The invasion of reticulocytes by Plasmodium vivax merozoites is dependent on the interaction of the Plasmodium vivax Duffy Binding Protein (PvDBP) with the Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC). The N-terminal cysteine-rich region II of PvDBP (PvDBPII), which binds DARC, is a leading P. vivax malaria vaccine candidate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFamilial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an inherited disease characterized by the development of large number of colorectal adenomas with high risk of evolving into colorectal tumors. Mutations of the gene is often at the origin of this disease, as well as of a high percentage of spontaneous colorectal tumors. is therefore considered a tumor suppressor gene.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The seasonal human coronaviruses (HCoV) NL63, 229E, OC43, and HKU1 are globally endemic, yet the majority of HCoV infections remain undiagnosed.
Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 2389 serum samples were collected from children and adults in France in 2020. In a longitudinal cohort study, 2520 samples were collected from 898 French individuals followed up between 2020 and 2021.
BackgroundThe risk of SARS-CoV-2 (re-)infection remains present given waning of vaccine-induced and infection-acquired immunity, and ongoing circulation of new variants.AimTo develop a method that predicts virus neutralisation and disease protection based on variant-specific antibody measurements to SARS-CoV-2 antigens.MethodsTo correlate antibody and neutralisation titres, we collected 304 serum samples from individuals with either vaccine-induced or infection-acquired SARS-CoV-2 immunity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To achieve elimination of Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (gHAT), the development of highly sensitive diagnostics is needed. We have developed a CRISPR based diagnostic for HAT using SHERLOCK (Specific High-sensitivity Enzymatic Reporter unLOCKing) that is readily adaptable to a field-based setting.
Methods: We adapted SHERLOCK for the detection of T.
EClinicalMedicine
September 2022
Background: The protective immunity against omicron following a BNT162b2 Pfizer booster dose among elderly individuals (ie, those aged >65 years) is not well characterised.
Methods: In a community-based, prospective, longitudinal cohort study taking place in France in which 75 residents from three nursing homes were enrolled, we selected 38 residents who had received a two-dose regimen of mRNA vaccine and a booster dose of Pfizer BNT162b2 vaccine. We excluded individuals that did not receive three vaccine doses or did not have available sera samples.
Aging is known to be associated with hippocampus-dependent memory decline, but the underlying causes of this age-related memory impairment remain highly debated. Here, we show that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from aged, but not young, animal donors into young mice is sufficient to trigger profound hippocampal alterations, including astrogliosis, decreased adult neurogenesis, decreased novelty-induced neuronal activation, and impairment in hippocampus-dependent memory. Furthermore, similar alterations were reported when mice were subjected to an FMT from aged human donors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMemory B-cell and antibody responses to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein contribute to long-term immune protection against severe COVID-19, which can also be prevented by antibody-based interventions. Here, wide SARS-CoV-2 immunoprofiling in Wuhan COVID-19 convalescents combining serological, cellular, and monoclonal antibody explorations revealed humoral immunity coordination. Detailed characterization of a hundred SARS-CoV-2 spike memory B-cell monoclonal antibodies uncovered diversity in their repertoire and antiviral functions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe dengue virus nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) is a secreted virulence factor that modulates complement, activates immune cells and alters endothelial barriers. The molecular basis of these events remains incompletely understood. Here we describe a functional high affinity complex formed between NS1 and human high-density lipoproteins (HDL).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdenomatous polyposis coli (APC) is a tumor suppressor whose mutations underlie familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and colorectal cancer. Although its role in intestinal epithelial cells is well characterized, APC importance in T cell biology is ill defined. APC regulates cytoskeleton organization, cell polarity, and migration in various cell types.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The systemic antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 patients has been extensively studied. However, less is known about the mucosal responses in the upper airways, the site of initial SARS-CoV-2 replication.
Methods: The IgG and IgA antibody responses were analysed in plasma and nasopharyngeal swabs from the first four confirmed COVID-19 patients in France.
Many SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals remain asymptomatic. Little is known about the extent and quality of their antiviral humoral response. Here, we analyze antibody functions in 52 asymptomatic infected individuals, 119 mildly symptomatic, and 21 hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackgroundChildren's role in SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology remains unclear. We investigated an initially unnoticed SARS-CoV-2 outbreak linked to schools in northern France, beginning as early as mid-January 2020.AimsThis retrospective observational study documents the extent of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, linked to an affected high school (n = 664 participants) and primary schools (n = 1,340 study participants), in the context of unsuspected SARS-CoV-2 circulation and limited control measures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProfound T-cell lymphopenia is the hallmark of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). T-cell proliferation is telomere length (TL) dependent and telomeres shorten with age. Older COVID-19 patients, we hypothesize, are, therefore, at a higher risk of having TL-dependent lymphopenia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Lymphopenia due to a plummeting T-cell count is a major feature of severe COVID-19. T-cell proliferation is telomere length (TL)-dependent and TL shortens with age. Older persons are disproportionally affected by severe COVID-19, and we hypothesized that those with short TL have less capacity to mount an adequate T-cell proliferative response to SARS-CoV-2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic skin disorder of unknown etiology that manifests as recurrent, painful lesions. Cutaneous dysbiosis and unresolved inflammation are hallmarks of active HS, but their origin and interplay remain unclear. Our metabolomic profiling of HS skin revealed an abnormal induction of the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan catabolism in dermal fibroblasts, correlating with the release of kynurenine pathway-inducing cytokines by inflammatory cell infiltrates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIt is of paramount importance to evaluate the prevalence of both asymptomatic and symptomatic cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection and their differing antibody response profiles. Here, we performed a pilot study of four serological assays to assess the amounts of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in serum samples obtained from 491 healthy individuals before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, 51 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19, 209 suspected cases of COVID-19 with mild symptoms, and 200 healthy blood donors. We used two ELISA assays that recognized the full-length nucleoprotein (N) or trimeric spike (S) protein ectodomain of SARS-CoV-2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The serologic response of individuals with mild forms of SARS-CoV-2 infection is poorly characterized.
Methods: Hospital staff who had recovered from mild forms of PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were tested for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using two assays: a rapid immunodiagnostic test (99.4% specificity) and the S-Flow assay (~99% specificity).
Rare individuals can naturally clear chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and acquire protection from reinfection as conferred by vaccination. To examine the protective humoral response against HBV, we cloned and characterized human antibodies specific to the viral surface glycoproteins (HBsAg) from memory B cells of HBV vaccinees and controllers. We found that human HBV antibodies are encoded by a diverse set of immunoglobulin genes and recognize various conformational HBsAg epitopes.
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