each time at an intensity of 60% of the one-repetition maximum for strength exercises and a perceived exertion of 15/20 for endurance exercises. The EX group was also randomly subdivided into two groups with or without a concomitant balanced diet intervention in order to examine additional effects besides exercise alone. Before and after the intervention phase, the proportions of CD8⁺ T-cell subsets and levels of KYN pathway metabolites in peripheral blood were determined.

RESULTS

The CD8⁺ EMRA T-cell subsets increased in the CON group but remained almost unchanged in the EX group (p = .02). Plasma levels of kynurenic acid (KA) increased in the EX group and decreased in the CON group (p = .03). Concomitant nutritional intervention resulted in lower levels of quinolinic acid (QA) compared with exercise alone (p = .03). Overall, there was a slight increase in the QA/KA ratio in the CON group, whereas it decreased in the EX group (p > .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Combined strength and endurance training seems to be a suitable approach to attenuate CD8⁺ T-cell differentiation in the elderly and to redirect the KYN pathway towards KA. The clinical relevance of these effects needs further investigation.

Circulating immune cell phenotypes are associated with age, sex, CMV, and smoking status in the Framingham Heart Study offspring participants

Understanding the composition of circulating immune cells with aging and the underlying biologic mechanisms driving aging may provide molecular targets to slow the aging process and reduce age-related disease. Utilizing cryopreserved cells from 996 Framingham Heart Study (FHS) Offspring Cohort participants aged 40 and older (mean 62 years, 48% female), we report on 116 immune cell phenotypes including monocytes, T-, B-, and NK cells and their subtypes, across age groups, sex, cytomegalovirus (CMV) exposure groups, smoking and other cardiovascular risk factors. The major cellular differences with CMV exposure were higher Granzyme B+ cells, effector cells, and effector-memory re-expressing CD45RA (TEMRA) cells for both CD4+ and CD8+. Older age was associated with lower CD3+ T cells, lower naïve cells and naïve/memory ratios for CD4+ and CD8+. We identified many immune cell differences by sex, with males showing lower naïve cells and higher effector and effector memory cells. Current smokers showed lower pro-inflammatory CD8 cells, higher CD8 regulatory type cells and altered B cell subsets. No significant associations were seen with BMI and other cardiovascular risk factors. Our cross-sectional observations of immune cell phenotypes provide a reference to further the understanding of the complexity of immune cells in blood, an easily accessible tissue.

Extremely Differentiated T Cell Subsets Contribute to Tissue Deterioration During Aging

There is a dramatic remodeling of the T cell compartment during aging. The most notorious changes are the reduction of the naive T cell pool and the accumulation of memory-like T cells. Memory-like T cells in older people acquire a phenotype of terminally differentiated cells, lose the expression of costimulatory molecules, and acquire properties of senescent cells. In this review, we focus on the different subsets of age-associated T cells that accumulate during aging. These subsets include extremely cytotoxic T cells with natural killer properties, exhausted T cells with altered cytokine production, and regulatory T cells that gain proinflammatory features. Importantly, all of these subsets lose their lymph node homing capacity and migrate preferentially to nonlymphoid tissues, where they contribute to tissue deterioration and inflammaging.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy modulates exhaustion of T cells in breast cancer patients

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide. It has been observed that the incidence of breast cancer increases linearly with age after 45, which suggest a link between cancer, aging, and senescence. A growing body of evidence indicates that the immunosuppressive tumor network in breast cancer patients can lead to T-cell exhaustion and senescence. Cytotoxic chemotherapy is a common treatment for many cancers, and it is hypothesized that its efficacy may be related to immune activation. However, the effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on T-cell dysfunction in breast cancer patients are not fully understood. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on the expression of exhaustion and senescence markers in T cells in women with breast cancer. Our results showed that T cells from breast cancer patients have a reduced ability to respond to stimulation in-vitro and an increased expression of senescence and exhaustion-associated markers, such as TIM-3, LAG3, and CD57. Furthermore, we found that neoadjuvant chemotherapy has an immunomodulatory effect and reduces the expression of exhaustion markers. Our observations of the immune phenotype of T cells during neoadjuvant chemotherapy treatment highlight its ability to stimulate the immune system against cancer. Therefore, monitoring the response of T cells during chemotherapy may enable early prediction of clinical response.

