Publications by authors named "Sarah C Edwards"

In mice, γδ-T lymphocytes that express the co-stimulatory molecule, CD27, are committed to the IFNγ-producing lineage during thymic development. In the periphery, these cells play a critical role in host defense and anti-tumor immunity. Unlike αβ-T cells that rely on MHC-presented peptides to drive their terminal differentiation, it is unclear whether MHC-unrestricted γδ-T cells undergo further functional maturation after exiting the thymus.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • IL-17A-producing γδ T cells in mice mainly consist of two subclasses: Vγ6+ tissue-resident cells and Vγ4+ circulating cells, both of which show different characteristics in tumor conditions.
  • Research using single-cell RNA sequencing revealed that Vγ6+ cells have high levels of PD-1, while Vγ4+ cells increase TIM-3 in response to specific tumor signals (IL-1β and IL-23).
  • Blocking PD-1 or TIM-3 leads to an increase in these T cell populations in tumor-bearing mice, highlighting their role in developing resistance to immunotherapy in cancer therapies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - γδT cells are unique immune cells found in mucosal tissues that help monitor and maintain tissue health, as well as fight cancer by recognizing and killing stressed or cancerous cells via the NKG2D receptor.
  • - Despite their known role in acting against tumors, new findings indicate that NKG2D actually regulates a group of γδT cells that promote tumor growth by producing IL-17A.
  • - Research shows that removing the NKG2D gene reduces γδT cell levels in tumors and slows cancer progression, suggesting that in tumor environments with NKG2D ligands, these cells can accumulate and contribute to cancer advancement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Major advances in cancer immunotherapy have dramatically expanded the potential to manipulate immune cells in cancer patients with metastatic disease to counteract cancer spread and extend patient lifespan. One of the most successful types of immunotherapy is the immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1, that keep anti-tumour T cells active. However, not every patient with metastatic disease benefits from this class of drugs and patients often develop resistance to these therapies over time.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

T cells are classically recognized as distinct subsets that express αβ or γδ TCRs. We identify a novel population of T cells that coexpress αβ and γδ TCRs in mice and humans. These hybrid αβ-γδ T cells arose in the murine fetal thymus by day 16 of ontogeny, underwent αβ TCR-mediated positive selection into CD4+ or CD8+ thymocytes, and constituted up to 10% of TCRδ+ cells in lymphoid organs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Interleukin-17A (IL-17A) is a major mediator of tissue inflammation in many autoimmune diseases. Anti-IL-17A is an effective treatment for psoriasis and is showing promise in clinical trials in multiple sclerosis. In this study, we find that IL-17A-defective mice or mice treated with anti-IL-17A at induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) are resistant to disease and have defective priming of IL-17-secreting γδ T (γδT17) cells and Th17 cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS) that shares many features with the human disease. This review will focus on the role of IL-17-secreting CD4 and γδ T cells in EAE and MS, the plasticity of Th17 cells in vivo and the application of these findings to the understating of the pathogenesis and the development of new treatments for MS. There is convincing evidence that IL-17-secreting CD4 T cells (Th17 cells) and IL-17-secreting γδ T cells play a critical pathogenic role in central nervous system (CNS) inflammation in EAE and MS.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Infection with viral or bacterial pathogens has been linked with the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), while infection with helminth parasites has been associated protection against MS and other autoimmune diseases. Here we have used a murine model of MS, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), to examine the effect of infection with the respiratory pathogen Bordetella pertussis infection on development of CNS inflammation. The data demonstrate that infection of mice with B.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF