Issue published July 15, 2021 Previous issue
On the cover: Increased gastrointestinal mucosal permeability in MIS-C
In this issue, Yonker et al. report that multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is associated with increased gastrointestinal mucosal permeability. They suggest this could allow SARS-CoV-2 antigens in the gastrointestinal tract to leak into the bloodstream, triggering cytokine storm and hyperinflammatory responses. Image credit: SciStories.
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Review
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Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is among the most important public health crises of our generation. Despite the promise of prevention offered by effective vaccines, patients with severe COVID-19 will continue to populate hospitals and intensive care units for the foreseeable future. The most common clinical presentation of severe COVID-19 is hypoxemia and respiratory failure, typical of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Whether the clinical features and pathobiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia differ from those of pneumonia secondary to other pathogens is unclear. This uncertainty has created variability in the application of historically proven therapies for ARDS to patients with COVID-19. We review the available literature and find many similarities between patients with ARDS from pneumonia attributable to SARS-CoV-2 versus other respiratory pathogens. A notable exception is the long duration of illness among patients with COVID-19, which could result from its unique pathobiology. Available data support the use of care pathways and therapies proven effective for patients with ARDS, while pointing to unique features that might be therapeutically targeted for patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia.
Authors
G.R. Scott Budinger, Alexander V. Misharin, Karen M. Ridge, Benjamin D. Singer, Richard G. Wunderink
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Commentaries
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Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, has been associated globally with substantial morbidity and mortality. Numerous reports over the past year have described the clinical and immunological profiles of COVID-19 patients, and while some trends have emerged for risk stratification, they do not provide a complete picture. Therefore, efforts are ongoing to identify genetic susceptibility factors of severe disease. In this issue of the JCI, Povysil et al. performed a large, multiple-country study, sequencing genomes from patients with mild and severe COVID-19, along with population controls. Contrary to previous reports, the authors observed no enrichment of predicted loss-of-function variants in genes in the type I interferon pathway, which might predispose to severe disease. These studies suggest that more evidence is needed to substantiate the hypothesis for a genetic immune predisposition to severe COVID-19, and highlights the importance of considering experimental design when implicating a monogenic basis for severe disease.
Authors
Chris Cotsapas, Janna Saarela, Jocelyn R. Farmer, Vinod Scaria, Roshini S. Abraham
×Abstract
Vascular calcification is a common complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD), and one of the main risk factors for increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with CKD. In this issue of the JCI, Ouyang and Su et al. report that Alkb homolog 1 (ALKBH1), a DNA demethylase, reduced DNA N6-methyladenine (6mA) in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and leukocytes, thus leading to aortic arch calcification in the patients with CKD. During the progression of vascular calcification, increased ALKBH1 expression was linked to decreased 6mA levels, findings that the authors noted in both patients with CKD and CKD mouse models. The kidney and vascular disease risk factor soluble urokinase receptor (suPAR) was also elevated in the plasma. Notably, lower 6mA levels induced BMP2-mediated osteogenic reprogramming in the VSMCs. These findings present a function of ALKBH1 in vascular calcification and provide a framework for therapeutic strategies.
Authors
Ke Zhu, Jochen Reiser
×Abstract
Transplant recipients were excluded from the initial clinical trials determining safety and efficacy of the landmark COVID-19 vaccines. Further, there is increasing evidence that immunosuppressed transplant recipients have a blunted antibody response to COVID-19 vaccination. In a concerning report by Sattler et al. in this issue of the JCI, kidney transplant recipients not only lacked a humoral response following two doses of Pfizer BNT162b2, but also displayed substantial impairment of the cellular response to SARS-CoV-2 antigens. This Commentary addresses potential strategies for transplant providers to evaluate and augment vaccine immunogenicity given the likelihood that COVID-19 will remain a world-wide threat to the health of transplant recipients.
Authors
Peter G. Stock, Timothy J. Henrich, Dorry L. Segev, William A. Werbel
×Abstract
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) occurs during or recently following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and is characterized by persistent fever, inflammation, and severe illness requiring hospitalization. The majority of patients with MIS-C also present with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, including abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. In this issue of the JCI, Yonker, Gilboa, and colleagues identified zonulin as a biomarker of GI permeability in children with MIS-C and present the results of an intriguing proof-of-concept study indicating that zonulin may represent a potential therapeutic target for MIS-C treatment and prevention. Their findings suggest that intestinal mucosal dysfunction and epithelial barrier breakdown may represent a biological mechanism underlying the development of MIS-C in SARS-CoV-2–infected children.
Authors
Tiffany Hensley-McBain, Jennifer A. Manuzak
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Research Articles
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Abstract
Inhibitors of microsomal prostaglandin E synthase 1 (mPGES-1) are in the early phase of clinical development. Deletion of mPges-1 in mice confers analgesia, restrains atherogenesis, and fails to accelerate thrombogenesis, while suppressing prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), but increasing the biosynthesis of prostacyclin (PGI2). In low-density lipoprotein receptor–deficient (Ldlr–/–) mice, this last effect represents the dominant mechanism by which mPges-1 deletion restrains thrombogenesis, while suppression of PGE2 accounts for its antiatherogenic effect. However, the effect of mPges-1 depletion on blood pressure (BP) in this setting remains unknown. Here, we show that mPges-1 depletion significantly increased the BP response to salt loading in male Ldlr–/– mice, whereas, despite the direct vasodilator properties of PGI2, deletion of the I prostanoid receptor (Ipr) suppressed this response. Furthermore, combined deletion of the Ipr abrogated the exaggerated BP response in male mPges-1–/– mice. Interestingly, these unexpected BP phenotypes were not observed in female mice fed a high-salt diet (HSD). This is attributable to the protective effect of estrogen in Ldlr–/– mice and in Ipr–/– Ldlr–/– mice. Thus, estrogen compensates for a deficiency in PGI2 to maintain BP homeostasis in response to high salt in hyperlipidemic female mice. In male mice, by contrast, the augmented formation of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) plays a similar compensatory role, restraining hypertension and oxidant stress in the setting of Ipr depletion. Hence, men with hyperlipidemia on a HSD might be at risk of a hypertensive response to mPGES-1 inhibitors.
Authors
Soon Y. Tang, Hu Meng, Seán T. Anderson, Dimitra Sarantopoulou, Soumita Ghosh, Nicholas F. Lahens, Katherine N. Theken, Emanuela Ricciotti, Elizabeth J. Hennessy, Vincent Tu, Kyle Bittinger, Aalim M. Weiljie, Gregory R. Grant, Garret A. FitzGerald
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After extensive exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), most individuals acquire latent Mtb infection (LTBI) defined by a positive tuberculin skin test (TST) or interferon-γ release assay (IGRA). To identify mechanisms of resistance to Mtb infection, we compared transcriptional profiles from highly exposed contacts who resist TST/IGRA conversion (resisters, RSTRs) and controls with LTBI using RNAseq. Gene sets related to carbon metabolism and free fatty acid (FFA) transcriptional responses enriched across 2 independent cohorts suggesting RSTR and LTBI monocytes have distinct activation states. We compared intracellular Mtb replication in macrophages treated with FFAs and found that palmitic acid (PA), but not oleic acid (OA), enhanced Mtb intracellular growth. This PA activity correlated with its inhibition of proinflammatory cytokines in Mtb-infected cells. Mtb growth restriction in PA-treated macrophages was restored by activation of AMP kinase (AMPK), a central host metabolic regulator known to be inhibited by PA. Finally, we genotyped AMPK variants and found 7 SNPs in PRKAG2, which encodes the AMPK-γ subunit, that strongly associated with RSTR status. Taken together, RSTR and LTBI phenotypes are distinguished by FFA transcriptional programs and by genetic variation in a central metabolic regulator, which suggests immunometabolic pathways regulate TST/IGRA conversion.
Authors
Jason D. Simmons, Phu T. Van, Catherine M. Stein, Violet Chihota, Thobani Ntshiqa, Pholo Maenetje, Glenna J. Peterson, Anthony Reynolds, Penelope Benchek, Kavindhran Velen, Katherine L. Fielding, Alison D. Grant, Andrew D. Graustein, Felicia K. Nguyen, Chetan Seshadri, Raphael Gottardo, Harriet Mayanja-Kizza, Robert S. Wallis, Gavin Churchyard, W. Henry Boom, Thomas R. Hawn
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Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive brain cancer, recurs because glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) are resistant to all standard therapies. We showed that GSCs, but not normal astrocytes, are sensitive to lysis by healthy allogeneic natural killer (NK) cells in vitro. Mass cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing of primary tumor samples revealed that GBM tumor–infiltrating NK cells acquired an altered phenotype associated with impaired lytic function relative to matched peripheral blood NK cells from patients with GBM or healthy donors. We attributed this immune evasion tactic to direct cell-to-cell contact between GSCs and NK cells via αv integrin–mediated TGF-β activation. Treatment of GSC-engrafted mice with allogeneic NK cells in combination with inhibitors of integrin or TGF-β signaling or with TGFBR2 gene–edited allogeneic NK cells prevented GSC-induced NK cell dysfunction and tumor growth. These findings reveal an important mechanism of NK cell immune evasion by GSCs and suggest the αv integrin/TGF-β axis as a potentially useful therapeutic target in GBM.
