{"title":"Comprehensive analysis of autophagy status and its relationship with immunity and inflammation in ischemic stroke through integrated transcriptomic and single-cell sequencing.","authors":"Xiaole Zhu, Zhongman Zhang, Yi Zhu, Yanlong Chen, Wei Li, Huae Xu, Xufeng Chen","doi":"10.1038/s41435-025-00320-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41435-025-00320-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ischemic stroke (IS) significantly impacts patients' health and quality of life, with the roles of autophagy and autophagy-related genes in IS still not fully understood. In this study, IS datasets were retrieved from the GEO database. Autophagy-related genes(ARGs) were identified and screened for differential expression. A prediction model was constructed using machine learning algorithm. WGCNA was employed to analyze differential regulation modules among different clusters of stroke patients. The analysis results were validated using single-cell sequencing data. Finally, autophagy hub genes were validated in an external cohort and an IS mouse model. We observed suppressed autophagy states in IS patients. A diagnostic model with good clinical efficacy for stroke diagnosis was constructed based on the selected key genes (AUC = 0.87). Consensus clustering identified two IS subtypes with distinct gene expression patterns and immune cell infiltration. scRNA-seq data analysis confirmed downregulation of pexophagy in IS. CellChat analysis identified key signaling pathways and intercellular interactions related to pexophagy. Validation in an external cohort and IS mouse model confirmed differential gene expression, supporting the involvement of pexophagy in IS pathogenesis. The identified key genes, molecular subtypes, and cellular interactions provide a foundation for further research into targeted therapies and precision medicine approaches for IS patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":12691,"journal":{"name":"Genes and immunity","volume":" ","pages":"111-123"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143004271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Next-generation DC vaccines with an immunogenic trajectory against cancer: therapeutic opportunities vs. resistance mechanisms.","authors":"Jenny Sprooten, Abhishek D Garg","doi":"10.1038/s41435-024-00294-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41435-024-00294-3","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12691,"journal":{"name":"Genes and immunity","volume":" ","pages":"166-168"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142080108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Genes and immunityPub Date : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2025-01-07DOI: 10.1038/s41435-024-00316-0
Jingyang Liu, Qingge Guo, Guangming Liu, Weiping Wang, Xiuxiu Jin, Bingtao Hao, Bo Lei
{"title":"Immune pathogenic response landscape of acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy revealed by scRNA sequencing.","authors":"Jingyang Liu, Qingge Guo, Guangming Liu, Weiping Wang, Xiuxiu Jin, Bingtao Hao, Bo Lei","doi":"10.1038/s41435-024-00316-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41435-024-00316-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy (APMPPE) is an exceptionally rare inflammatory disorder affecting choroid and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. Although recent studies suggest an immune-driven nature, the underlying etiology of APMPPE remains elusive. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive investigation on the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) profile of an APMPPE patient using single-cell RNA sequencing. Our analysis revealed striking transcriptional alterations in monocytes within the PBMCs, identifying five distinct subpopulations: S100A12, CD16, pro-inflammatory, megakaryocyte-like, and NK-like monocyte subsets. Employing pseudotime inference, we observed a shift in APMPPE monocytes towards differentiation into inflammation-associated pro-inflammatory monocytes and a CD16 monocyte trajectory. Furthermore, we identified IFITM3 as a key player in the immune response driving the pathogenesis of APMPPE. Notably, two disease-relevant subgroups of monocytes, pro-inflammatory and CD16 monocytes, were implicated in APMPPE. CD16 monocytes, in particular, were involved in melanogenesis, suggesting that the abnormal expression of melanin in monocytes might result from autoimmune responses against pigment-enriched RPE cells. This study provided a comprehensive view of immune landscape in APMPPE, shedding light on the previously unrecognized contributions of pro-inflammatory and CD16 monocytes to this autoimmune condition.</p>","PeriodicalId":12691,"journal":{"name":"Genes and immunity","volume":" ","pages":"75-90"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12006025/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142947683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Genes and immunityPub Date : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2025-03-20DOI: 10.1038/s41435-025-00324-8
