Publications by authors named "Danlan Wei"

Article Synopsis
  • The HIV envelope glycoprotein (Env) is crucial for viral binding and immune responses but is difficult to target due to its complex structure and variability.
  • Flow virometry (FV) allows researchers to study HIV virions at the single-particle level using a range of monoclonal antibodies, demonstrating its effectiveness in characterizing Env.
  • The study highlights that both the production method of the virus and the addition of soluble CD4 can significantly influence the detection and conformation of Env on HIV virions.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on the challenge of generating tier-2-neutralizing antibodies for HIV vaccines, highlighting the isolation of a specific antibody, HmAb64, from an immunized individual.
  • HmAb64 is characterized by its unique genetic structure, derived from germline genes, and was shown to neutralize 10% of the tested HIV-1 pseudo-virus strains.
  • The research also reveals the structural details of how HmAb64 binds to the CD4-binding site, proving that a gp120-based vaccine can effectively stimulate the production of antibodies capable of neutralizing tier-2 HIV strains.
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Resident memory T cells (Ts) help control local immune homeostasis and contribute to tissue-protective immune responses. The local cues that guide their differentiation and localization are poorly defined. We demonstrate that mucosal vascular addressin cell adhesion molecule 1, a ligand for the gut-homing receptor αβ integrin, in the presence of retinoic acid and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) provides a co-stimulatory signal that induces blood cluster of differentiation (CD8 T cells to adopt a T-like phenotype.

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The trimeric SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein mediates viral attachment facilitating cell entry. Most COVID-19 vaccines direct mammalian cells to express the Spike protein or deliver it directly via inoculation to engender a protective immune response. The trafficking and cellular tropism of the Spike protein in vivo and its impact on immune cells remains incompletely elucidated.

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While numerous cellular proteins in the HIV envelope are known to alter virus infection, methodology to rapidly phenotype the virion surface in a high throughput, single virion manner is lacking. Thus, many human proteins may exist on the virion surface that remain undescribed. Herein, we developed a novel flow virometry screening assay to discover new proteins on the surface of HIV particles.

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Article Synopsis
  • * gp120 also interacts with the integrin ⍺4β7, which is found on certain memory CD4+ T cells, suggesting that this relationship is important for HIV's preference for these immune cells and gut tissues.
  • * The study reveals that CD4 binds to ⍺4β7 dynamically, with specific binding sites that are crucial for both gp120's attachment to CD4 and its entry into cells, indicating that the interaction between CD4 and ⍺4β7 is critical
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The vaccine elicitation of HIV-neutralizing antibodies with tier-2-neutralization breadth has been a challenge. Here, we report the isolation and characteristics of a CD4-binding site specific monoclonal antibody, HmAb64, from a human volunteer immunized with a polyvalent gp120 DNA prime-protein boost vaccine. HmAb64 derived from heavy chain variable germline gene IGHV1-18, light chain germline gene IGKV1-39, and had a 3 heavy chain complementarity determining region (CDR H3) of 15 amino acids.

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The trimeric SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein mediates viral attachment facilitating cell entry. Most COVID-19 vaccines direct mammalian cells to express the Spike protein or deliver it directly via inoculation to engender a protective immune response. The trafficking and cellular tropism of the Spike protein and its impact on immune cells remains incompletely elucidated.

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CD4+ tissue resident memory T cells (TRMs) are implicated in the formation of persistent HIV reservoirs that are established during the very early stages of infection. The tissue-specific factors that direct T cells to establish tissue residency are not well defined, nor are the factors that establish viral latency. We report that costimulation via MAdCAM-1 and retinoic acid (RA), two constituents of gut tissues, together with TGF-β, promote the differentiation of CD4+ T cells into a distinct subset α4β7+CD69+CD103+ TRM-like cells.

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The GI tract is preferentially targeted during acute/early HIV-1 infection. Consequent damage to the gut plays a central role in HIV pathogenesis. The basis for preferential targeting of gut tissues is not well defined.

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Human gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT) play a key role in the acute phase of HIV infection. The propensity of HIV to replicate in these tissues, however, is not fully understood. Access and migration of naive and memory CD4 T cells to these sites is mediated by interactions between integrin αβ, expressed on CD4 T cells, and MAdCAM, expressed on high endothelial venules.

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The HIV-1 envelope protein (Env) of early-replicating viruses encodes several distinct transmission signatures. One such signature involves a reduced number of potential N-linked glycosylation sites (PNGs). This transmission signature underscores the importance of posttranslational modifications in the fitness of early-replicating isolates.

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The humoral immune response after acute infection with HIV-1 is delayed and ineffective. The HIV-1 envelope protein gp120 binds to and signals through integrin α4β7 on T cells. We found that gp120 also bound to and signaled through α4β7 on naive B cells, which resulted in an abortive proliferative response.

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Mucosal transmission of HIV is inefficient. The virus must breach physical barriers before it infects mucosal CD4+ T cells. Low-level viral replication occurs initially in mucosal CD4+ T cells, but within days high-level replication occurs in Peyer's patches, the gut lamina propria and mesenteric lymph nodes.

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Both activated and resting CD4(+) T cells in mucosal tissues play important roles in the earliest phases of infection after sexual transmission of HIV-1, a process that is inefficient. HIV-1 gp120 binds to integrin alpha(4)beta(7) (alpha(4)beta(7)), the gut mucosal homing receptor. We find that alpha(4)beta(7)(high) CD4(+) T cells are more susceptible to productive infection than are alpha(4)beta(7)(low-neg) CD4(+) T cells in part because this cellular subset is enriched with metabolically active CD4(+) T cells.

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Infection with human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) results in the dissemination of virus to gut-associated lymphoid tissue. Subsequently, HIV-1 mediates massive depletion of gut CD4+ T cells, which contributes to HIV-1-induced immune dysfunction. The migration of lymphocytes to gut-associated lymphoid tissue is mediated by integrin alpha4beta7.

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