Human Cytomegalovirus UL138 Interaction with USP1 Activates STAT1 in infection

Innate immune responses are crucial for limiting virus infection. However, viruses often hijack our best defenses for viral objectives. Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a beta herpesvirus which establishes a life-long latent infection. Defining the virus-host interactions controlling latency and reactivation is vital to the control of viral disease risk posed by virus reactivation. We defined an interaction between UL138, a pro-latency HCMV gene, and the host deubiquintase complex, UAF1-USP1. UAF1 is a scaffold protein pivotal for the activity of ubiquitin specific peptidases (USP), including USP1. UAF1-USP1 sustains an innate immune response through the phosphorylation and activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription-1 (pSTAT1), as well as regulates the DNA damage response. After the onset of viral DNA synthesis, pSTAT1 levels are elevated and this depends upon UL138 and USP1. pSTAT1 localizes to viral centers of replication, binds to the viral genome, and influences UL138 expression. Inhibition of USP1 results in a failure to establish latency, marked by increased viral genome replication and production of viral progeny. Inhibition of Jak-STAT signaling also results in increased viral genome synthesis in hematopoietic cells, consistent with a role for USP1-mediated regulation of STAT1 signaling in the establishment of latency. These findings demonstrate the importance of the UL138-UAF1-USP1 virus-host interaction in regulating HCMV latency establishment through the control of innate immune signaling. It will be important going forward to distinguish roles of UAF1-USP1 in regulating pSTAT1 relative to its role in the DNA damage response in HCMV infection.

Importance

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is one of nine herpesviruses that infect humans. Following a primary infection, HCMV establishes a life-long latent infection that is marked by sporadic, and likely frequent reactivation events. While these reactivation events are asymptomatic in the immune competent host, they pose important disease risks for the immune compromised, including solid organ or stem cell transplant recipients. Its complex interactions with host biology and deep coding capacity make it an excellent model for defining mechanisms important for viral latency and reactivation. Here we define an interaction with host proteins that commandeer typically antiviral innate immune signaling for the establishment of latency.

Tracking Peripheral Memory T Cell Subsets in Advanced Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer Treated with Hypofractionated Radiotherapy and PD-1 Blockade

Hypofractionated radiotherapy (HFRT) or chemotherapy combined with programmed death-1 (PD-1) blockade has achieved good clinical control in advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the relative influence of HFRT + PD-1 blockade and chemo-immunotherapy on peripheral memory T cell subsets in NSCLC responders has not been evaluated in clinical practice. Thirty-nine patients with advanced NSCLC were enrolled. The frequencies of naive (Tn; CD45RA+CCR7+), central memory (Tcm; CD45RA-CCR7+), effector memory (Tem; CD45RA-CCR7-), and effector memory RA (TemRA; CD45RA+CCR7-) T cell subsets and PD-1 expression were analyzed in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells using flow cytometry from peripheral blood samples. The correlations of memory T cell subsets and PD-1 expression with overall survival in HFRT + PD-1 blockade group were examined using the Kaplan-Meier method. Patients with partial response to HFRT + PD-1 blockade showed reduction in Tn and expansion in TemRA cell subpopulations among CD8+ T cells and reduced PD-1+CD4+ and PD-1+CD8+ T cells, all of which were significantly correlated with overall survival. The responders to chemo-immunotherapy showed expansion of the TemRA and decrease of Tcm in CD8+ T cell subpopulation. Our findings show that HFRT+PD-1 blockade and chemo-immunotherapy combination therapies induce differential memory T cell subset differentiation, offering predictive markers for treatment response. Clinical Trial Information: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/ChiCTR-1900027768.

