The potential benefits of producing gene transfer agents (GTAs) have long been speculated. A new study in PLOS Biology shows that DNA transfer by these phage-like elements allows cells with DNA ...damage to perform DNA repair and survive.
Despite development of new antiviral drugs, viral infections are still a major health problem. The most potent antiviral defense mechanism is the innate production of type I interferon (IFN-I), which ...not only limits virus replication but also promotes antiviral T cell immunity through mechanisms, which remain insufficiently studied. Using the murine lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus model system, we show here that IFN-I signaling on T cells prevented their rapid elimination in vivo. Microarray analyses uncovered that IFN-I triggered the expression of selected inhibitory NK-cell-receptor ligands. Consequently, T cell immunity of IFN-I receptor (IFNAR)-deficient T cells could be restored by NK cell depletion or in NK-cell-deficient hosts (Nfil3–/–). The elimination of Ifnar1–/– T cells was dependent on NK-cell-mediated perforin expression. In summary, we identified IFN-I as a key player regulating the protection of T cells against regulatory NK cell function.
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•Ifnar1–/– T cells proliferate in vitro, but not in vivo, suggesting cell interaction•Microarray analyses identify MHC molecules as being regulated by type I interferons•NK cell deficiency rescues expansion and function of IFN-I unresponsive T cells•NK-cell-mediated killing of activated Ifnar1–/– CD8+ T cells depends on perforin
Type I interferons (IFN-I) are important for promoting antiviral T cell immunity, but the mechanisms behind IFN-I action have been unclear. Xu et al. show that IFN-I protects antiviral T cells from regulatory cytotoxic effects of natural killer cells and promotes their expansion and antiviral effector functions.
Control of thermal radiation at high temperatures is vital for waste heat recovery and for high-efficiency thermophotovoltaic (TPV) conversion. Previously, structural resonances utilizing gratings, ...thin film resonances, metasurfaces and photonic crystals were used to spectrally control thermal emission, often requiring lithographic structuring of the surface and causing significant angle dependence. In contrast, here, we demonstrate a refractory W-HfO2 metamaterial, which controls thermal emission through an engineered dielectric response function. The epsilon-near-zero frequency of a metamaterial and the connected optical topological transition (OTT) are adjusted to selectively enhance and suppress the thermal emission in the near-infrared spectrum, crucial for improved TPV efficiency. The near-omnidirectional and spectrally selective emitter is obtained as the emission changes due to material properties and not due to resonances or interference effects, marking a paradigm shift in thermal engineering approaches. We experimentally demonstrate the OTT in a thermally stable metamaterial at high temperatures of 1,000 °C.
Anaphylaxis is an acute, potential life-threatening systemic allergic reaction that may have a wide range of clinical manifestations. Severe anaphylaxis and/or the need for repeated doses of ...epinephrine to treat anaphylaxis are risk factors for biphasic anaphylaxis. Antihistamines and/or glucocorticoids are not reliable interventions to prevent biphasic anaphylaxis, although evidence supports a role for antihistamine and/or glucocorticoid premedication in specific chemotherapy protocols and rush aeroallergen immunotherapy. Evidence is lacking to support the role of antihistamines and/or glucocorticoid routine premedication in patients receiving low- or iso-osmolar contrast material to prevent recurrent radiocontrast media anaphylaxis. Epinephrine is the first-line pharmacotherapy for uniphasic and/or biphasic anaphylaxis. After diagnosis and treatment of anaphylaxis, all patients should be kept under observation until symptoms have fully resolved. All patients with anaphylaxis should receive education on anaphylaxis and risk of recurrence, trigger avoidance, self-injectable epinephrine education, referral to an allergist, and be educated about thresholds for further care.
Complement in trauma—Traumatised complement? Huber‐Lang, Markus S.; Ignatius, Anita; Köhl, Jörg ...
British journal of pharmacology,
July 2021, 2021-07-00, 20210701, Letnik:
178, Številka:
14
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Physical trauma represents a major global burden. The trauma‐induced response, including activation of the innate immune system, strives for regeneration but can also lead to post‐traumatic ...complications. The complement cascade is rapidly activated by damaged tissue, hypoxia, exogenous proteases and others. Activated complement can sense, mark and clear both damaged tissue and pathogens. However, excessive and insufficient activation of complement can result in a dysfunctional immune and organ response. Similar to acute coagulopathy, complementopathy can develop with enhanced anaphylatoxin generation and an impairment of complement effector functions. Various remote organ effects are induced or modulated by complement activation. Frequently, established trauma treatments are double‐edged. On one hand, they help stabilising haemodynamics and oxygen supply as well as injured organs and on the other hand, they also drive complement activation. Immunomodulatory approaches aim to reset trauma‐induced disbalance of complement activation and thus may change surgical trauma management procedures to improve outcome.
