Publications by authors named "Ioanna A Rota"

Expansion of antigen-experienced CD8 T cells is critical for the success of tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL)-adoptive cell therapy (ACT) in patients with cancer. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) acts as a key regulator of CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocyte functions by promoting expansion and cytotoxic capability. Therefore, it is essential to comprehend mechanistic barriers to IL-2 sensing in the tumour microenvironment to implement strategies to reinvigorate IL-2 responsiveness and T cell antitumour responses.

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To date, no immunotherapy approaches have managed to fully overcome T-cell exhaustion, which remains a mandatory fate for chronically activated effector cells and a major therapeutic challenge. Understanding how to reprogram CD8 tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes away from exhausted effector states remains an elusive goal. Our work provides evidence that orthogonal gene engineering of T cells to secrete an interleukin (IL)-2 variant binding the IL-2Rβγ receptor and the alarmin IL-33 reprogrammed adoptively transferred T cells to acquire a novel, synthetic effector state, which deviated from canonical exhaustion and displayed superior effector functions.

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Article Synopsis
  • FOXN1 is a key regulator for the development and function of thymic epithelial cells (TECs) and is differently regulated during organ formation.
  • The C-terminal sequence of FOXN1 influences its behavior in nuclear condensates, affecting its ability to bind to gene regulatory regions.
  • A mutant version of FOXN1, which has changes in its C-terminal sequence, loses transcriptional function and disrupts normal FOXN1 activity, leading to immune issues like athymia and lymphopenia in affected individuals.
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T cells rely for their development and function on the correct folding and turnover of proteins generated in response to a broad range of molecular cues. In the absence of the eukaryotic type II chaperonin complex, CCT, T cell activation induced changes in the proteome are compromised including the formation of nuclear actin filaments and the formation of a normal cell stress response. Consequently, thymocyte maturation and selection, and T cell homeostatic maintenance and receptor-mediated activation are severely impaired.

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The conduits of life; the animal oviducts and human fallopian tubes are of paramount importance for reproduction in amniotes. They connect the ovary with the uterus and are essential for fertility. They provide the appropriate environment for gamete maintenance, fertilization and preimplantation embryonic development.

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Article Synopsis
  • Human nude SCID is a genetic disorder causing immune deficiency, characterized primarily by a lack of thymus development (congenital athymia), hair loss (alopecia), and nail deformities (nail dystrophy), with only a few cases documented so far.
  • Recent advancements in newborn screening and genetic sequencing have uncovered new cases and a range of immune system issues in patients with different mutation types in the FOXN1 gene.
  • The study analyzed clinical data from 18 patients, revealing variations in symptoms and severity; many exhibited forms of severe immune deficiency, while some showed atypical phenotypes, suggesting that mutation type and residual gene function impact disease severity.
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Forkhead box N1 (FOXN1) is a member of the forkhead box family of transcription factors and plays an important role in thymic epithelial cell differentiation and development. mutations in humans and mice give rise to the "nude" phenotype, which is marked by athymia. FOXN1 belongs to a subset of the FOX family that recognizes an alternative forkhead-like (FHL) consensus sequence (GACGC) that is different from the more widely recognized forkhead (FKH) sequence RYAAAYA (where R is purine, and Y is pyrimidine).

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is expressed in human thymic epithelial cells. mutations may be a rare cause of leaky severe combined immune deficiency that can be corrected by HSCT.

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Nude severe combined immunodeficiency is a rare inherited disease caused by autosomal recessive loss-of-function mutations in FOXN1. This gene encodes a transcription factor essential for the development of the thymus, the primary lymphoid organ that supports T-cell development and selection. To date nine cases have been reported presenting with the clinical triad of absent thymus resulting in severe T-cell immunodeficiency, congenital alopecia universalis and nail dystrophy.

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In this protocol we provide a method to isolate dendritic cells (DC) and epithelial cells (TEC) from the human thymus. DC and TEC are the major antigen presenting cell (APC) types found in a normal thymus and it is well established that they play distinct roles during thymic selection. These cells are localized in distinct microenvironments in the thymus and each APC type makes up only a minor population of cells.

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Ever since it was discovered that central tolerance to self is imposed on developing T cells in the thymus through their interaction with self-peptide major histocompatibility complexes on thymic antigen-presenting cells, immunologists have speculated about the nature of these peptides, particularly in humans. Here, to shed light on the so-far unknown human thymic peptide repertoire, we analyse peptides eluted from isolated thymic dendritic cells, dendritic cell-depleted antigen-presenting cells and whole thymus. Bioinformatic analysis of the 842 identified natural major histocompatibility complex I and II ligands reveals significant cross-talk between major histocompatibility complex-class I and II pathways and differences in source protein representation between individuals as well as different antigen-presenting cells.

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Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) have been described as multifunctional anticancer agents. The failure of conventional therapy for glioblastoma (GBM) renders this tumor an attractive target for immunotherapy. Innate immune cells, such as natural killer (NK) cells, play a crucial role in antitumor immune responses.

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