Publications by authors named "P Rodrigues-Santos"

Studying the tumor microenvironment and surrounding lymph nodes is the main focus of current immunological research on soft tissue sarcomas (STS). However, due to the restricted opportunity to examine tumor samples, alternative approaches are required to evaluate immune responses in non-surgical patients. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the peripheral immune profile of STS patients, characterize patients accordingly and explore the impact of peripheral immunotypes on patient survival.

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Cancer is becoming the main public health problem globally. Conventional chemotherapy approaches are slowly being replaced or complemented by new therapies that avoid the loss of healthy tissue, limit off-targets, and eradicate cancer cells. Immunotherapy is nowadays an important strategy for cancer treatment, that uses the host's anti-tumor response by activating the immune system and increasing the effector cell number, while, minimizing cancer's immune-suppressor mechanisms.

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A robust and efficient cellular response to lysosomal membrane damage prevents leakage from the lysosome lumen into the cytoplasm. This response is understood to happen through either lysosomal membrane repair or lysophagy. Here we report exocytosis as a third response mechanism to lysosomal damage, which is further potentiated when membrane repair or lysosomal degradation mechanisms are impaired.

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Parkinson's Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease where central and peripheral immune dysfunctions have been pointed out as a critical component of susceptibility and progression of this disease. Dendritic cells (DCs) and monocytes are key players in promoting immune response regulation and can induce the enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) under pro-inflammatory environments. This enzyme with catalytic and signaling activity supports the axis IDO1-KYN-aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), promoting disease-specific immunomodulatory effects.

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Article Synopsis
  • Proinflammatory cytokines significantly increase the expression and activity of the enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase-1 (IDO-1), which plays a key role in regulating T cell responses by converting tryptophan into L-kynurenine in dendritic cells and monocytes.
  • An experimental setup involving isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy donors was used to assess IDO1's influence on lymphocyte proliferation under a pro-inflammatory environment triggered by lipopolysaccharide and anti-CD3/CD28.
  • Results showed that while increased IDO1 activity correlated with reduced lymphocyte proliferation when tryptophan was introduced, inhibiting IDO1 did not affect
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