Ivo Zeller, Andreas Weiss, Sandra Hummel, Anette-Gabriele Ziegler, Ezio Bonifacio
{"title":"Age-dependent gene expression trajectories during early childhood in children at increased risk for type 1 diabetes.","authors":"Ivo Zeller, Andreas Weiss, Sandra Hummel, Anette-Gabriele Ziegler, Ezio Bonifacio","doi":"10.1038/s41435-025-00324-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41435-025-00324-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Early childhood is a period of rapid growth and immune system development. It is also critical for type 1 diabetes (T1D) autoimmunity, which has a peak incidence between 1 and 2 years of age. Here, we investigated age-related longitudinal gene expression changes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from children aged 3 months to 3 years who had an increased genetic risk for T1D, aiming to delineate gene expression trajectories and identify patterns potentially linked to the development of islet autoimmunity. We found 2 432 genes (12.5% of analyzed genes) to exhibit significant temporal dynamics in the first 3 years of life. These genes were grouped into six major clusters each demonstrating distinct expression trajectories of consistent increase or decrease with age, as well as U-shaped, and inverted U-shaped age-related patterns. Notably, genes in clusters with U-shaped expression trajectories, which mirrored the incidence of islet autoantibodies, were enriched for T1D susceptibility genes, particularly within the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) region. This study underscores the dynamic nature of gene expression in early childhood and its potential connection to T1D risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":12691,"journal":{"name":"Genes and immunity","volume":" ","pages":"173-177"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12006016/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143669636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Annexin A1 regulates inflammatory-immune response and reduces pancreatic and extra- pancreatic injury during severe acute pancreatitis.","authors":"Shizhao Lin, Feihong Liang, Changgan Chen, Jiajing Lin, Yuwei Wu, Zelin Hou, Heguang Huang, Haizong Fang, Yu Pan","doi":"10.1038/s41435-025-00321-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41435-025-00321-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) poses significant challenges due to its complex pathophysiology, which includes inflammatory-immune responses that cause considerable damage to both the pancreas and other tissues. In this study, we explored the role of Annexin A1 (Anxa1), a glucocorticoid-regulated protein recognized for its anti-inflammatory properties, in regulating inflammation during acute pancreatitis. Using flow cytometry, single-cell RNA sequencing, and gene expression analysis, we examined how Anxa1 expression is regulated in myeloid cells throughout acute pancreatitis, employing various animal models to evaluate the consequences of modulating Anxa1 on injuries induced by SAP. Our findings revealed dynamic regulation of Anxa1 expression in myeloid cells, with mice lacking Anxa1 exhibiting worsened pancreatic injury and heightened systemic inflammation, resulting in significant damage to extra-pancreatic organs such as the lungs, liver, and kidneys. In contrast, treatment with Ac2-26, a synthetic peptide derived from Anxa1, effectively mitigated both pancreatic and extra-pancreatic inflammation and tissue damage. Overall, this study highlights the critical role of Anxa1 in modulating inflammatory responses during acute pancreatitis. Targeting Anxa1 presents a promising therapeutic strategy to mitigate pancreatic injury and prevent systemic complications associated with severe acute pancreatitis.</p>","PeriodicalId":12691,"journal":{"name":"Genes and immunity","volume":" ","pages":"124-136"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143536970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xianfei Zhou, Miaoguo Cai, Fan Yang, Luoshun Huang, Yisheng Ling, Yang Zhang, Hanqiu Nie, Renwei Xing
