Jennifer R Habel, Thi H O Nguyen, Natasha de Alwis, E Kaitlynn Allen, Shihan Li, Morgan J Skinner, Jennifer A Juno, Stephen J Kent, Katherine Bond, Deborah A Williamson, Martha Lappas, Natalie J Hannan, Susan Walker, Jan Schroeder, Jeremy Chase Crawford, Paul G Thomas, Katherine Kedzierska, Louise C Rowntree
{"title":"High-dimensional multiomics reveals perturbations to IL-6/IL-6R axis and RUNX3 in CD4<sup>+</sup> T cells during third-trimester pregnancy.","authors":"Jennifer R Habel, Thi H O Nguyen, Natasha de Alwis, E Kaitlynn Allen, Shihan Li, Morgan J Skinner, Jennifer A Juno, Stephen J Kent, Katherine Bond, Deborah A Williamson, Martha Lappas, Natalie J Hannan, Susan Walker, Jan Schroeder, Jeremy Chase Crawford, Paul G Thomas, Katherine Kedzierska, Louise C Rowntree","doi":"10.1002/cti2.70096","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cti2.70096","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>CD4<sup>+</sup> T cells play key roles in regulating immune responses during pregnancy; therefore, we aimed to understand the CD4<sup>+</sup> T-cell surface proteome and transcriptome during pregnancy.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>CD4<sup>+</sup> T cells were analysed in blood and decidua from term pregnancies (> 37 weeks) and non-pregnant blood. > 350 surface proteins were screened via flow cytometry, and transcriptomes were analysed using single-cell RNA sequencing with > 130 CITE-seq barcoded antibodies.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Surface protein screening identified changes to ILT4/CD85d, CD9, IFN-γ receptor β-chain, CX3CR1 and CCR5 in the pregnant blood and decidual CD4<sup>+</sup> T cells. CX3CR1 and CCR5 had the highest expression on the effector-memory T-cell (T<sub>EM</sub>) subset in the blood, with expression consistent across subsets in decidua. CD126/IL-6R was lower in pregnant blood and decidual CD4<sup>+</sup> T cells, while scRNAseq identified enrichment in the IL-6R signalling pathway in naive CD4<sup>+</sup> T cells in pregnant blood. Both sIL-6R and IL-6 concentrations were increased in plasma during pregnancy, suggesting perturbations to the IL-6/IL-6R signalling axis. Meanwhile, decidual CD4<sup>+</sup> T cells had increased expression of transcription factor RUNX3 in the CD69<sup>+</sup> tissue-resident-like subset.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings demonstrate altered molecular expression in CD4<sup>+</sup> T cells during pregnancy. This provides important mechanistic insight of their adaptation and regulation during placental development, which may drive placental dysfunction or pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction and stillbirth. These new data may inform future studies that focus on determining the significance of differentially expressed immune features in pregnancy to identify potential targets for immune modulation to treat pregnancy complications and infections.</p>","PeriodicalId":152,"journal":{"name":"Clinical & Translational Immunology","volume":"15 ","pages":"e70096"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13125720/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147809194","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sharon L Walmsley, Majid Nabipoor, Freda Qi, Leif Erik Lovblom, Rizani Ravindran, Karen Colwill, Anne Claude Gingras
{"title":"Neutralising antibody responses to emerging SARS-CoV-2 omicron sub-variants are enhanced in persons with hybrid immunity.","authors":"Sharon L Walmsley, Majid Nabipoor, Freda Qi, Leif Erik Lovblom, Rizani Ravindran, Karen Colwill, Anne Claude Gingras","doi":"10.1002/cti2.70095","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cti2.70095","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To assess neutralizing antibody responses to emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We explored SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in140 adults participating in a longitudinal study of antibody responses to COVID vaccines. Participants reported monthly on vaccine doses, and SARS-CoV-2 infections. Serum was collected in December 2023 and April 2024 to determine neutralizing antibody to Wuhan ancestral strain and Omicron XBB.1.5 and JN.1 subvariants. Multivariate analysis assessed protective factors against a new SARS-CoV-2 infection between the two sampling times and 10 months follow up.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>74% had hybrid immunity and 26% vaccine only immunity at study entry. A neutralizing antibody response was detected in 99% to Wuhan ancestral strain compared to 86% and 79% respectively to Omicron XBB.1.5 and JN.1 subvariants. For those with detectable antibodies the levels decayed, faster in those with vaccine only immunity and to the JN.1 subvariant. Neither the presence or the level of neutralizing antibody to JN.1 was associated with protection with a new SARS-Cov-2 infection over the 10-month follow up period.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Neutralizing antibody levels to Omicron JN.1 subvariant were identified in 79% overall but in only 56% with vaccine only immunity. The presence or level was not associated with protection form a new SARS-CoV-2 infection over 10-months. This data supports the development of pan-coronavirus vaccine to expand protection against emerging variants.</p>","PeriodicalId":152,"journal":{"name":"Clinical & Translational Immunology","volume":"15 4","pages":"e70095"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13084193/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147721095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jens Ingvarsson, Viktor Grut, Martin Biström, Linn Persson Berg, Julia Butt, Birgitta Michels, Pernilla Stridh, Tomas Olsson, Lars Alfredsson, Ingrid Kockum, Tim Waterboer, Staffan Nilsson, Peter Sundström
{"title":"Seropositivity against rubella virus envelope protein 1, but not 2, is associated with an increased risk of multiple sclerosis.","authors":"Jens Ingvarsson, Viktor Grut, Martin Biström, Linn Persson Berg, Julia Butt, Birgitta Michels, Pernilla Stridh, Tomas Olsson, Lars Alfredsson, Ingrid Kockum, Tim Waterboer, Staffan Nilsson, Peter Sundström","doi":"10.1002/cti2.70094","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cti2.70094","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Several factors have been associated with altered risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the critical risk factor for MS, but recent studies indicate that human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) are involved in MS aetiopathogenesis. We recently reported an association between rubella virus (RV) envelope protein 1 (E1) seropositivity and the risk of developing MS. Here, we aimed to further explore this association.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Bio-banked blood samples collected before the onset of MS from 981 cases and 1278 matched controls were analysed for antibodies against RV envelope proteins 1 and 2 (E2), and serum-neurofilament light chain (S-NfL), a marker for axonal injury. The association between RV and MS was analysed with conditional logistic regression, calculating odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Rubella E1 seropositivity was significantly associated with a higher risk of MS development, even when adjusting for EBV, CMV and HHV-6A serostatus (OR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.29-2.14, <i>P</i> < 0.001). We also observed an increase in seroreactivity against RV E1 before an increase in S-NfL in MS cases, indicating that increased RV E1 seroreactivity precedes axonal injury in the MS prodrome at group-level. There was no association between RV E2 serostatus and MS risk. The association between RV E1 serostatus and MS risk remained similar when the analysis was restricted to unvaccinated participants (OR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.07-2.98, <i>P</i> = 0.028).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results support a broadening of the viral hypothesis in MS, arguing for further studies on the neurotropic RV in MS aetiology.</p>","PeriodicalId":152,"journal":{"name":"Clinical & Translational Immunology","volume":"15 4","pages":"e70094"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13084256/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147721071","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}