Search results for "Nod"

Mitigating anticipated effects of systematic errors supports sister-group relationship between Xenacoelomorpha and Ambulacraria.

2019

International audience; Xenoturbella and the acoelomorph worms (Xenacoelomorpha) are simple marine animals with controversial affinities. They have been placed as the sister group of all other bilaterian animals (Nephrozoa hypothesis), implying their simplicity is an ancient characteristic ]; alternatively, they have been linked to the complex Ambulacraria (echinoderms and hemichordates) in a clade called the Xenambulacraria , suggesting their simplicity evolved by reduction from a complex ancestor. The difficulty resolving this problem implies the phylogenetic signal supporting the correct solution is weak and affected by inadequate modeling, creating a misleading non-phylogenetic signal. …

Dynamic compartmentalization of calcium channel signalling in neurons.

2020

Calcium fluxes through the neuronal membrane are strictly limited in time due to biophysical properties of voltage-gated and ligand-activated ion channels and receptors. Being embedded into the crowded dynamic environment of biological membranes, Ca2+-permeable receptors and channels undergo perpetual spatial rearrangement, which enables their temporary association and formation of transient signalling complexes. Thus, efficient calcium-mediated signal transduction requires mechanisms to support very precise spatiotemporal alignment of the calcium source and Ca2+-binding lipids and proteins in a highly dynamic environment. The mobility of calcium channels and calcium-sensing proteins themse…

2016

Successful reconstitution of cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific CD8+ T cells by hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) gives a favorable prognosis for the control of CMV reactivation and prevention of CMV disease after hematoablative therapy of hematopoietic malignancies. In the transient immunocompromised state after HCT, pre-emptive cytoimmunotherapy with viral epitope-specific effector or memory CD8+ T cells is a promising option to speed up antiviral control. Despite high-coding capacity of CMVs and a broad CD8+ T-cell response on the population level, which reflects polymorphism in major histocompatibility complex class-I (MHC-I) glycoproteins, the response in terms of quantity of CD8+ T…

Immune-Endocrine Interactions in the Fish Gonad during Infection: An Open Door to Vertical Transmission

2018

The interaction between the immune and endocrine systems has long been recognized in vertebrates. In fish, it is known that the prevalence and intensity of such infections are higher in males than in females and probably related to sex steroid hormone levels. In addition, the immune response in the fish gonad tissues is specifically regulated to prevent infertility. This condition is used by some pathogens to colonize the fish gonad, evade the systemic immune response, and so spread to the progeny. This review brings up to date our knowledge concerning fish gonad immunity and its regulation, immune-endocrine interactions, and how some pathogens use this tissue to spread to the progeny throu…

Aberrantly Expressed Embryonic Protein NODAL Alters Breast Cancer Cell Susceptibility to γδ T Cell Cytotoxicity

2020

Gamma delta (γδ) T cells kill transformed cells, and increased circulating γδ T cells levels correlate with improved outcome in cancer patients; however, their function within the breast tumor microenvironment (TME) remains controversial. As tumors progress, they begin to express stem-cell associated proteins, concomitant with the emergence of therapy resistant metastatic disease. For example, invasive breast cancers often secrete the embryonic morphogen, NODAL. NODAL has been shown to promote angiogenesis, therapy resistance and metastasis in breast cancers. However, to date, little is known about how this secreted protein may interact with cells in the TME. Herein we explore how NODAL in …

Gamma-Delta CAR-T Cells Show CAR-Directed and Independent Activity Against Leukemia

2020

Autologous T cells engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) against the CD19 antigen are in the frontline of contemporary hemato-oncology therapies, leading to high remission rates in B-cell malignancies. Although effective, major obstacles involve the complex and costly individualized manufacturing process, and CD19 target antigen loss or modulation leading to resistant and relapse following CAR therapy. A potential solution for these limitations is the use of donor-derived γδT cells as a CAR backbone. γδT cells lack allogenecity and are safely used in haploidentical transplants. Moreover, γδT cells are known to mediate natural anti-tumor responses. Here, we describe a 14-da…

Use of Ganoderma lucidum (Ganodermataceae, Basidiomycota) as Radioprotector

2020

For millennia, naturopaths and physicians have used Ganoderma lucidum (reishi mushroom) for its diverse therapeutic properties, as recorded in the oldest Chinese herbal encyclopedia. Indeed, a radioprotective effect has been reported in the isolated components of its extracts. A systematic review and meta-analyses (PRISMA) was conducted in March 2020, searching databases including PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar, along with Clinical Trials. The inclusion criteria were ex vivo, in vitro, and in vivo studies, with full texts in English, conducted to determine the radioprotective benefits of G. lucidum, or reports in which ionizing radiation was used. From a total number of 1109 rec…

Novel anti-GARP antibody DS-1055a augments anti-tumor immunity by depleting highly suppressive GARP+ regulatory T cells

2021

Abstract Regulatory T (Treg) cells, which are essential for maintaining self-tolerance, inhibit anti-tumor immunity, consequently hindering protective cancer immunosurveillance, and hampering effective anti-tumor immune responses in tumor-bearing hosts. Here, we show that depletion of Treg cells via targeting glycoprotein A repetitions predominant (GARP) induces effective anti-tumor immune responses. GARP was specifically expressed by highly suppressive Treg cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of multiple cancer types in humans. In the periphery, GARP was selectively induced in Treg cells, but not in effector T cells, by polyclonal stimulation. DS-1055a, a novel afucosylated anti-huma…

Molecular evolution methods to study HIV-1 epidemics

2018

Nucleotide sequences of HIV isolates are obtained routinely to evaluate the presence of resistance mutations to antiretroviral drugs. But, beyond their clinical use, these and other viral sequences include a wealth of information that can be used to better understand and characterize the epidemiology of HIV in relevant populations. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the main methods used to analyze HIV sequences, the data bases where reference sequences can be obtained, and some caveats about the possible applications for public health of these analyses, along with some considerations about their limitations and correct usage to derive robust and reliable conclusions.

mRNA expression profiles obtained from microdissected pancreatic cancer cells can predict patient survival

2017

// Ana-Barbara Garcia-Garcia 1, 2, * , M. Carmen Gomez-Mateo 3, 7, * , Rebeca Hilario 2 , Pilar Rentero-Garrido 2 , Alvaro Martinez-Domenech 4 , Veronica Gonzalez-Albert 2 , Andres Cervantes 5 , Pablo Marin-Garcia 6 , Felipe Javier Chaves 1, 2 , Antonio Ferrandez-Izquierdo 3 and Luis Sabater 4 1 CIBER of Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM), Madrid, Spain 2 Unidad de Genomica y Diagnostico Genetico. Fundacion Investigacion Clinico de Valencia, Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria Clinico de Valencia (INCLIVA), Valencia, Spain 3 Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of Valencia and Clinical Hospital of Valencia, and Instituto de Investigacio…