{"title":"Hypoxia-induced autophagy in pancreatic cancer counteracts the cytotoxicity of CD8+ T cells by inhibiting the expression of MHC-I","authors":"Xianfei Zhou, Miaoguo Cai, Fan Yang, Luoshun Huang, Yisheng Ling, Yang Zhang, Hanqiu Nie, Renwei Xing","doi":"10.1038/s41435-024-00315-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41435-024-00315-1","url":null,"abstract":"The hypoxic microenvironment is an essential feature of solid tumors. Autophagy has been controversial in its role in immune regulation. This project aims to elucidate the impact of autophagy in pancreatic cancer (PC) under specific conditions (hypoxia) on CD8+ T cells and the regulatory mechanisms behind it.The levels of HIF1α and autophagy were analyzed by western blot (WB) and immunofluorescence (IF). The effects of HIF1α on cell autophagy were assessed in normoxic or hypoxic treatments using KC7F2 (HIF-1 channel inhibitor) or chloroquine (autophagy inhibitor). CD8+ T cells were co-cultured with PC cells to assess the cytotoxicity using lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and Hoechst/PI staining. The content of cytokines and the activation level of CD8+ T cells were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and flow cytometry. MHC-I expression in PC cells (membranes) was analyzed using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), WB, IF, and flow cytometry. Humanized immune-reconstituted mice were applied to investigate the impact of HIF1α-induced autophagy on in vivo immunity.When cells were in hypoxia, the levels of HIF1α and autophagy were higher compared to normoxic conditions. Treatment with KC7F2 resulted in similar levels of HIF1α and autophagy as those in normoxic state. Chloroquine treatment reversed the autophagy level to the normoxic state. The autophagy level of PC cells transfected with oe-HIF1α was increased, with reduced MHC-I expression on cells (membranes), which impaired the cytotoxicity of CD8+ T cells, and thus decreasing the probability of recognition and attack by CD8+ T cells when co-cultured with them. In mice, overexpression of HIF1α hindered the immune suppressive function of CD8+ T cells and facilitated the immune escape of PC by reducing antigen presentation of MHC-I.Under hypoxia, HIF1α-induced autophagy reduces the cytotoxicity of CD8+ T cells by repressing MHC-I expression.","PeriodicalId":12691,"journal":{"name":"Genes and immunity","volume":"26 1","pages":"45-53"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142882007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Inkeri Lokki, Michael Triebwasser, Emma Daly, The FINNPEC Core Investigator Group, Mitja I. Kurki, Markus Perola, Kirsi Auro, Jane E. Salmon, Java Anuja, Mark Daly, John P. Atkinson, Hannele Laivuori, Seppo Meri
{"title":"Understanding rare genetic variants within the terminal pathway of complement system in preeclampsia","authors":"A. Inkeri Lokki, Michael Triebwasser, Emma Daly, The FINNPEC Core Investigator Group, Mitja I. Kurki, Markus Perola, Kirsi Auro, Jane E. Salmon, Java Anuja, Mark Daly, John P. Atkinson, Hannele Laivuori, Seppo Meri","doi":"10.1038/s41435-024-00310-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41435-024-00310-6","url":null,"abstract":"Preeclampsia is a common multifactorial disease of pregnancy. Dysregulation of complement activation is among emerging candidates responsible for disease pathogenesis. In a targeted exomic sequencing study of 609 women with preeclampsia and 2092 non-preeclamptic controls, we identified 14 variants within nine genes coding for components of the membrane attack complex (MAC, C5b-9) that are associated with preeclampsia. We found two rare missense variants in the C5 gene that predispose to preeclampsia (rs200674959: I1296V, OR (CI95) = 24.13 (1.25–467.43), p value = 0.01 and rs147430470: I330T, OR (CI95) = 22.75 (1.17–440.78), p value = 0.01). In addition, one predisposing rare variant and one protective rare variant were discovered in C6 (rs41271067: D396G, OR (CI95) = 2.93 (1.18–7.10), p value = 0.01 and rs114609505: T190I, 0.02 OR (CI95) = 0.47 (0.22–0.92), p value = 0.02). The results suggest that variants in the terminal complement pathway predispose to preeclampsia.","PeriodicalId":12691,"journal":{"name":"Genes and immunity","volume":"26 1","pages":"22-26"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41435-024-00310-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142846497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhenyuan Qian, Xufan Cai, Jianzhang Wu, Kun Ke, Zaiyuan Ye, Fang Wu