Authors
Hila Shaim, Mayra Shanley, Rafet Basar, May Daher, Joy Gumin, Daniel B. Zamler, Nadima Uprety, Fang Wang, Yuefan Huang, Konrad Gabrusiewicz, Qi Miao, Jinzhuang Dou, Abdullah Alsuliman, Lucila N. Kerbauy, Sunil Acharya, Vakul Mohanty, Mayela Mendt, Sufang Li, JunJun Lu, Jun Wei, Natalie W. Fowlkes, Elif Gokdemir, Emily L. Ensley, Mecit Kaplan, Cynthia Kassab, Li Li, Gonca Ozcan, Pinaki P. Banerjee, Yifei Shen, April L. Gilbert, Corry M. Jones, Mustafa Bdiwi, Ana K. Nunez-Cortes, Enli Liu, Jun Yu, Nobuhiko Imahashi, Luis Muniz-Feliciano, Ye Li, Jian Hu, Giulio Draetta, David Marin, Dihua Yu, Stephan Mielke, Matthias Eyrich, Richard E. Champlin, Ken Chen, Frederick F. Lang, Elizabeth J. Shpall, Amy B. Heimberger, Katayoun Rezvani
×Abstract
Patients with congenital lymphedema suffer from tissue swelling in part due to mutations in genes regulating lymphatic valve development. Lymphatic valve leaflets grow and are maintained throughout life in response to oscillatory shear stress (OSS), which regulates gene transcription in lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs). Here, we identified the first transcription factor, Foxo1, that repressed lymphatic valve formation by inhibiting the expression of valve-forming genes. We showed that both embryonic and postnatal ablation of Foxo1 in LECs induced additional valve formation in postnatal and adult mice in multiple tissues. Our quantitative analyses revealed that after deletion, the total number of valves in the mesentery was significantly (P < 0.01) increased in the Foxo1LEC-KO mice compared with Foxo1fl/fl controls. In addition, our quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR) data from cultured LECs showed that many valve-forming genes were significantly (P < 0.01) upregulated upon knockdown of FOXO1. To confirm our findings in vivo, rescue experiments showed that Foxc2+/– mice, a model of lymphedema-distichiasis, had 50% fewer lymphatic valves and that the remaining valves exhibited backleak. Both valve number and function were completely restored to control levels upon Foxo1 deletion. These findings established FOXO1 as a clinically relevant target to stimulate de novo lymphatic valve formation and rescue defective valves in congenital lymphedema.
Authors
Joshua P. Scallan, Luz A. Knauer, Huayan Hou, Jorge A. Castorena-Gonzalez, Michael J. Davis, Ying Yang
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Anxiety-related disorders can be treated by cognitive therapies and transcranial magnetic stimulation, which involve the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Subregions of the mPFC have been implicated in mediating different and even opposite roles in anxiety-related behaviors. However, precise causal targets of these top-down connections among diverse possibilities have not been established. Here, we show that the lateral septum (LS) and the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) represent 2 direct targets of the infralimbic cortex (IL), a subregion of the mPFC that modulates anxiety and fear. Two projections were unexpectedly found to exert opposite effects on the anxious state and learned freezing: the IL-LS projection promoted anxiety-related behaviors and fear-related freezing, whereas the IL-CeA projection exerted anxiolytic and fear-releasing effects for the same features. Furthermore, selective inhibition of corresponding circuit elements showed opposing behavioral effects compared with excitation. Notably, the IL-CeA projection implemented top-down control of the stress-induced high-anxiety state. These results suggest that distinct IL outputs exert opposite effects in modulating anxiety and fear and that modulating the excitability of these projections with distinct strategies may be beneficial for the treatment of anxiety disorders.
