Chronic stimulation desensitizes β2-adrenergic receptor responses in natural killer cells.

Adrenergic receptors (ARs) are preferentially expressed by innate lymphocytes such as natural killer (NK) cells. Here, we study the effect of epinephrine-mediated stimulation of the β2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR) on the function of human NK cells. Epinephrine stimulation inhibited early NK cell signaling events and blocked the function of the integrin LFA-1.

Toward an optimization of empirical antibiotic therapy in acute graft pyelonephritis: A retrospective multicenter study.

Objective: Acute graft pyelonephritis (AGPN) is the most frequent infectious complication in kidney transplant recipients (KTR). The treatment of acute community-acquired (CA) pyelonephritis is based on third-generation cephalosporins (3GC) and fluoroquinolones. Cefepime or a piperacillin-tazobactam combination are more often used in healthcare-associated (HCA) infections.

Restriction of Glycolysis Increases Serial Killing Capacity of Natural Killer Cells.

Tumor cells rely heavily on glycolysis to meet their high metabolic demands. While this results in nutrient deprivation within the tumor microenvironment and has negative effects on infiltrating immune cells such as natural killer (NK) cells, it also creates a potential target for cancer therapies. Here we use Glupin, an inhibitor of glucose transporters, to study the effect of limited glucose uptake on NK cells and their anti-tumor functions.

15-month post-COVID syndrome in outpatients: Attributes, risk factors, outcomes, and vaccination status - longitudinal, observational, case-control study.

Background: While the short-term symptoms of post-COVID syndromes (PCS) are well-known, the long-term clinical characteristics, risk factors and outcomes of PCS remain unclear. Moreover, there is ongoing discussion about the effectiveness of post-infection vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to aid in PCS recovery.

Methods: In this longitudinal and observational case-control study we aimed at identifying long-term PCS courses and evaluating the effects of post-infection vaccinations on PCS recovery.

Immunological fingerprint in coronavirus disease-19 convalescents with and without post-COVID syndrome.

Background: Symptoms lasting longer than 12  weeks after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection are called post-coronavirus disease (COVID) syndrome (PCS). The identification of new biomarkers that predict the occurrence or course of PCS in terms of a post-viral syndrome is vital. T-cell dysfunction, cytokine imbalance, and impaired autoimmunity have been reported in PCS.

Encephalitis in travellers: a prospective multicentre study.

Background: As the epidemiology of encephalitis varies from one country to another, international travel may be an important clue for the diagnostic workout of this puzzling disease.

Methods: We performed an ancillary study using the ENCEIF prospective cohort conducted in 62 clinical sites in France from 2016 to 2019. All cases of encephalitis in adults that fulfilled a case definition derived from the International Encephalitis Consortium were included.

Inhibition of Glucose Uptake Blocks Proliferation but Not Cytotoxic Activity of NK Cells.

Tumor cells often have very high energy demands. Inhibition of glucose uptake is therefore a possible approach to limit the proliferation and survival of transformed cells. However, immune cells also require energy to initiate and to maintain anti-tumor immune reactions.

Trim69 is a microtubule regulator that acts as a pantropic viral inhibitor.

Through a screen that combines functional and evolutionary analyses, we identified tripartite motif protein (Trim69), a poorly studied member of the Trim family, as a negative regulator of HIV-1 infection in interferon (IFN)-stimulated myeloid cells. Trim69 inhibits the early phases of infection of HIV-1, but also of HIV-2 and SIV in addition to the negative and positive-strand RNA viruses vesicular stomatitis virus and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, with magnitudes that depend on the combination between cell type and virus. Mechanistically, Trim69 associates directly to microtubules and its antiviral activity is linked to its ability to promote the accumulation of stable microtubules, a program that we uncover to be an integral part of antiviral IFN-I responses in myeloid cells.

Distinct evolutionary trajectories of SARS-CoV-2-interacting proteins in bats and primates identify important host determinants of COVID-19.

The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a coronavirus that spilled over from the bat reservoir. Despite numerous clinical trials and vaccines, the burden remains immense, and the host determinants of SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 severity remain largely unknown. Signatures of positive selection detected by comparative functional genetic analyses in primate and bat genomes can uncover important and specific adaptations that occurred at virus-host interfaces.

Human NK cells responses are enhanced by CD56 engagement.

Natural Killer (NK) cells are important innate lymphocytes for effective immune responses against intracellular pathogens and tumors. CD56 is a well-known marker for human NK cells, but there is very limited information about a functional role of this surface receptor. Here, we show that engagement of CD56 can induce NK cell activation resulting in degranulation, IFN-γ secretion and morphological changes, making CD56 a potential co-activating receptor in NK cells.

Neutralizing antibody responses 300 days after SARS-CoV-2 infection and induction of high antibody titers after vaccination.

Neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 are important to protect against infection and/or disease. Using an assay to detect antibodies directed against the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 Spike, we identified individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection after an outbreak at a local health institution. All but one COVID-19 patient developed detectable anti-RBD antibodies and 77% had virus neutralizing antibody titers of >1:25.

Prevalence and characteristics of persistent symptoms after non-severe COVID-19: a prospective cohort study.

We performed a prospective cohort study of 311 outpatients with non-severe COVID-19 (187 women, median age 39 years). Of the 214 (68.8%) who completed the 6-week follow-up questionnaire, 115 (53.

DGINN, an automated and highly-flexible pipeline for the detection of genetic innovations on protein-coding genes.

Adaptive evolution has shaped major biological processes. Finding the protein-coding genes and the sites that have been subjected to adaptation during evolutionary time is a major endeavor. However, very few methods fully automate the identification of positively selected genes, and widespread sources of genetic innovations such as gene duplication and recombination are absent from most pipelines.

NONO Detects the Nuclear HIV Capsid to Promote cGAS-Mediated Innate Immune Activation.

Detection of viruses by innate immune sensors induces protective antiviral immunity. The viral DNA sensor cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) is necessary for detection of HIV by human dendritic cells and macrophages. However, synthesis of HIV DNA during infection is not sufficient for immune activation.