Publications by authors named "Yasmin Bergmann"

Donor age is a major risk factor for allograft outcome in kidney transplantation. The underlying cellular mechanisms and the recipient's immune response within an aged allograft have yet not been analyzed. A comprehensive immunophenotyping of naïve and transplanted young versus aged kidneys revealed that naïve aged murine kidneys harbor significantly higher frequencies of effector/memory T cells, whereas regulatory T cells were reduced.

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Article Synopsis
  • Novel mRNA-based vaccines, like Comirnaty, have proven effective against COVID-19 but their impact on individuals with renal insufficiency and those on immunosuppressive medication is not fully understood.
  • A study analyzed kidney transplant recipients and found that a significantly low number showed immune responses (IgA and IgG seroconversion) after vaccination, compared to healthy individuals and hemodialysis patients.
  • Despite some T cell responses, kidney transplant patients had fewer and weaker immune responses, indicating a need for revised vaccination strategies and monitoring for this vulnerable population.
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Background: Tissue-resident memory T (T) cells are known to be important for the first line of defense in mucosa-associated tissues. However, the composition, localization, effector function, and specificity of T cells in the human kidney and their relevance for renal pathology have not been investigated.

Methods: Lymphocytes derived from blood, renal peritumor samples, and tumor samples were phenotypically and functionally assessed by applying flow cytometry and highly advanced histology (multi-epitope ligand cartography) methods.

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Mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT-) cells represent a semi-invariant T cell population responsive to microbial vitamin B metabolite and innate cytokine stimulation, executing border tissue protection and particularly contributing to human liver immunity. The impact of immunosuppressants on MAIT cell biology alone and in context with solid organ transplantation has not been thoroughly examined. Here, we demonstrate that in vitro cytokine activation of peripheral MAIT cells from healthy individuals was impaired by glucocorticoids, whereas antigen-specific stimulation was additionally sensitive to calcineurin inhibitors.

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