Authors
Yi-Hua Chen, Jian-Lin Wu, Neng-Yuan Hu, Jia-Pai Zhuang, Wei-Peng Li, Sheng-Rong Zhang, Xiao-Wen Li, Jian-Ming Yang, Tian-Ming Gao
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Multiple myeloma (MM), a terminally differentiated B cell malignancy, remains difficult to cure. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the progression of MM may identify therapeutic targets and lead to a fundamental shift in treatment of the disease. Deubiquitination, like ubiquitination, is a highly regulated process, implicated in almost every cellular process. Multiple deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) have been identified, but their regulation is poorly defined. Here, we determined that TRIP13 increases cellular deubiquitination. Overexpression of TRIP13 in mice and cultured cells resulted in excess cellular deubiquitination by enhancing the association of the DUB USP7 with its substrates. We show that TRIP13 is an oncogenic protein because it accelerates B cell tumor development in transgenic mice. TRIP13-induced resistance to proteasome inhibition can be overcome by a USP7 inhibitor in vitro and in vivo. These findings suggest that TRIP13 expression plays a critical role in B cell lymphoma and MM by regulating deubiquitination of critical oncogenic (NEK2) and tumor suppressor (PTEN, p53) proteins. High TRIP13 identifies a high-risk patient group amenable to adjuvant anti-USP7 therapy.
Authors
Can Li, Jiliang Xia, Reinaldo Franqui-Machin, Fangping Chen, Yanjuan He, Timothy Cody Ashby, Feixiang Teng, Hongwei Xu, Dingxiao Liu, Dongzheng Gai, Sarah K. Johnson, Frits van Rhee, Siegfried Janz, John D. Shaughnessy Jr., Guido Tricot, Ivana Frech, Fenghuang Zhan
×Abstract
Vascular calcification (VC) predicts cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD). To date, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We detected leukocyte DNA N6-methyladenine (6mA) levels in patients with CKD with or without aortic arch calcification. We used arteries from CKD mice infected with vascular smooth muscle cell–targeted (VSMC-targeted) adeno-associated virus encoding alkB homolog 1 (Alkbh1) gene or Alkbh1 shRNA to evaluate features of calcification. We identified that leukocyte 6mA levels were significantly reduced as the severity of VC increased in patients with CKD. Decreased 6mA demethylation resulted from the upregulation of ALKBH1. Here, ALKBH1 overexpression aggravated whereas its depletion blunted VC progression and osteogenic reprogramming in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, ALKBH1-demethylated DNA 6mA modification could facilitate the binding of octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct4) to bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) promoter and activate BMP2 transcription. This resulted in osteogenic reprogramming of VSMCs and subsequent VC progression. Either BMP2 or Oct4 depletion alleviated the procalcifying effects of ALKBH1. This suggests that targeting ALKBH1 might be a therapeutic method to reduce the burden of VC in CKD.
Authors
Liu Ouyang, Xiaoyan Su, Wenxin Li, Liangqiu Tang, Mengbi Zhang, Yongjun Zhu, Changming Xie, Puhua Zhang, Jie Chen, Hui Huang
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Androgen receptor–positive prostate cancer (PCa) and estrogen receptor–positive luminal breast cancer (BCa) are generally less responsive to immunotherapy compared with certain tumor types such as melanoma. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated. In this study, we found that FOXA1 overexpression inversely correlated with interferon (IFN) signature and antigen presentation gene expression in PCa and BCa patients. FOXA1 bound the STAT2 DNA-binding domain and suppressed STAT2 DNA-binding activity, IFN signaling gene expression, and cancer immune response independently of the transactivation activity of FOXA1 and its mutations detected in PCa and BCa. Increased FOXA1 expression promoted cancer immuno- and chemotherapy resistance in mice and PCa and BCa patients. These findings were also validated in bladder cancer expressing high levels of FOXA1. FOXA1 overexpression could be a prognostic factor to predict therapy resistance and a viable target to sensitize luminal PCa, BCa, and bladder cancer to immuno- and chemotherapy.
Authors
Yundong He, Liguo Wang, Ting Wei, Yu-Tian Xiao, Haoyue Sheng, Hengchuan Su, Daniel P. Hollern, Xiaoling Zhang, Jian Ma, Simeng Wen, Hongyan Xie, Yuqian Yan, Yunqian Pan, Xiaonan Hou, Xiaojia Tang, Vera J. Suman, Jodi M. Carter, Richard Weinshilboum, Liewei Wang, Krishna R. Kalari, Saravut J. Weroha, Alan H. Bryce, Judy C. Boughey, Haidong Dong, Charles M. Perou, Dingwei Ye, Matthew P. Goetz, Shancheng Ren, Haojie Huang
×Abstract
A recent report found that rare predicted loss-of-function (pLOF) variants across 13 candidate genes in TLR3- and IRF7-dependent type I IFN pathways explain up to 3.5% of severe COVID-19 cases. We performed whole-exome or whole-genome sequencing of 1,864 COVID-19 cases (713 with severe and 1,151 with mild disease) and 15,033 ancestry-matched population controls across 4 independent COVID-19 biobanks. We tested whether rare pLOF variants in these 13 genes were associated with severe COVID-19. We identified only 1 rare pLOF mutation across these genes among 713 cases with severe COVID-19 and observed no enrichment of pLOFs in severe cases compared to population controls or mild COVID-19 cases. We found no evidence of association of rare LOF variants in the 13 candidate genes with severe COVID-19 outcomes.