UL135 and UL136 Epistasis Controls Reactivation of Human Cytomegalovirus

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is beta herpesvirus that persists indefinitely in the human host through a protracted, latent infection. The polycistronic UL133-UL138 gene locus of HCMV encodes genes regulating latency and reactivation. While UL138 is pro-latency, restricting virus replication in CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs), UL135 overcomes this restriction for reactivation. By contrast, UL136 is expressed with later kinetics and encodes multiple protein isoforms with differential roles in latency and reactivation. Like UL135, the largest UL136 isoform, UL136p33, is required for reactivation from latency in hematopoietic cells. Furthermore, UL136p33 is unstable, and its instability is important for the establishment of latency and sufficient accumulation of UL136p33 is a checkpoint for reactivation. We hypothesized that stabilizing UL136p33 might overcome the requirement of UL135 for reactivation. To test this, we generated recombinant viruses lacking UL135 that expressed a stabilized variant of UL136p33. Stabilizing UL136p33 did not impact replication of the UL135-mutant virus in fibroblasts. However, in the context of infection in hematopoietic cells, stabilization of UL136p33 strikingly compensated for the loss of UL135, resulting in increased replication in CD34+ HPCs and in humanized NOD- scid IL2Rγ _c ^null (NSG) mice. This finding suggests that while UL135 is essential for reactivation, it functions at steps preceding the accumulation of UL136p33 and that stabilized expression of UL136p33 largely overcomes the requirement for UL135 in reactivation. Taken together, our genetic evidence indicates an epistatic relationship between UL136p33 and UL135 whereby UL135 may initiate events early in reactivation that will result in the accumulation of UL136p33 to a threshold required for productive reactivation.

SIGNIFICANCE

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is one of nine human herpesviruses and a significant human pathogen. While HCMV establishes a life-long latent infection that is typically asymptomatic in healthy individuals, its reactivation from latency can have devastating consequences in the immune compromised. Defining virus-host and virus-virus interactions important for HCMV latency, reactivation and replication is critical to defining the molecular basis of latent and replicative states and in controlling infection and CMV disease. Here we define a genetic relationship between two viral genes in controlling virus reactivation from latency using primary human hematopoietic progenitor cell and humanized mouse models.

T-cell cellular stress and reticulocyte signatures, but not loss of naïve T lymphocytes, characterize severe COVID-19 in older adults

In children and younger adults up to 39 years of age, SARS-CoV-2 usually elicits mild symptoms that resemble the common cold. Disease severity increases with age starting at 30 and reaches astounding mortality rates that are ~330 fold higher in persons above 85 years of age compared to those 18-39 years old. To understand age-specific immune pathobiology of COVID-19, we have analyzed soluble mediators, cellular phenotypes, and transcriptome from over 80 COVID-19 patients of varying ages and disease severity, carefully controlling for age as a variable. We found that reticulocyte numbers and peripheral blood transcriptional signatures robustly correlated with disease severity. By contrast, decreased numbers and proportion of naïve T-cells, reported previously as a COVID-19 severity risk factor, were found to be general features of aging and not of COVID-19 severity, as they readily occurred in older participants experiencing only mild or no disease at all. Single-cell transcriptional signatures across age and severity groups showed that severe but not moderate/mild COVID-19 causes cell stress response in different T-cell populations, and some of that stress was unique to old severe participants, suggesting that in severe disease of older adults, these defenders of the organism may be disabled from performing immune protection. These findings shed new light on interactions between age and disease severity in COVID-19.

Age-associated remodeling of T cell immunity and metabolism

Aging results in remodeling of T cell immunity and is associated with poor clinical outcomes in age-related diseases such as cancer. Among the hallmarks of aging, changes in host and cellular metabolism critically affect the development, maintenance, and function of T cells. Although metabolic perturbations impact anti-tumor T cell responses, the link between age-associated metabolic dysfunction and anti-tumor immunity remains unclear. In this review, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of aged T cell metabolism, with a focus on the bioenergetic and immunologic features of T cell subsets unique to the aging process. We also survey insights into mechanisms of metabolic T cell dysfunction in aging and discuss the impacts of aging on the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. As the average life expectancy continues to increase, understanding the interplay between age-related metabolic reprogramming and maladaptive T cell immunity will be instrumental for the development of therapeutic strategies for older patients.

