Josselyn D Barahona, Liping Yang, Wayne M Yokoyama
{"title":"Eomesodermin defines uterine NK cells crucial for pregnancy success in mice.","authors":"Josselyn D Barahona, Liping Yang, Wayne M Yokoyama","doi":"10.1093/jimmun/vkaf153","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jimmun/vkaf153","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Uterine natural killer cells have been thought to be critical for reproductive success, and their developmental origins remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that Eomesodermin is a key transcription factor determining the lineage of tissue-resident NK cells within the uterus both at steady state and during pregnancy. Ablation of Eomesodermin in Ncr1-expressing cells results in the loss of tissue-resident natural killer (NK) cells in both the virgin and pregnant uterus, suggesting that uterine tissue-resident NK cells derive from precursors in the conventional NK cell lineage. We further show that the genetic absence of uterine NK cells during murine gestation leads to adverse pregnancy outcomes marked by reduced litter sizes and increased resorption rates. Collectively, our data underscore the pivotal role of uterine NK cells in pregnancy and offer novel insights into their lineage specification, revealing Eomesodermin as a crucial factor in their establishment.</p>","PeriodicalId":16045,"journal":{"name":"Journal of immunology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144731716","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}
Andreas Agrafiotis, Raphael Kuhn, Camilla Panetti, Marco Venerito, Hathaichanok Phandee, Lucas Stalder, Danielle Shlesinger, Vittoria Martinolli, Kai-Lin Hong, Daphne van Ginneken, Alessandro Genovese, Nicole Joller, Annette Oxenius, Sai T Reddy, Alexander Yermanos
{"title":"Clonally expanded IgG, but not IgA, antibody-secreting cells preferentially target influenza nucleoprotein following homologous and heterologous infections.","authors":"Andreas Agrafiotis, Raphael Kuhn, Camilla Panetti, Marco Venerito, Hathaichanok Phandee, Lucas Stalder, Danielle Shlesinger, Vittoria Martinolli, Kai-Lin Hong, Daphne van Ginneken, Alessandro Genovese, Nicole Joller, Annette Oxenius, Sai T Reddy, Alexander Yermanos","doi":"10.1093/jimmun/vkaf144","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jimmun/vkaf144","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Infection with influenza virus remains a significant global health concern due to its ability to acquire mutations at key antigenic sites to escape antibody recognition. While germinal center (GC) and memory B cells have been well studied following influenza infection, the clonal dynamics of antibody secreting cells (ASCs), particularly those within the bone marrow (BM) niche that are responsible for serum immune protection, remain poorly understood. Here, we combine single-cell RNA (scRNA) and B cell receptor (BCR) sequencing to characterize individual ASCs following various Influenza exposure histories. We find that BM repertories are populated by highly expanded and class-switched ASCs following Influenza infection with similar transcriptional and repertoire characteristics regardless of homologous or heterologous infection histories. By combining single-cell analysis with monoclonal antibody expression and characterization, we find that a large proportion of the expanded IgG-, but not IgA-, ASC repertoire demonstrates specificity to influenza nucleoprotein (NP). Together, our data reveal the complex relationship between BM ASC repertoires, mucosal humoral immune responses, and BCR antigen specificity during influenza infection.</p>","PeriodicalId":16045,"journal":{"name":"Journal of immunology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144718040","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}
Kerri G Lal, Dohoon Kim, Matthew Creegan, Adam T Waickman, Jeffrey R Currier, Dominic Paquin-Proulx, Milton Maciel, Michael A Eller, Johan K Sandberg
{"title":"The MAIT cell response to controlled oral enterotoxigenic E. coli challenge.","authors":"Kerri G Lal, Dohoon Kim, Matthew Creegan, Adam T Waickman, Jeffrey R Currier, Dominic Paquin-Proulx, Milton Maciel, Michael A Eller, Johan K Sandberg","doi":"10.1093/jimmun/vkaf143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jimmun/vkaf143","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells recognize conserved microbial antigens presented by the non-polymorphic MR1 molecules and play important roles in barrier immunity. Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) is a major cause of diarrheal disease in children in lower-income countries and among travelers. Here we investigate the potential role of MAIT cells in ETEC infection using blood samples from a controlled human challenge model with two ETEC strains, H10407 and B7A. On day 7 following challenge, MAIT cells exhibited an elevated activated phenotype accompanied by increased functionality and proliferation in peripheral blood, with the most pronounced pattern observed in individuals who developed moderate-to-severe diarrhea (MSD). This response was evident at both the protein and transcriptional levels. The MSD-positive group demonstrated elevated expression of CCR9 and α4β7 on MAIT cells, indicating increased homing potential to the gut mucosa. Additionally, this group experienced an expansion of the peripheral MAIT cell pool 28 d after the challenge. Interestingly, the initial expansion of the MAIT cell pool on day 7 post-challenge correlated with disease severity score. These findings indicate that MAIT cells can respond systemically with activation and expansion to ETEC infection, and that this response is associated with the development of symptomatic disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":16045,"journal":{"name":"Journal of immunology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144718041","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}
Santiago Cabaleiro, Belén Fandiño, Patricia Fernández-Torrecillas, Pablo Riera-Fernández, Carlos Rodríguez, Oscar González-Barreiro, Ana Riaza, Natalia Mallo, Rosario Castro
{"title":"The recall of antigen-specific antibody-secreting cells in Solea senegalensis gives clues on the secondary immune response in flatfish.","authors":"Santiago Cabaleiro, Belén Fandiño, Patricia Fernández-Torrecillas, Pablo Riera-Fernández, Carlos Rodríguez, Oscar González-Barreiro, Ana Riaza, Natalia Mallo, Rosario Castro","doi":"10.1093/jimmun/vkaf159","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jimmun/vkaf159","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this study, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for sole immunoglobulin M (IgM) were generated, which allowed us to evaluate the kinetics of IgM+ B cell responses, assess the recruitment of these cells to the peritoneum following vaccination, and compare the dynamics of antigen-specific antibody-secreting cells in the spleen and kidney of primed and boosted fish. Solea senegalensis is a commercially important species in aquaculture, and the development of vaccines is of great interest. Currently, autogenous vaccines provide partial protection against furunculosis, but their efficacy remains limited. We evaluated the efficacy of 2 vaccines formulated with whole (STV-W) or particulated bacterin from an atypical Aeromonas salmonicida strain. The vaccines provided moderate short-term protection (48% relative percent survival for STV-W), which included activation of proinflammatory genes, cell mobilization to the injection site, and generation of specific antibodies. However, this protection did not persist beyond 3 mo without booster. To further investigate the response, mAbs specific to sole immunoglobulin were produced. Two of these mAbs, which recognize the IgM heavy chain, successfully labeled a population of IgM+ cells from spleen and kidney leukocytes analyzed by flow cytometry. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting-sorted IgM+ cells exhibited strong IgM gene expression. Interestingly, a booster administered to previously vaccinated and surviving fish 10 mo postchallenge led to activation of antibody-secreting cells and a more rapid production of specific IgM antibodies compared with primed fish. This indicates that sole are capable of mounting a secondary immune response upon re-exposure. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of vaccine-induced protection in fish.</p>","PeriodicalId":16045,"journal":{"name":"Journal of immunology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144731717","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":"Glucocorticoid-induced Pneumocystis pneumonia mice developed immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome after glucocorticoid withdrawal.","authors":"Yawei Guo, Liuluan Zhu, Haichao Li","doi":"10.1093/jimmun/vkaf071","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jimmun/vkaf071","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mortality from Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) continues to increase among non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients. Previous studies have reported that a considerable proportion of patients experience deterioration of their disease when glucocorticoids or other immunosuppressants are withdrawn. However, the underlying mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon remain poorly understood. Our findings, based on a comparative analysis of immune function in glucocorticoid-induced PCP mice at the time of glucocorticoid continuation and glucocorticoid withdrawal, suggested that the damage to lung tissues in PCP mice was significantly exacerbated and lung function deteriorated following glucocorticoid withdrawal. Mechanistically, our investigations revealed that PCP mice underwent immune reconstitution and developed immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) after glucocorticoid withdrawal, which resulted in enhanced immune responses to pre-existing Pneumocystis. Prophylactic G-CSF neutralization in vivo prior to glucocorticoid withdrawal attenuated withdrawal-induced IRIS but also impaired Pneumocystis clearance. This study elucidated that the exacerbation of infection in PCP mice after glucocorticoid withdrawal is analogous to the clinical phenomenon and demonstrated that it is caused by the immune reconstitution that occurs after glucocorticoid withdrawal and resulting IRIS while also showing that G-CSF plays an important role in this process. This provides clinical comprehension of the progression of disease in non-HIV PCP patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":16045,"journal":{"name":"Journal of immunology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144698662","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}