Authors
Gundula Povysil, Guillaume Butler-Laporte, Ning Shang, Chen Wang, Atlas Khan, Manal Alaamery, Tomoko Nakanishi, Sirui Zhou, Vincenzo Forgetta, Robert J.M. Eveleigh, Mathieu Bourgey, Naveed Aziz, Steven J.M. Jones, Bartha Knoppers, Stephen W. Scherer, Lisa J. Strug, Pierre Lepage, Jiannis Ragoussis, Guillaume Bourque, Jahad Alghamdi, Nora Aljawini, Nour Albes, Hani M. Al-Afghani, Bader Alghamdi, Mansour S. Almutairi, Ebrahim Sabri Mahmoud, Leen Abu-Safieh, Hadeel El Bardisy, Fawz S. Al Harthi, Abdulraheem Alshareef, Bandar Ali Suliman, Saleh A. Alqahtani, Abdulaziz Almalik, May M. Alrashed, Salam Massadeh, Vincent Mooser, Mark Lathrop, Mohamed Fawzy, Yaseen M. Arabi, Hamdi Mbarek, Chadi Saad, Wadha Al-Muftah, Junghyun Jung, Serghei Mangul, Radja Badji, Asma Al Thani, Said I. Ismail, Ali G. Gharavi, Malak S. Abedalthagafi, J. Brent Richards, David B. Goldstein, Krzysztof Kiryluk
×Abstract
BACKGROUND Necrotizing soft-tissue infections (NSTIs) are rapidly progressing infections frequently complicated by septic shock and associated with high mortality. Early diagnosis is critical for patient outcome, but challenging due to vague initial symptoms. Here, we identified predictive biomarkers for NSTI clinical phenotypes and outcomes using a prospective multicenter NSTI patient cohort.METHODS Luminex multiplex assays were used to assess 36 soluble factors in plasma from NSTI patients with positive microbiological cultures (n = 251 and n = 60 in the discovery and validation cohorts, respectively). Control groups for comparative analyses included surgical controls (n = 20), non-NSTI controls (i.e., suspected NSTI with no necrosis detected upon exploratory surgery, n = 20), and sepsis patients (n = 24).RESULTS Thrombomodulin was identified as a unique biomarker for detection of NSTI (AUC, 0.95). A distinct profile discriminating mono- (type II) versus polymicrobial (type I) NSTI types was identified based on differential expression of IL-2, IL-10, IL-22, CXCL10, Fas-ligand, and MMP9 (AUC >0.7). While each NSTI type displayed a distinct array of biomarkers predicting septic shock, granulocyte CSF (G-CSF), S100A8, and IL-6 were shared by both types (AUC >0.78). Finally, differential connectivity analysis revealed distinctive networks associated with specific clinical phenotypes.CONCLUSIONS This study identifies predictive biomarkers for NSTI clinical phenotypes of potential value for diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic approaches in NSTIs.TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01790698.FUNDING Center for Innovative Medicine (CIMED); Region Stockholm; Swedish Research Council; European Union; Vinnova; Innovation Fund Denmark; Research Council of Norway; Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development; DLR Federal Ministry of Education and Research; and Swedish Children’s Cancer Foundation.
Authors
Laura M. Palma Medina, Eivind Rath, Sanjeevan Jahagirdar, Trond Bruun, Martin B. Madsen, Kristoffer Strålin, Christian Unge, Marco Bo Hansen, Per Arnell, Michael Nekludov, Ole Hyldegaard, Magda Lourda, Vitor A.P. Martins dos Santos, Edoardo Saccenti, Steinar Skrede, Mattias Svensson, Anna Norrby-Teglund
×Abstract
BACKGROUND Weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection or exposure, some children develop a severe, life-threatening illness called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are common in patients with MIS-C, and a severe hyperinflammatory response ensues with potential for cardiac complications. The cause of MIS-C has not been identified to date.METHODS Here, we analyzed biospecimens from 100 children: 19 with MIS-C, 26 with acute COVID-19, and 55 controls. Stools were assessed for SARS-CoV-2 by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), and plasma was examined for markers of breakdown of mucosal barrier integrity, including zonulin. Ultrasensitive antigen detection was used to probe for SARS-CoV-2 antigenemia in plasma, and immune responses were characterized. As a proof of concept, we treated a patient with MIS-C with larazotide, a zonulin antagonist, and monitored the effect on antigenemia and the patient’s clinical response.RESULTS We showed that in children with MIS-C, a prolonged presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the GI tract led to the release of zonulin, a biomarker of intestinal permeability, with subsequent trafficking of SARS-CoV-2 antigens into the bloodstream, leading to hyperinflammation. The patient with MIS-C treated with larazotide had a coinciding decrease in plasma SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen levels and inflammatory markers and a resultant clinical improvement above that achieved with currently available treatments.CONCLUSION These mechanistic data on MIS-C pathogenesis provide insight into targets for diagnosing, treating, and preventing MIS-C, which are urgently needed for this increasingly common severe COVID-19–related disease in children.
