Publications by authors named "Richard Blumberg"

Neurological injury drives most deaths and morbidity among patients hospitalized for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Despite its clinical importance, there are no effective pharmacological therapies targeting post-cardiac arrest (CA) neurological injury. Here, we analyzed circulating immune cells from a large cohort of patients with OHCA, finding that lymphopenia independently associated with poor neurological outcomes.

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  • - CEACAM1 is a crucial membrane protein involved in various immune and non-immune functions, acting as both a homophilic and heterophilic ligand with host proteins like CEACAM5 and TIM-3.
  • - The protein is targeted by several pathogens to help them invade hosts and evade the immune system, linking it to issues like infectious diseases, autoimmunity, and cancer.
  • - The review details the structural interactions of CEACAM1, examining its different states (monomeric, dimeric, oligomeric) and their implications for signaling and function, including the impact of avidity on its activity.
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The cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) plays important roles in limiting infection but is also linked to sepsis. The mechanisms underlying these paradoxical roles are unclear. Here, we show that TNF limits the antimicrobial activity of Paneth cells (PCs), causing bacterial translocation from the gut to various organs.

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The single-layer epithelium of the gastrointestinal tract is a dynamically renewing tissue that ensures nutrient absorption, secretory and barrier functions and is involved in immune responses. The basis for this homeostatic renewal is the Wnt signaling pathway. Blocking this pathway can lead to epithelial damage, while its abnormal activation can result in the development of intestinal tumors.

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  • CEACAM1 is a cell surface protein that affects immune responses, but its role in tumors is not well understood.
  • The study used specialized antibodies to analyze the presence of CEACAM1 alongside PD1 and PD-L1 in various immune cells from melanoma patients and healthy controls.
  • Results showed high levels of CEACAM1 on immune cells in melanoma patients, particularly in those resistant to treatment, indicating potential pathways for targeted therapies.
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The interleukin (IL)-22 cytokine can be protective or inflammatory in the intestine. It is unclear if IL-22 receptor (IL-22Ra1)-mediated protection involves a specific type of intestinal epithelial cell (IEC). By using a range of IEC type-specific Il22Ra1 conditional knockout mice and a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) colitis model, we demonstrate that IL-22Ra1 signaling in MATH1 cells (goblet and progenitor cells) is essential for maintaining the mucosal barrier and intestinal tissue regeneration.

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  • Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) cause long-lasting inflammation in the digestive system, and scientists are looking into how stress inside cells (called ER stress) affects this.
  • They found that when cells experience ER stress, the way they use certain nutrients changes, which might affect how severe IBD is and how well treatments work.
  • The researchers discovered that not having enough of a nutrient called serine can mess up a signaling system that helps cells fight infections, but giving antioxidants can help improve this issue.
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Chlamydia trachomatis infections are an important sexually transmitted infection that can lead to inflammation, scarring and hydrosalpinx/infertility. However, infections are commonly clinically asymptomatic and do not receive treatment. The underlying cause of asymptomatic immunopathology remains unknown.

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  • IL-22 plays a crucial role in reducing metabolism issues caused by obesity, but its specific action sites are unclear.
  • Researchers created mice with specific IL-22RA1 knockouts in the intestine, liver, and white adipose tissue to study its effects on metabolism when on a high-fat diet.
  • Findings reveal that IL-22RA1 signaling in the intestine and liver improves glucose metabolism and influences fat tissue metabolism, highlighting the significance of gut signaling in managing obesity-related metabolic disorders.
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Background: Intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) mitochondrial dysfunction involvement in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn's disease affecting the small intestine, is emerging in recent studies. As the interface between the self and the gut microbiota, IECs serve as hubs of bidirectional cross-talk between host and luminal microbiota. However, the role of mitochondrial-microbiota interaction in the ileum is largely unexplored.

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Epithelial cells play a crucial role in barrier defense. Here, Moniruzzaman et al. (2023.

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Studying gene function in T cells is crucial for understanding physiology and disease pathogenesis. Here, we provide a protocol to examine the role of specific genes in CD4 T cell differentiation in the intestine. We describe steps for isolating naïve CD4 T cells from mouse spleens and transferring them to recipient mice.