Laura M Canaday, Andrew Cox, H Alex Feldman, Harsha Seelamneni, Ayad Ali, Jasmine A Tuazon, Lorena Botero Calderon, Sierra N Bennett, Allison Yan, Megan Wilson, Vijayakumar Velu, Stephen N Waggoner
{"title":"Refined cell transfer model reveals roles for Ascl2 and Cxcr3 in splenic localization of mouse NK cells during virus infection.","authors":"Laura M Canaday, Andrew Cox, H Alex Feldman, Harsha Seelamneni, Ayad Ali, Jasmine A Tuazon, Lorena Botero Calderon, Sierra N Bennett, Allison Yan, Megan Wilson, Vijayakumar Velu, Stephen N Waggoner","doi":"10.1093/jimmun/vkaf122","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jimmun/vkaf122","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cell transfer experiments complement the rigorous investigation of antiviral and antitumor functions of natural killer (NK) cells. Success in these endeavors is enhanced by expansion of small numbers of input NK cells driven by viral antigens or homeostatic proliferation in immunodeficient hosts. In contrast, analysis of other NK-cell functions, including immunoregulation, are non-proliferative and require an intact immune system in recipient mice. We reveal poor persistence of conventional congenic (CD45.1) BoyJ NK cells following adoptive transfer in comparison to CRISPR-generated CD45.1+ (JAXBoy) NK cells. Reciprocal transfers between C57BL/6 and JAXBoy mice substantially improve seeding and maintenance of donor NK cells. Using this system, we confirm that CXCR3 re-positions NK cells in the white pulp of the spleen after infection, which is vital for immunoregulation. Moreover, we discovered that the transcription factor ASCL2 is required for recruitment of NK cells into the spleen and white pulp. These results provide improved tools and novel insights into NK cell biology.</p>","PeriodicalId":16045,"journal":{"name":"Journal of immunology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144690502","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}
Daria Vdovenko, Monika Stefańska, Winandus J Wijnen, Martina Zarak-Crnkovic, Marta Bachmann, Gabriela Kania, Giovanni G Camici, Thomas F Lüscher, Urs Eriksson, Przemysław Błyszczuk
{"title":"IL-23 promotes T cell trafficking in experimental autoimmune myocarditis.","authors":"Daria Vdovenko, Monika Stefańska, Winandus J Wijnen, Martina Zarak-Crnkovic, Marta Bachmann, Gabriela Kania, Giovanni G Camici, Thomas F Lüscher, Urs Eriksson, Przemysław Błyszczuk","doi":"10.1093/jimmun/vkaf150","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jimmun/vkaf150","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Th1 and Th17 cell-mediated autoimmunity is critical for myocarditis induction. Antigen-presenting cell (APCs)-released interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-23 are implicated in the differentiation of Th1 and Th17 lineages. In this study, we utilized cardiac self-antigen myosin heavy chain alpha (α-MyHC)-pulsed bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (bmDCs) and wild-type, IL-12p35-/-, and IL-23p19-/- mice to investigate the influence of IL-12 and IL-23 on CD4+ T cells in experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM). All mice (Mus musculus) receiving α-MyHC-pulsed bmDCs developed acute myocarditis and accumulated interferon (IFN)-γ-positive and IL-17A-positive CD4+ T cells in cardiac tissue. Compared to immunization with wild-type bmDCs, adoptive transfer of α-MyHC-pulsed IL-23p19-/- bmDCs resulted in decreased numbers of IL-17A+CD4+ T cells and in a twofold reduction of infiltrating T lymphocytes in the hearts of recipient mice, despite unaffected infiltration count of CD45+ leukocytes. In contrast, IL-12p35-/- bmDCs induced fewer IFN-γ-producing CD4+ T cells but did not affect T lymphocyte infiltration. Furthermore, IL-23p19-/- recipient mice showed reduced heart-infiltrating CD3+ T cells, but not total CD45+, compared to wild-type mice after adoptive transfer of α-MyHC-pulsed IL-23p19-/- bmDCs. Likewise, in the transgenic TCRM model of EAM, TCRMxIL-23p19-/- mice showed reduced myocarditis severity and fewer T lymphocytes in their hearts pointing to impaired T cell trafficking in absence of IL-23. We validated the pro-migratory effect of IL-23 on activated CD4+ T cells in vitro and demonstrated an essential role of Rho GTPases in this process. Our findings provide new insights into the pro-inflammatory activity of IL-23 in autoimmune myocarditis, highlighting its unique role in promoting T cell migration.</p>","PeriodicalId":16045,"journal":{"name":"Journal of immunology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144682721","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}