Linked Articles
This article is part of a themed issue on Canonical and non‐canonical functions of the complement system in health and disease. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v178.14/issuetoc
Efficient combination of two polymerization reactions allowed various complex issues in photovoltaic devices, such as light absorption, the presence of a donor–acceptor heterojunction, ...photoluminescence quenching, crystallinity, and microphase separation, to all be addressed in a single block copolymer (see picture).
Abstract
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses of the A/Goose/Guangdong/1/1996 lineage (GsGd), which threaten the health of poultry, wildlife and humans, are spreading across Asia, Europe, ...Africa and North America but are currently absent from South America and Oceania. In December 2021, H5N1 HPAI viruses were detected in poultry and a free-living gull in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Our phylogenetic analysis showed that these viruses were most closely related to HPAI GsGd viruses circulating in northwestern Europe in spring 2021. Our analysis of wild bird migration suggested that these viruses may have been carried across the Atlantic via Iceland, Greenland/Arctic or pelagic routes. The here documented incursion of HPAI GsGd viruses into North America raises concern for further virus spread across the Americas by wild bird migration.
Hepatic failure is commonly associated with anemia, which may result from gastrointestinal bleeding, vitamin deficiency, or liver‐damaging diseases, such as infection and alcohol intoxication. At ...least in theory, anemia during hepatic failure may result from accelerated clearance of circulating erythrocytes. Here we show that bile duct ligation (BDL) in mice leads to severe anemia despite increased reticulocyte numbers. Bilirubin stimulated suicidal death of human erythrocytes. Mechanistically, bilirubin triggered rapid Ca2+ influx, sphingomyelinase activation, formation of ceramide, and subsequent translocation of phosphatidylserine to the erythrocyte surface. Consistent with our in vitro and in vivo findings, incubation of erythrocytes in serum from patients with liver disease induced suicidal death of erythrocytes in relation to their plasma bilirubin concentration. Consistently, patients with hyperbilirubinemia had significantly lower erythrocyte and significantly higher reticulocyte counts compared to patients with low bilirubin levels. Conclusion: Bilirubin triggers suicidal erythrocyte death, thus contributing to anemia during liver disease. (Hepatology 2015;61:275–284)
Bis-(3'-5')-cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) is a bacterial second messenger that affects diverse processes in different bacteria, including the cell cycle, motility, and biofilm ...formation. Its cellular levels are controlled by the opposing activities of two types of enzymes, with synthesis by diguanylate cyclases containing a GGDEF domain and degradation by phosphodiesterases containing either an HD-GYP or an EAL domain. These enzymes are ubiquitous in bacteria with up to 50 encoded in some genomes, the specific functions of which are mostly unknown.
We used comparative analyses to identify genomic patterns among genes encoding proteins with GGDEF, EAL, and HD-GYP domains in five orders of the class Alphaproteobacteria. GGDEF-containing sequences and GGDEF-EAL hybrids were the most abundant and had the highest diversity of co-occurring auxiliary domains while EAL and HD-GYP containing sequences were less abundant and less diverse with respect to auxiliary domains. There were striking patterns in the chromosomal localizations of the genes found in two of the orders. The Rhodobacterales' EAL-encoding genes and Rhizobiales' GGDEF-EAL-encoding genes showed opposing patterns of distribution compared to the GGDEF-encoding genes. In the Rhodobacterales, the GGDEF-encoding genes showed a tri-modal distribution with peaks mid-way between the origin (ori) and terminus (ter) of replication and at ter while the EAL-encoding genes peaked near ori. The patterns were more complex in the Rhizobiales, but the GGDEF-encoding genes were biased for localization near ter.
The observed patterns in the chromosomal localizations of these genes suggest a coupling of synthesis and hydrolysis of c-di-GMP with the cell cycle. Moreover, the higher proportions and diversities of auxiliary domains associated with GGDEF domains and GGDEF-EAL hybrids compared to EAL or HD-GYP domains could indicate that more stimuli affect synthesis compared to hydrolysis of c-di-GMP.
In this paper, general requirements of next generation manufacturing systems are discussed, and the strategies to meet these requirements are considered. The production paradigms which apply these ...strategies are also classified. Particular emphasis is put on the paradigm of Reconfigurable Manufacturing System (RMS). Some key issues of the RMS design are discussed, and a critical review is presented concerning the developments of RMSs. Finally, suggestions of the RMS research are made and future research directions are identified.