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Peritoneal macrophages are one of the most studied macrophage populations in the body, yet the composition, developmental origin and mechanisms governing the maintenance of this compartment are controversial. Here we show resident F4/80 hi GATA6 + macrophages are long-lived, undergo non-stochastic self-renewal and retain cells of embryonic origin for at least 4 months in mice. However, Ly6C + monocytes constitutively enter the peritoneal cavity in a CCR2-dependent manner, where they mature into short-lived F4/80 lo MHCII + cells that act, in part, as precursors of F4/80 hi GATA6 + macrophages. Notably, monocyte-derived F4/80 hi macrophages eventually displace the embryonic population with age in a process that is highly gender dependent and not due to proliferative exhaustion of the incumbent embryonic population, despite the greater proliferative activity of newly recruited cells. Furthermore, although monocyte-derived cells acquire key characteristics of the embryonic population, expression of Tim4 was impaired, leading to cumulative changes in the population with age. Understanding the heterogeneity of peritoneal macrophages is hampered by controversy over their origin and homeostasis. Here the authors show the embryonic F4/80hi population is replaced over time by self-renewing bone marrow-derived cells transitioning from F4/80lo to F4/80hi in adult mice, and that such turnover is more rapid in male mice.

Aberrant O-glycosylation of the IgA1 hinge region is a characteristic finding in patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and is thought to contribute to immune-complex formation and kidney injury. Other studies have suggested that abnormalities in mucosal immunity and lymphocyte homing are major contributors to disease. We identified a family with IgAN segregating a heterozygous predicted loss-of-function (LOF) variant in GALNT14, the gene encoding N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 14, one of the enzymes involved in mucin-type protein O-glycosylation. While GALNT14 is expressed in IgA1-producing cells, carriers of the LOF variant did not have altered levels of poorly glycosylated IgA1, suggesting other disease mechanisms. Investigation of Galnt14-null mice revealed elevated serum IgA levels and ex vivo IgA production by B cells. These mice developed glomerular IgA deposition with aging and after induction of sterile colitis. Galnt14-null mice also displayed an attenuated mucin layer in the colon and redistribution of IgA-producing cells from mucosal to systemic sites. Adoptive-transfer experiments indicated impaired homing of spleen-derived Galnt14-deficient B lymphocytes, resulting in increased retention in peripheral blood. These findings suggest that abnormalities in O-glycosylation alter mucosal immunity and B lymphocyte homing, pointing to an expanded role of aberrant O-glycosylation in the pathogenesis of IgAN.

Natural killer (NK) cells limit viral replication by direct recognition of infected cells, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), and releasing cytokines. Although growing evidence supports NK cell antiviral immunity in HIV-1 infection, further knowledge of their response is necessary. Here we show that NK cells responding to models of direct cell recognition, ADCC, and cytokine activation have unique transcriptional fingerprints. Compared with healthy volunteers, individuals with chronic HIV-1 infection have higher expression of genes commonly associated with activation, and lower expression of genes associated with direct cell recognition and cytokine stimulation in their NK cells. By contrast, NK cell transcriptional profiles of individuals receiving a modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vectored HIV-1 vaccine show upregulation of genes associated with direct cell recognition. These findings demonstrate that targeted transcriptional profiling provides a sensitive assessment of NK cell activity, which helps understand how NK cells respond to viral infections and vaccination. Natural killer (NK) cells are important for eliminating cells under stress or infected by virus, and may have a function in anti-HIV immunity. Here the authors show that different NK-activating stimuli induce distinct transcriptional fingerprints in human NK cells that are analogous to changes caused by HIV vaccination or chronic infection.

Liposomes containing monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) have previously exhibited considerable potency and safety in human trials with a variety of candidate vaccines, including vaccines to malaria, HIV-1 and several different types of cancer. The long history of research and development of MPLA and liposomal MPLA as vaccine adjuvants reveals that there are numerous opportunities for creation and development of generic (nonproprietary) adjuvant system formulations with these materials that are not only highly potent and safe, but also readily available as native materials or as synthetic compounds. They are easily manufactured as potentially inexpensive and easy to use adjuvant systems and might be effective even with synthetic peptides as antigens.