Authors
Lael M. Yonker, Tal Gilboa, Alana F. Ogata, Yasmeen Senussi, Roey Lazarovits, Brittany P. Boribong, Yannic C. Bartsch, Maggie Loiselle, Magali Noval Rivas, Rebecca A. Porritt, Rosiane Lima, Jameson P. Davis, Eva J. Farkas, Madeleine D. Burns, Nicola Young, Vinay S. Mahajan, Soroush Hajizadeh, Xcanda I. Herrera Lopez, Johannes Kreuzer, Robert Morris, Enid E. Martinez, Isaac Han, Kettner Griswold Jr., Nicholas C. Barry, David B. Thompson, George Church, Andrea G. Edlow, Wilhelm Haas, Shiv Pillai, Moshe Arditi, Galit Alter, David R. Walt, Alessio Fasano
×Abstract
Novel mRNA-based vaccines have been proven to be powerful tools in combating the global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, with BNT162b2 (trade name: Comirnaty) efficiently protecting individuals from COVID-19 across a broad age range. Still, it remains largely unknown how renal insufficiency and immunosuppressive medication affect development of vaccine-induced immunity. We therefore comprehensively analyzed humoral and cellular responses in kidney transplant recipients after the standard second vaccination dose. As opposed to all healthy vaccinees and the majority of hemodialysis patients, only 4 of 39 and 1 of 39 transplanted individuals showed IgA and IgG seroconversion at day 8 ± 1 after booster immunization, with minor changes until day 23 ± 5, respectively. Although most transplanted patients mounted spike-specific T helper cell responses, frequencies were significantly reduced compared with those in controls and dialysis patients and this was accompanied by a broad impairment in effector cytokine production, memory differentiation, and activation-related signatures. Spike-specific CD8+ T cell responses were less abundant than their CD4+ counterparts in healthy controls and hemodialysis patients and almost undetectable in transplant patients. Promotion of anti-HLA antibodies or acute rejection was not detected after vaccination. In summary, our data strongly suggest revised vaccination approaches in immunosuppressed patients, including individual immune monitoring for protection of this vulnerable group at risk of developing severe COVID-19.
Authors
Arne Sattler, Eva Schrezenmeier, Ulrike A. Weber, Alexander Potekhin, Friederike Bachmann, Henriette Straub-Hohenbleicher, Klemens Budde, Elena Storz, Vanessa Proß, Yasmin Bergmann, Linda M.L. Thole, Caroline Tizian, Oliver Hölsken, Andreas Diefenbach, Hubert Schrezenmeier, Bernd Jahrsdörfer, Tomasz Zemojtel, Katharina Jechow, Christian Conrad, Sören Lukassen, Diana Stauch, Nils Lachmann, Mira Choi, Fabian Halleck, Katja Kotsch
×Mild COVID-19 despite autoantibodies against type I IFNs in autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1
Abstract
Autoantibodies against IFN-α and IFN-ω (type I IFNs) were recently reported as causative for severe COVID-19 in the general population. Autoantibodies against IFN-α and IFN-ω are present in almost all patients with autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1) caused by biallelic deleterious or heterozygous dominant mutations in AIRE. We therefore hypothesized that autoantibodies against type I IFNs also predispose patients with APS-1 to severe COVID-19. We prospectively studied 6 patients with APS-1 between April 1, 2020 and April 1, 2021. Biobanked pre–COVID-19 sera of APS-1 subjects were tested for neutralizing autoantibodies against IFN-α and IFN-ω. The ability of the patients’ sera to block recombinant human IFN-α and IFN-ω was assessed by assays quantifying phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) as well as infection-based IFN-neutralization assays. We describe 4 patients with APS-1 and preexisting high titers of neutralizing autoantibodies against IFN-α and IFN-ω who contracted SARS-CoV-2, yet developed only mild symptoms of COVID-19. None of the patients developed dyspnea, oxygen requirement, or high temperature. All infected patients with APS-1 were females and younger than 26 years of age. Clinical penetrance of neutralizing autoantibodies against type I IFNs for severe COVID-19 is not complete.