T-cell cellular stress and reticulocyte signatures, but not loss of naïve T lymphocytes, characterize severe COVID-19 in older adults

In children and younger adults up to 39 years of age, SARS-CoV-2 usually elicits mild symptoms that resemble the common cold. Disease severity increases with age starting at 30 and reaches astounding mortality rates that are ~330 fold higher in persons above 85 years of age compared to those 18-39 years old. To understand age-specific immune pathobiology of COVID-19 we have analyzed soluble mediators, cellular phenotypes, and transcriptome from over 80 COVID-19 patients of varying ages and disease severity, carefully controlling for age as a variable. We found that reticulocyte numbers and peripheral blood transcriptional signatures robustly correlated with disease severity. By contrast, decreased numbers and proportion of naïve T-cells, reported previously as a COVID-19 severity risk factor, were found to be general features of aging and not of COVID-19 severity, as they readily occurred in older participants experiencing only mild or no disease at all. Single-cell transcriptional signatures across age and severity groups showed that severe but not moderate/mild COVID-19 causes cell stress response in different T-cell populations, and some of that stress was unique to old severe participants, suggesting that in severe disease of older adults, these defenders of the organism may be disabled from performing immune protection. These findings shed new light on interactions between age and disease severity in COVID-19.

Are Skeletal Muscle Changes during Prolonged Space Flights Similar to Those Experienced by Frail and Sarcopenic Older Adults?

Microgravity exposure causes several physiological and psychosocial alterations that challenge astronauts' health during space flight. Notably, many of these changes are mostly related to physical inactivity influencing different functional systems and organ biology, in particular the musculoskeletal system, dramatically resulting in aging-like phenotypes, such as those occurring in older persons on Earth. In this sense, sarcopenia, a syndrome characterized by the loss in muscle mass and strength due to skeletal muscle unloading, is undoubtedly one of the most critical aging-like adverse effects of microgravity and a prevalent problem in the geriatric population, still awaiting effective countermeasures. Therefore, there is an urgent demand to identify clinically relevant biological markers and to underline molecular mechanisms behind these effects that are still poorly understood. From this perspective, a lesson from Geroscience may help tailor interventions to counteract the adverse effects of microgravity. For instance, decades of studies in the field have demonstrated that in the older people, the clinical picture of sarcopenia remarkably overlaps (from a clinical and biological point of view) with that of frailty, primarily when referred to the physical function domain. Based on this premise, here we provide a deeper understanding of the biological mechanisms of sarcopenia and frailty, which in aging are often considered together, and how these converge with those observed in astronauts after space flight.

HCMV carriage in the elderly diminishes anti-viral functionality of the adaptive immune response resulting in virus replication at peripheral sites