Vaccine development efforts will be guided by algorithms that predict immunogenic epitopes. Such prediction methods rely on classification-based algorithms that are trained against curated data sets of known B and T cell epitopes. It is unclear whether this empirical approach can be applied prospectively to predict epitopes associated with protective immunity for novel antigens. We present a comprehensive comparison of in silico B and T cell epitope predictions with in vivo validation using an previously uncharacterized malaria antigen, CelTOS. CelTOS has no known conserved structural elements with any known proteins, and thus is not represented in any epitope databases used to train prediction algorithms. This analysis represents a blind assessment of this approach in the context of a novel, immunologically relevant antigen. The limited accuracy of the tested algorithms to predict the in vivo immune responses emphasizes the need to improve their predictive capabilities for use as tools in vaccine design.

Antigen processing involves many proteolytic enzymes such as proteasomes and cathepsins. The processed antigen is then presented on the cell surface bound to either MHC class I or class II molecules and induces/interacts with antigen-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T-cells, respectively. Preliminary immunological data from the RV144 phase III trial indicated that the immune responses were biased towards the Env antigen with a dominant CD4+ T-cell response. In this study, we examined the susceptibility of HIV-1 Env-A244 gp120 protein, one of the protein boost subunits of the RV144 Phase III vaccine trial, to proteasomes and cathepsins and identified the generated peptide epitope repertoire by mass spectrometry. The peptide fragments were tested for cytokine production in CD4(+) T-cell lines derived from RV144 volunteers. Env-A244 was resistant to proteasomes, thus diminishing the possibility of the generation of class I epitopes by the classical MHC class I pathway. However, Env-A244 was efficiently cleaved by cathepsins generating peptide arrays identified by mass spectrometry that contained both MHC class I and class II epitopes as reported in the Los Alamos database. Each of the cathepsins generated distinct degradation patterns containing regions of light and dense epitope clusters. The sequence DKKQKVHALF that is part of the V2 loop of gp120 produced by cathepsins induced a polyfunctional cytokine response including the generation of IFN-γ from CD4(+) T-cell lines-derived from RV144 vaccinees. This sequence is significant since antibodies to the V1/V2-loop region correlated inversely with HIV-1 infection in the RV144 trial. Based on our results, the susceptibility of Env-A244 to cathepsins and not to proteasomes suggests a possible mechanism for the generation of Env-specific CD4(+)T cell and antibody responses in the RV144 vaccinees.

The bladder supports a diversity of macrophage populations with functional roles related to homeostasis and host defense, including clearance of cell debris from tissue, immune surveillance, and inflammatory responses. This review examines these roles with particular attention given to macrophage origins, differentiation, recruitment, and engagement in host defense against urinary tract infections (UTIs), where these cells recognize uropathogens through a combination of receptor-mediated responses. Time is an important variable that is often overlooked in many clinical and biological studies, including in relation to macrophages and UTIs. Given that ageing is a significant factor in urinary tract infection pathogenesis and macrophages have been shown to harbor their own circadian system, this review also explores the influence of age on macrophage functions and the role of diurnal variations in macrophage functions in host defense and inflammation during UTIs. We provide a conceptual framework for future studies that address these key knowledge gaps.

Aberrant O-glycosylation of the IgA1 hinge region is a characteristic finding in patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and is thought to contribute to immune-complex formation and kidney injury. Other studies have suggested that abnormalities in mucosal immunity and lymphocyte homing are major contributors to disease. We identified a family with IgAN segregating a heterozygous predicted loss-of-function (LOF) variant in GALNT14, the gene encoding N- acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 14, one of the enzymes involved in mucin-type protein O-glycosylation. While GALNT14 is expressed in IgA1- producing cells, carriers of the LOF variant did not have altered levels of poorly glycosylated IgA1, suggesting other disease mechanisms. Investigation of Galnt14-null mice revealed elevated serum IgA levels and ex vivo IgA production by B cells. These mice developed glomerular IgA deposition with aging and after induction of sterile colitis. Galnt14-null mice also displayed an attenuated mucin layer in the colon and redistribution of IgA-producing cells from mucosal to systemic sites. Adoptive-transfer experiments indicated impaired homing of spleen-derived Galnt14-deficient B lymphocytes, resulting in increased retention in peripheral blood. These findings suggest that abnormalities in O- glycosylation alter mucosal immunity and B lymphocyte homing, pointing to an expanded role of aberrant O-glycosylation in the pathogenesis of IgAN.

Technologies such as proteomics provide a snapshot of a specific cellular state but are unable to directly record successive signalling events. Two new CRISPR-mediated analogue multi-event recording apparatus (CAMERA) systems enable sequential recording of endogenous and exogenous signalling events by targeted DNA modifications, thereby allowing systematic interrogation of different cellular states.