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Background & Aims: Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CC1) acts through homophilic and heterophilic interactions with T cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain-containing protein 3 (TIM-3), which regulates innate immune activation in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). We investigated whether cluster of differentiation (CD) 4 T cell-dependent CC1-TIM-3 crosstalk may affect OLT outcomes in mice and humans.

Methods: Wild-type (WT) and CC1-deficient (CC1 knock-out [KO]) mouse livers were transplanted into WT, CC1KO, or T-cell TIM-3 transgenic (TIM-3Tg)/CC1KO double-mutant recipients.

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Introduction: The Unfolded Protein Response, a mechanism triggered by the cell in response to Endoplasmic reticulum stress, is linked to inflammatory responses. Our aim was to identify novel Unfolded Protein Response-mechanisms that might be involved in triggering or perpetuating the inflammatory response carried out by the Intestinal Epithelial Cells in the context of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Methods: We analyzed the transcriptional profile of human Intestinal Epithelial Cell lines treated with an Endoplasmic Reticulum stress inducer (thapsigargin) and/or proinflammatory stimuli.

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Intestinal IL-17-producing T helper (Th17) cells are dependent on adherent microbes in the gut for their development. However, how microbial adherence to intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) promotes Th17 cell differentiation remains enigmatic. Here, we found that Th17 cell-inducing gut bacteria generated an unfolded protein response (UPR) in IECs.

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Interleukin (IL)-17 protects epithelial barriers by inducing the secretion of antimicrobial peptides. However, the effect of IL-17 on Paneth cells (PCs), the major producers of antimicrobial peptides in the small intestine, is unclear. Here, we show that the targeted ablation of the IL-17 receptor (IL-17R) in PCs disrupts their antimicrobial functions and decreases the frequency of ileal PCs.

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IgGs are essential soluble components of the adaptive immune response that evolved to protect the body from infection. Compared with other immunoglobulins, the role of IgGs is distinguished and enhanced by their high circulating levels, long half-life and ability to transfer from mother to offspring, properties that are conferred by interactions with neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn). FcRn binds to the Fc portion of IgGs in a pH-dependent manner and protects them from intracellular degradation.

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Intelectin-1 (ITLN1) is a lectin secreted by intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and upregulated in human ulcerative colitis (UC). We investigated how ITLN1 production is regulated in IECs and the biological effects of ITLN1 at the host-microbiota interface using mouse models. Our data show that ITLN1 upregulation in IECs from UC patients is a consequence of activating the unfolded protein response.

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  • * Intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs), particularly those with γ and δ T cell receptors, play a potential role in protecting Paneth cells that are vulnerable due to the ATG16L1 gene associated with Crohn's disease.
  • * The study identifies apoptosis inhibitor 5 (API5) as a protective factor secreted by γδ IELs, which helps maintain Paneth cell viability, suggesting that API5 could be a therapeutic target to counteract genetic susceptibility in the context of intestinal inflammation.
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The human (h) CEACAM1 GFCC' face serves as a binding site for homophilic and heterophilic interactions with various microbial and host ligands. hCEACAM1 has also been observed to form oligomers and micro-clusters on the cell surface which are thought to regulate hCEACAM1-mediated signaling. However, the structural basis for hCEACAM1 higher-order oligomerization is currently unknown.

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  • The study focuses on the importance of cellular makeup in barrier epithelia, particularly in the small intestine, where adult stem cells play a crucial role in maintaining tissue integrity and function.
  • Researchers developed a method using multiplexed phenotypic screening with miniaturized organoid models to identify biological targets and small molecules that can influence intestinal stem cell differentiation.
  • They discovered that inhibiting Exportin 1 can enhance the production of Paneth cells from intestinal stem cells, offering a new approach to regulate epithelial cell composition and function for potential therapeutic applications.
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  • Acetaminophen (APAP) can cause severe liver damage by triggering endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and the unfolded protein response (UPR) in liver cells, but the detailed mechanisms behind this are not well understood.
  • In studies using specific mice models, it was found that the activation of UPR and the JNK1/2 pathway were significant in APAP-induced liver toxicity, and that the XBP1 gene played a crucial role in this process.
  • Blocking or reducing the activity of XBP1 in liver cells helped reduce liver injury by promoting autophagy and lowering the expression of CYP2E1, indicating potential new treatments for serious liver damage.
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