Authors
Christian Meisel, Bengisu Akbil, Tim Meyer, Erwin Lankes, Victor M. Corman, Olga Staudacher, Nadine Unterwalder, Uwe Kölsch, Christian Drosten, Marcus A. Mall, Tilmann Kallinich, Dirk Schnabel, Christine Goffinet, Horst von Bernuth
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Abstract
The start codon c.1A>G mutation in KLHL24, encoding ubiquitin-ligase KLHL24, results in the loss of 28 N-terminal amino acids (KLHL24-ΔN28) by skipping the initial start codon. In skin, KLHL24-ΔN28 leads to gain of function, excessively targeting intermediate filament keratin-14 for proteasomal degradation, ultimately causing epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS). The majority of these EBS-patients are also diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), but the pathological mechanism in the heart is unknown. As desmin is the cardiac homologue of keratin-14, we hypothesized that KLHL24-ΔN28 leads to excessive degradation of desmin, resulting in DCM. Dynamically loaded engineered heart tissues (dyn-EHTs) were generated from human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes from two patients and three (non)familial controls. Ten-fold lower desmin protein levels were observed in patient-derived dyn-EHTs, in line with diminished desmin levels detected in patients’ explanted heart. This was accompanied by tissue dilatation, impaired mitochondrial function, decreased force values and increased cardiomyocyte stress. HEK293 transfection studies confirmed KLHL24-mediated desmin degradation. KLHL24 RNA interference or direct desmin overexpression recovered desmin protein levels, restoring morphology and function in patient-derived dyn-EHTs. To conclude, presence of KLHL24-ΔN28 in cardiomyocytes leads to excessive degradation of desmin, affecting tissue morphology and function, that can be prevented by restoring desmin protein levels.
Authors
Mathilde C.S.C. Vermeer, Maria C. Bolling, Jacqueline M. Bliley, Karla F. Arevalo Gomez, Mario G. Pavez-Giani, Duco Kramer, Pedro H. Romero-Herrera, B. Daan Westenbrink, Gilles F.H. Diercks, Maarten P. van den Berg, Adam W. Feinberg, Herman H. W. Silljé, Peter van der Meer
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is associated with substantial morbidity, mortality, and societal cost, and pharmacological treatment options for AUD are limited. The endogenous cannabinoid (eCB) signaling system is critically involved in reward processing and alcohol intake is positively correlated with release of the eCB ligand 2-Arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) within reward neurocircuitry. Here we show that genetic and pharmacological inhibition of diacylglycerol lipase (DAGL), the rate limiting enzyme in the synthesis of 2-AG, reduces alcohol consumption in a variety of preclinical models ranging from a voluntary free-access model to aversion resistant-drinking and dependence-like drinking induced via chronic intermittent ethanol vapor exposure in mice. DAGL inhibition during either chronic alcohol consumption or protracted withdrawal was devoid of anxiogenic and depressive-like behavioral effects. Lastly, DAGL inhibition also prevented ethanol-induced suppression of GABAergic transmission onto midbrain dopamine neurons, providing mechanistic insight into how DAGL inhibition could affect alcohol reward. These data suggest reducing 2-AG signaling via inhibition of DAGL could represent an effective approach to reduce alcohol consumption across the spectrum of AUD severity.
Authors
Nathan D. Winters, Gaurav Bedse, Anastasia A. Astafyev, Toni A. Patrick, Megan Altemus, Amanda J. Morgan, Snigdha Mukerjee, Keenan D. Johnson, Vikrant R. Mahajan, Md. Jashim Uddin, Philip J. Kingsley, Samuel W. Centanni, Cody A. Siciliano, David C. Samuels, Lawrence J. Marnett, Danny G. Winder, Sachin Patel
Abstract
Intratumoral T cells that might otherwise control tumors are often identified in an ‘exhausted’ state, defined by specific epigenetic modifications and upregulation of genes such as CD38, CTLA-4 and PD-1. While the term might imply inactivity, there has been little study of this state at the phenotypic level in tumors to understand the extent of their incapacitation. Starting with the observation that T cells move more quickly through mouse tumors as residence time increases and they progress towards exhaustion, we elaborated a non-stimulatory live-biopsy method for real-time study of T cell behaviors within individual patient tumors. Using two-photon microscopy, we studied native CD8 T cells interacting with APCs and cancer cells in different micro-niches of human tumors, finding that T cell speed was variable by region and by patient and was inversely correlated with local tumor density. Across a range of tumor types, we found a strong relationship between CD8 T cell motility and exhausted T cell state that corresponds to observations made in mouse models where exhausted T cells move faster. Our study demonstrates T cell dynamic states in individual human tumors and supports the existence of an active program in ‘exhausted’ T cells that extends beyond incapacitating them.
