Induction of the IL-10-producing regulatory B cell phenotype following Trichinella spiralis infection

Immunoinhibitory effects of hypoxia-driven reprogramming of EGR1hi and EGR3 positive B cells in the nasopharyngeal carcinoma microenvironment

Regulatory B (Breg) cells is a type of immune cell that exhibit immunosuppressive behavior within the tumor microenvironment. However, the differentiation and regulatory mechanisms of these Breg cells remain unexplored. Single-cell transcriptome sequencing analysis of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) revealed a significant enrichment of B cell subset characterized by high expression of EGR1 and EGR3 in the tumor microenvironment. Notably, in the hypoxic microenvironment, these B cells induce MAPK pathway activation, subsequently triggering the activation of transcription factors EGR1 and EGR3, which further modulate the expression of immunosuppressive factors like TGFB1 and IL10. In transplant experiments using primary B cells induced under hypoxia and co-transplanted with cancer cells, a significant increase in tumor growth was observed. Mechanism experiments demonstrated that EGR1hi and EGR3+ B cells further activate the maturation and immunosuppressive function of Treg cells through the secretion of IL16 and TNF-α. Hence, this study identifies the key transcription factors EGR1 and EGR3 as essential regulators and elucidates the differentiation of Breg cells under hypoxic conditions.

Succinate coenzyme A ligase β-like protein from Trichinella spiralis is a potential therapeutic molecule for allergic asthma

BACKGROUND

For decades, studies have demonstrated the anti-inflammatory potential of proteins secreted by helminths in allergies and asthma. Previous studies have demonstrated the immunomodulatory capabilities of Succinate Coenzyme A ligase beta-like protein (SUCLA-β) derived from Trichinella spiralis, a crucial excretory product of this parasite.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the therapeutic potential of SUCLA-β in alleviating and controlling ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma, as well as its influence on host immune modulation.

METHODS

In this research, we utilized the rTs-SUCLA-β protein derived from T. spiralis to investigate its potential in mitigating airway inflammation in a murine model of asthma induced by OVA sensitization/stimulation, both pre- and post-challenge. The treatment's efficacy was assessed by quantifying the extent of inflammation in the lungs.

RESULTS

Treatment with rTs-SUCLA-β demonstrated efficacy in ameliorating OVA-induced airway inflammation, as evidenced by a reduction in eosinophil infiltration, levels of OVA-specific Immunoglobulin E, interferon-γ, interleukin (IL)-9, and IL-17A, along with an elevation in IL-10. The equilibrium between Th17 and Treg cells plays a pivotal role in modulating the abundance of inflammatory cells within the organism, thereby ameliorating inflammation and alleviating symptoms associated with allergic asthma.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Our data revealed that T. spiralis-derived Ts-SUCLA-β protein may inhibit the allergic airway inflammation by regulating host immune responses.

Schistosoma japonicum-derived peptide SJMHE1 ameliorates allergic symptoms and responses in mice with allergic rhinitis

Helminth derived excretory/secretory molecules have shown efficacy in the treatment of allergic asthma in mice, but their roles in allergic rhinitis (AR) are little known. In this study, we aimed to determine the intervention effect of SJMHE1, a Schistosoma japonicum derived small molecular peptide, on ovalbumin (OVA)-induced AR mice and investigate its possible mechanism. AR was induced in BALB/c mice, following which the mice were treated with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), OVA323-339 and SJMHE1 respectively. SJMHE1 treatment improved clinical symptoms (rubbing and sneezing), suppressed infiltrates of inflammatory cells and eosinophils in nasal mucosa, modulated the production of type-2 (IL-4 and IL-13) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines in the nasal lavage fluids (NLF), spleen, and serum. To investigate the underlying mechanism, fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled SJMHE1 was subcutaneously injected into AR mice, and we found that the FITC-SJMHE1 could accumulate in spleen, but not in nasal mucosa. FITC-SJMHE1 mainly bound to CD19 positive cells (B cells), and the SJMHE1 treatment significantly increased the proportion of regulatory B cells (Bregs) and B10 cells, along with the enhancement of PR domain containing protein 1 (Prdm1) protein levels. SJMHE1 may alleviate AR by upregulating Bregs, and has great potential as a new avenue for the AR treatment.

Aberrant parasympathetic responses in acupuncture therapy for restoring immune homeostasis

Acupuncture is an effective therapy used worldwide to treat various diseases, including infections, allergic disorders, autoimmune diseases, and immunodeficiency syndromes. Except for the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, acupuncture exerts its regulatory effect mainly by producing autonomic reflexes, including somatic-sympathetic and somatic-parasympathetic reflexes. In this review, we discuss the updated progress of the cholinergic vagal efferent pathway, vagal-adrenal axis, local spinal sacral-parasympathetic pathway, and the somatotopic evocation of parasympathetic responses related to restoring immune homeostasis within acupuncture therapy. Targeting the parasympathetic reflex offers scientific instruction for the design of acupuncture protocols for immunological diseases, providing more specialized comprehensive treatment recommendations.

