Epigenetic quantification of immunosenescent CD8 TEMRA cells in human blood.

Age-related changes in human T-cell populations are important contributors to immunosenescence. In particular, terminally differentiated CD8 effector memory CD45RA TEMRA cells and their subsets have characteristics of cellular senescence, accumulate in older individuals, and are increased in age-related chronic inflammatory diseases. In a detailed T-cell profiling among individuals over 65 years of age, we found a high interindividual variation among CD8 TEMRA populations.

Dynamics of antibody response to BNT162b2 vaccine after six months: a longitudinal prospective study.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines have proven high efficacy, however, limited data exists on the duration of immune responses and their relation to age and side effects.

Methods: We studied the antibody and memory T cell responses after the two-dose BNT162b2 vaccine in 122 volunteers up to 6 months and correlated the findings with age and side effects.

Findings: We found a robust antibody response to Spike protein after the second dose.

Longitudinal proteomic profiling reveals increased early inflammation and sustained apoptosis proteins in severe COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2 infection has a risk to develop into life-threatening COVID-19 disease. Whereas age, hypertension, and chronic inflammatory conditions are risk factors, underlying host factors and markers for disease severity, e.g.

Biological responses to extreme weather events are detectable but difficult to formally attribute to anthropogenic climate change.

As the frequency and intensity of extreme events such as droughts, heatwaves and floods have increased over recent decades, more extreme biological responses are being reported, and there is widespread interest in attributing such responses to anthropogenic climate change. However, the formal detection and attribution of biological responses to climate change is associated with many challenges. We illustrate these challenges with data from the Elbe River floodplain, Germany.

LIPS method for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to spike and nucleocapsid proteins.

Profiling antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 can help to assess potential immune response after COVID-19 disease. Luciferase IP system (LIPS) assay is a sensitive method for quantitative detection of antibodies to antigens in their native conformation. We here describe LIPS to detect antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins in COVID-19 patients.

Immunosuppressive Yersinia Effector YopM Binds DEAD Box Helicase DDX3 to Control Ribosomal S6 Kinase in the Nucleus of Host Cells.

Yersinia outer protein M (YopM) is a crucial immunosuppressive effector of the plaque agent Yersinia pestis and other pathogenic Yersinia species. YopM enters the nucleus of host cells but neither the mechanisms governing its nucleocytoplasmic shuttling nor its intranuclear activities are known. Here we identify the DEAD-box helicase 3 (DDX3) as a novel interaction partner of Y.