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection and periodic reactivation is, generally, well controlled by adaptative immune responses in the healthy. In older people, overt HCMV disease is rarely seen despite the association of HCMV with increased risk of mortality; evidence from studies of unwell aged populations suggest that HCMV seropositivity is an important co-morbidity factor. HCMV genomes have been detected in urine from older donors, suggesting that the immune response prevents systemic disease but possibly immunomodulation due to lifelong viral carriage may alter its efficacy at peripheral tissue sites. Previously we have demonstrated that there were no age-related expansions of T cell responses to HCMV or increase in latent viral carriage with age and these T cells produced anti-viral cytokines and viremia was very rarely detected. To investigate the efficacy of anti-HCMV responses with increasing age, we used an in vitro Viral Dissemination Assay (VDA) using autologous dermal fibroblasts to determine the anti-viral effector capacity of total PBMC, as well as important subsets (T cells, NK cells). In parallel we assessed components of the humoral response (antibody neutralization) and combined this with qPCR detection of HCMV in blood, saliva and urine in a cohort of young and old donors. Consistent with previous studies, we again show HCMV specific cIL-10, IFNγ and TNFα T cell responses to peptides did not show an age-related defect. However, assessment of direct anti-viral cellular and antibody-mediated adaptive immune responses using the VDA shows that older donors are significantly less able to control viral dissemination in an in vitro assay compared to young donors. Corroborating this observation, we detected viral genomes in saliva samples only from older donors, these donors had a defect in cellular control of viral spread in our in vitro assay. Phenotyping of fibroblasts used in this study shows expression of a number of checkpoint inhibitor ligands which may contribute to the defects observed. The potential to therapeutically intervene in checkpoint inhibitor pathways to prevent HCMV reactivation in the unwell aged is an exciting avenue to explore.

Repurposing BCL-2 and Jak 1/2 inhibitors: Cure and treatment of HIV-1 and other viral infections

B cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) family proteins are involved in the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and are key modulators of cellular lifespan, which is dysregulated during human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and other viral infections, thereby increasing the lifespan of cells harboring virus, including the latent HIV-1 reservoir. Long-lived cells harboring integrated HIV-1 DNA is a major barrier to eradication. Strategies reducing the lifespan of reservoir cells could significantly impact the field of cure research, while also providing insight into immunomodulatory strategies that can crosstalk to other viral infections. Venetoclax is a first-in-class orally bioavailable BCL-2 homology 3 (BH3) mimetic that recently received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for treatment in myeloid and lymphocytic leukemia. Venetoclax has been recently investigated in HIV-1 and demonstrated anti-HIV-1 effects including a reduction in reservoir size. Another immunomodulatory strategy towards reduction in the lifespan of the reservoir is Jak 1/2 inhibition. The Jak STAT pathway has been implicated in BCL-2 and interleukin 10 (IL-10) expression, leading to a downstream effect of cellular senescence. Ruxolitinib and baricitinib are FDA-approved, orally bioavailable Jak 1/2 inhibitors that have been shown to indirectly decay the HIV-1 latent reservoir, and down-regulate markers of HIV-1 persistence, immune dysregulation and reservoir lifespan in vitro and ex vivo. Ruxolitinib recently demonstrated a significant decrease in BCL-2 expression in a human study of virally suppressed people living with HIV (PWH), and baricitinib recently received emergency use approval for the indication of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), underscoring their safety and efficacy in the viral infection setting. BCL-2 and Jak 1/2 inhibitors could be repurposed as immunomodulators for not only HIV-1 and COVID-19, but other viruses that upregulate BCL-2 anti-apoptotic proteins. This review examines potential routes for BCL-2 and Jak 1/2 inhibitors as immunomodulators for treatment and cure of HIV-1 and other viral infections.

Evaluation and comparison of adaptive immunity through analyzing the diversities and clonalities of T-cell receptor repertoires in the peripheral blood

The adaptive immune system plays an important role in defending against different kinds of diseases, including infection and cancer. There has been a longtime need for a simple method to quantitatively evaluate the potency of adaptive immunity in our bodies. The tremendously diversified T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoires are the foundation of the adaptive immune system. In this study, we analyzed the expressed TCRβ repertoires in the peripheral blood of 582 healthy donors and 60 cancer patients. The TCR repertoire in each individual is different, with different usages of TCR Vβ and Jβ genes. Importantly, the TCR diversity and clonality change along with age and disease situation. Most elder individuals and cancer patients have elevated numbers of large TCRβ clones and reduced numbers of shared common clones, and thus, they have very low TCR diversity index (D₅₀) values. These results reveal the alteration of the expressed TCRβ repertoire with aging and oncogenesis, and thus, we hypothesize that the TCR diversity and clonality in the peripheral blood might be used to evaluate and compare the adaptive immunities among different individuals in clinical practice.