Graphical abstract:

http://links.lww.com/AHM/A49

Trichinella pseudospiralis-secreted 53 kDa protein ameliorates imiquimod-induced psoriasis by inhibiting the IL-23/IL-17 axis in mice

Trichinella infection can experimentally ameliorate many autoimmune diseases. However, the immune mechanism of the amelioration and the identification of corresponding Trichinella-derived molecule(s) are still not fully elucidated. Fifty-three kDa excretory-secretory (ES) protein from Trichinella pseudospiralis (Tpp53) is a molecule like TsP53 reported as a protein exerting immune-inhibitory effect in T. spiralis. In this study, we investigated the immunomodulatory effect of Tpp53 using imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis model, which is a mouse model of autoimmune disease with the pathogenic interleukin 17 (IL-17) producing CD4⁺ T cells (Th17) via IL-23/IL17 axis. Administrating the recombinant Tpp53 (rTpp53) mixed with IMQ cream on the skin of mice ameliorated psoriatic lesions, as revealed by the improvement of erythema, scaling, skin thickening, epidermis hyperplasia and parakeratosis, thickening of acanthosis cell layer, epidermal extension of dermis, less infiltration of inflammatory cells, and decreased expression of inflammatory marker. The increased expression of the factors related to the IL-23/IL-17 axis, including IL-17A, IL-6, Il17F and Il23a, in the skins of IMQ-treated mice was inhibited by rTpp53 treatment. Moreover, the expression of activated keratinocyte-produced cytokines, chemokines, and antimicrobial peptides in the skin was also down-regulated in rTpp53-treated IMQ-treated mice. Co-culture of splenocytes with rTpp53 inhibited IL-17A and treatment of macrophages with rTpp53 reduced IL-6 production. Overall, our study revealed that the Trichinella-secreted 53 kDa ES protein could ameliorate IMQ-induced psoriasis by inhibiting the IL-23/IL-17 axis, suggesting that Tpp53 might involve in regulating host Th17 for immune evasion and have an alternative potential for psoriasis therapy.

Insulin-like growth factor 2 receptor is a key immune-related gene that is correlated with a poor prognosis in patients with triple-negative breast cancer: A bioinformatics analysis

BACKGROUND

Immunotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). This study aimed to identify immune-related genes that are associated with the prognosis of patients with TNBC as possible targets of immunotherapy, alongside their related tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs).

METHODS

The clinical data and gene expression profiles of patients with breast cancer were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases and divided into training (n = 1,053) and verification (n = 508) groups. CIBERSORT was used to predict the differences in immune cell infiltration in patient subsets that were stratified according to risk. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis was used to identify pathways associated with immune-related genes in patient subsets that were stratified according to risk. The clinical data and insulin-like growth factor 2 receptor (IGF2R) expression profiles of patients with breast cancer were extracted from METABRIC. The expression of IGF2R and TILs were evaluated in a cohort containing 282 untreated patients with TNBC. The correlations of IGF2R expression, TILs, and clinicopathological parameters with patient prognosis were analyzed in the whole cohort.

RESULTS

The prognostic model, which was composed of 26 immune-related gene pairs, significantly distinguished between high- and low-risk patients. Univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that the model was an independent prognostic factor for breast cancer. Among the identified genes, the expression of IGF2R significantly distinguished between high- and low-risk patients in TCGA (P = 0.008) and in METABRIC patients (P < 0.001). The expression of IGF2R was significantly associated with clinical risk factors such as TNBC, estrogen receptor (ER)-negative expression, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive expression, and age ≤60 years old in METABRIC patients. In addition, the patients with IGF2R-positive expression had lower disease-free survival (DFS) rates than those with IGF2R-negative expression in the TNBC cohort (67.8% vs. 78.5%, P = 0.023). IGF2R expression also was significantly negatively correlated with TILs, particularly with CD8+ TILs and CD19+ TILs in the cohort of patients with TNBC.

CONCLUSION

IGF2R can be used as an indicator of a poor prognosis in patients with TNBC and as a potential target and research direction for TNBC immunotherapy in the future.

Trichinella-induced immunomodulation: Another tale of helminth success

Trichinella spiralis is a unique parasite in that both the adults and larvae survive in two different intracellular niches in the same host. The immune response, albeit intense, is highly modulated to ensure the survival of both the host and the parasite. It is skewed to T helper 2 and regulatory arms. Diverse cells from both the innate and adaptive compartments of immunity, including dendritic cells, T regulatory cells, and alternatively activated macrophages are thought to mediate such immunomodulation. The parasite has also an outstanding ability to evade the immune system by several elaborate processes. The molecules derived from the parasites including Trichinella, particularly the components of the excretory-secretory products, are being continually identified and explored for the potential of ameliorating the immunopathology in animal models of diverse inflammatory and autoimmune human diseases. Herein we discuss the various aspects of Trichinella-induced immunomodulation with a special reference to the practical implications of the immune system manipulation in alleviating or possibly curing human diseases.

An Update on the Evolutionary History of Bregs

The relationship between the evolutionary history and the differentiation of Bregs is still not clear. Bregs were demonstrated to possess a regulatory effect on B cells. Various subsets of Bregs have been identified including T2-MZP, MZ, B10, IL10-producing plasma cells, IL10 producing plasmablasts, immature IL10 producing B cells, TIM1, and Br1. It is known that B cells have evolved during fish emergence. However, the origin of Bregs is still not known. Three main models have been previously proposed to describe the origin of Bregs, the first known as single–single (SS) suggests that each type of Bregs subpopulation has emerged from a single pre-Breg type. The second model (single–multi) (SM) assumes that a single Bregs gave rise to multiple types of Bregs that in turn differentiated to other Breg subpopulations. In the third model (multi–multi) (MM), it is hypothesized that Bregs arise from the nearest B cell phenotype. The link between the differentiation of cells and the evolution of novel types of cells is known to follow one of three evolutionary patterns (i.e., homology, convergence, or concerted evolution). Another aspect that controls differentiation and evolution processes is the principle of optimization of energy, which suggests that an organism will always use the choice that requires less energy expenditure for survival. In this review, we investigate the evolution of Breg subsets. We studied the feasibility of Breg origination models based on evolution and energy constraints. In conclusion, our review indicates that Bregs are likely to have evolved under a combination of SM–MM models. This combination ensured successful survival in harsh conditions by following the least costly differentiation pathway, as well as adapting to changing environmental conditions.