Authors
Ran You, Jordan Artichoker, Adam Fries, Austin W. Edwards, Alexis J. Combes, Gabriella C. Reeder, Bushra Samad, Matthew F. Krummel
Abstract
Skeletal muscle can undergo a regenerative process from injury or disease to preserve muscle mass and function, which is critically influenced by cellular stress responses. Inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) is an ancient endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress sensor and mediates a key branch of the unfolded protein response (UPR). In mammals, IRE1α is implicated in the homeostatic control of stress responses during tissue injury and regeneration. Here, we show that IRE1α serves as a myogenic regulator in skeletal muscle regeneration in response to injury and muscular dystrophy. We found in mice that IRE1α was activated during injury-induced muscle regeneration, and muscle-specific IRE1α ablation resulted in impaired regeneration upon cardiotoxin-induced injury. Gain- and loss-of-function studies in myocytes demonstrated that IRE1αacts to sustain both differentiation in myoblasts and hypertrophy in myotubes through regulated IRE1-dependent decay (RIDD) of mRNA encoding Myostatin, a key negative regulator of muscle repair and growth. Furthermore, in the mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), loss of muscle IRE1α resulted in augmented Myostatin signaling and exacerbated the dystrophic phenotypes. Thus, these results reveal a pivotal role for the RIDD output of IRE1α in muscle regeneration, offering new insight into potential therapeutic strategies for muscle loss diseases.
Authors
Shengqi He, Tingting Fu, Yue Yu, Qinhao Liang, Luyao Li, Jing Liu, Xuan Zhang, Qian Zhou, Qiqi Guo, Dengqiu Xu, Yong Chen, Xiaolong Wang, Yulin Chen, Jianmiao Liu, Zhenji Gan, Yong Liu
Abstract
Both epidemiologic and cellular studies in the context of autoimmune diseases have established that protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 22 (PTPN22) is a key regulator of T cell receptor (TCR) signaling. However, its mechanism of action in tumors and its translatability as a target for cancer immunotherapy have not been established. Here we show that a germline variant of PTPN22, rs2476601, portended a lower likelihood of cancer in patients. PTPN22 expression was also associated with markers of immune regulation in multiple cancer types. In mice, lack of PTPN22 augmented antitumor activity with greater infiltration and activation of macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells, and T cells. Notably, we generated a novel small molecule inhibitor of PTPN22, named L-1, that phenocopied the antitumor effects seen in genotypic PTPN22 knockout. PTPN22 inhibition promoted activation of CD8+ T cells and macrophage subpopulations toward MHC-II expressing M1-like phenotypes, both of which were necessary for successful antitumor efficacy. Increased PD1-PDL1 axis in the setting of PTPN22 inhibition could be further leveraged with PD1 inhibition to augment antitumor effects. Similarly, cancer patients with the rs2476601 variant responded significantly better to checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy. Our findings suggest that PTPN22 is a druggable systemic target for cancer immunotherapy.
Authors
Won Jin Ho, Sarah Croessmann, Jianping Lin, Zaw H. Phyo, Soren Charmsaz, Ludmila Danilova, Aditya A. Mohan, Nicole E. Gross, Fangluo Chen, Jiajun Dong, Devesh Aggarwal, Yunpeng Bai, Janey Wang, Jing He, James M. Leatherman, Mark Yarchoan, Todd D. Armstrong, Neeha Zaidi, Elana J. Fertig, Joshua C. Denny, Ben H. Park, Zhong-Yin Zhang, Elizabeth M. Jaffee
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This collection of reviews focuses on the gut-brain axis, highlighting crosstalk between the gastrointestinal tract and the enteric and central nervous systems. While the enteric nervous system can exert independent control over the gut, multi-directional communication with the central nervous system, as well as intestinal epithelial, stromal, immune, and enteroendocrine cells can result in wide-ranging influences on health and disease. The gut microbiome and its metabolites add further complexity to this intricate interactive network. Reviews in this series take a critical approach to describing the role of gut-brain connections in conditions affecting both gut and brain, with the common goal of illuminating the importance of the central and enteric nervous system interface in disease pathogenesis and identifying nodes that offer therapeutic potential.
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ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)