{"title":"FGL1 facilitates rather than suppresses anticancer immunity against microsatellite instable gastric cancer","authors":"Zhenyuan Qian, Xufan Cai, Jianzhang Wu, Kun Ke, Zaiyuan Ye, Fang Wu","doi":"10.1038/s41435-024-00314-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41435-024-00314-2","url":null,"abstract":"Microsatellite instability (MSI) is a phenotype characterized by changes in the sequence length of microsatellites in tumor cells and is closely linked to tumorigenesis and prognosis. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown good therapeutic effects in gastric cancer (GC) with MSI-high (MSI-H). However, the role of the novel immune checkpoint fibrinogen-like protein 1 (FGL1) in GC treatment has not been fully investigated. FGL1 expression in GC tissues and the difference in FGL1 immune infiltration between MSI/ microsatellite stability (MSS) patients were analyzed by bioinformatics and were verified in clinical samples. Xenograft models of MSS and MSI GC were constructed in human immune reconstitution mice, and FGL1 expression in tumors was detected. Immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry were used to assay the infiltration of immune cells in the two types of mice. Cytotoxicity and chemotaxis tests were used to detect the toxicity and chemotaxis of CD8+T cells to GC cells, respectively. The cytokine content was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The therapeutic effects of FGL1 antibody on different types of GC were analyzed by xenograft mouse models. FGL1 exhibited significantly higher expression in GC, and its expression and immune cell infiltration levels were significantly higher in MSI GC than in MSS GC. CD8+T cells were significantly more effective in killing and chemotaxis of MSI GC cells than MSS GC cells. The FGL1 antibody was more effective in treating MSI GC.The novel immunosuppressor FGL1 antibody exerts a good therapeutic influence on MSI GC. These findings provide a basis for the development of drugs targeting FGL1 for MSI GC treatment.","PeriodicalId":12691,"journal":{"name":"Genes and immunity","volume":"26 1","pages":"36-44"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142821801","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Correction: Roles of TULA-family proteins in T cells and autoimmune diseases","authors":"Hua Wang, Patrick Concannon, Yan Ge","doi":"10.1038/s41435-024-00311-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41435-024-00311-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12691,"journal":{"name":"Genes and immunity","volume":"26 1","pages":"63-63"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41435-024-00311-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142800389","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tuanjie Guo, Jinyuan Chen, Xiangyin Tan, Heting Tang, Xuan Wang, Siteng Chen, Xiang Wang
{"title":"GXYLT2: an emerging therapeutic target and predictive biomarker for anti-PD-1 efficacy in clear cell renal cell carcinoma","authors":"Tuanjie Guo, Jinyuan Chen, Xiangyin Tan, Heting Tang, Xuan Wang, Siteng Chen, Xiang Wang","doi":"10.1038/s41435-024-00312-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41435-024-00312-4","url":null,"abstract":"There are studies reporting that glucoside xylosyltransferase 2 (GXYLT2) has a role in promoting tumor progression, but its role in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains unclear. In this study, RT-qPCR and western blotting were employed to detect the expression level of GXYLT2. RNA interference assays were used to knock down GXYLT2. CCK-8, wound healing assays, clone formation assays, and Transwell assays were utilized to investigate the function of GXYLT2. Bioinformatics analysis was used to explore the tumor microenvironment and potential biological mechanisms. We found that the expression level of GXYLT2 in ccRCC was higher than that in adjacent normal renal tissues. Patients with high GXYLT2 expression have worse clinical outcomes. Knockdown of GXYLT2 inhibits the proliferation, invasion, migration, and clone formation ability of ccRCC cells. Enrichment analysis uncovered that GXYLT2 participates in Wnt, cell cycle, and actin cytoskeleton regulation signaling pathways. After receiving anti-PD-1 therapy, patients with high GXYLT2 expression had longer progression-free survival compared with those with low GXYLT2 expression. In conclusion, GXYLT2 is a novel potential therapeutic target for ccRCC. Meanwhile, GXYLT2 can be used as a novel marker for predicting immunotherapeutic response.","PeriodicalId":12691,"journal":{"name":"Genes and immunity","volume":"26 1","pages":"27-35"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142784959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}