Matthew A Heard, Jin Qian, Sakeef Sayeed, Sereena Mechlowicz, Qingyang Zhang, Sudha Yeluri, Katie Pool, Ryan Yamane, Gerald P Morris, Brian P Eliceiri
{"title":"Genetic and pharmacological targeting of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor action blocks tumor progression in mouse models of breast cancer.","authors":"Matthew A Heard, Jin Qian, Sakeef Sayeed, Sereena Mechlowicz, Qingyang Zhang, Sudha Yeluri, Katie Pool, Ryan Yamane, Gerald P Morris, Brian P Eliceiri","doi":"10.1093/jimmun/vkaf148","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jimmun/vkaf148","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Effective small molecule therapies are a major unmet need in triple-negative breast cancer. Therefore, we examined the mechanism of action of a novel cancer therapeutic target in preclinical mouse models focusing on the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (CHRNA7). E0771 breast tumor cells were implanted into CHRNA7KO mice to determine the role of CHRNA7, which is expressed in tumor-associated myeloid immune cells. We observed that tumor-bearing CHRNA7KO mice had decreased survival and increased tumor burden linked to a CHRNA7-mediated reduction in immune cell activation. Based on the tumor permissive phenotype of CHRNA7KO mice, we tested the effect of a small molecule agonist of CHRNA7, AR-R17779, in several mouse models of breast cancer. For example, in both the E0771 tumor model and PyMT tumor models, treatment with AR-R17779 increased survival. In the 4T1 breast tumor model, treatment with AR-R17779 also increased survival, with a well-defined reduction in primary tumor burden and lung metastases. The antitumorigenic effects of AR-R17779 were linked to an adaptive immune response based on in vivo studies showing a survival benefit when AR-R17779 was administered as a combination therapy with anti-PD-L1, demonstrating that the effects of AR-R17779 were dependent on CD8 T cells, and in vitro studies showing AR-R17779 treatment of dendritic cells increased T cell activation. Together these findings supported the importance of CHRNA7 as a novel therapeutic target expressed on dendritic cells based on its role in potentiating the adaptive immune response in mouse models of breast cancer.</p>","PeriodicalId":16045,"journal":{"name":"Journal of immunology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12262165/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144626542","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}
Jesse Mulder, Julia Scrofani, Kaneka Chheng, Kristy O'Donnell, David M Tarlinton, Marcus J Robinson, Zhoujie Ding
{"title":"Examining the conditions associated with establishing plasma cell persistence.","authors":"Jesse Mulder, Julia Scrofani, Kaneka Chheng, Kristy O'Donnell, David M Tarlinton, Marcus J Robinson, Zhoujie Ding","doi":"10.1093/jimmun/vkaf149","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jimmun/vkaf149","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plasma cells (PC) produce antigen-specific antibodies following vaccination or infection, playing a vital role in protective immunity. Not all PC have equal lifespans, yet how lifespans are determined remains unknown. Here, we describe a system for the generation of persistent PC in mice following B cell transfer after in vitro activation. We show that PC derived from the donor cells-\"induced\" PC (iPC)-are detectable for at least 7 wk after transfer, with genetic timestamping revealing some iPC to have persisted for at least 4 wk. In this system, exposure to IL-5 during B cell activation was associated with enhanced seeding of iPC and improved persistence. We further demonstrate that B cell monoclonality for a specificity to which mice are unlikely to be exposed markedly reduced iPC abundance 21 d after transfer compared to polyclonal counterparts, independent of donor B cell expansion, suggesting a role for B cell receptor (BCR) specificity in regulating PC formation or survival. These data support that PC persistence is impacted by conditions at the outset of the immune response, which has implications for the formulation of long-lasting antibody responses. We suggest that the system of in vitro activation and tracking in vivo iPC genesis and subsequent persistence provides a means to identify processes early in B cell activation that are instructive for PC lifespan determination.</p>","PeriodicalId":16045,"journal":{"name":"Journal of immunology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144618606","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 to: Separating the Wheat from the Chaff among HLA-DQ Eplets.","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/jimmun/vkaf173","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jimmun/vkaf173","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16045,"journal":{"name":"Journal of immunology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144608484","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}