Correlation between circulating T follicular helper cell levels after infection and a decreased risk of COVID-19 re-infection.

• Our study conducted a retrospective analysis of individuals with differing susceptibilities to COVID-19. • The correlation between cTfh cells and neutralizing antibodies enhances protection against SARS-CoV-2. • cTfh cell responses are positively associated with a decreased risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection.

Development of nanobodies targeting hepatocellular carcinoma and application of nanobody-based CAR-T technology.

Background: Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy, as an emerging anti-tumor treatment, has garnered extensive attention in the study of targeted therapy of multiple tumor-associated antigens in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the suppressive microenvironment and individual heterogeneity results in downregulation of these antigens in certain patients' cancer cells. Therefore, optimizing CAR-T cell therapy for HCC is imperative.

Nanobody-derived bispecific CAR-T cell therapy enhances the anti-tumor efficacy of T cell lymphoma treatment.

T cell lymphoma (TCL) is a highly heterogeneous group of diseases with a poor prognosis and low 5-year overall survival rate. The current therapeutic regimens have relatively low efficacy rates. Clinical studies of single-target chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T cell) therapy in T lymphocytes require large and multiple infusions, increasing the risks and cost of treatment; therefore, optimizing targeted therapy is a way to improve overall prognosis.

Dopamine Signaling Promotes Tissue-Resident Memory Differentiation of CD8+ T Cells and Antitumor Immunity.

Unlabelled: Tissue-resident memory CD8+ T (TRM) cells have been associated with robust protective antitumor immune responses and improved prognosis of patients with cancer. Therefore, therapeutic strategies that modulate either the production or activity of TRM cells could be effective for treating cancer. Using a high-throughput drug screen, we showed that the neurotransmitter dopamine drives differentiation of CD8+ T cells into CD103+ TRM cells.

A bivalent nanoparticle vaccine exhibits potent cross-protection against the variants of SARS-CoV-2.

Inoculation against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is ongoing worldwide. However, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants could cause immune evasion. We developed a bivalent nanoparticle vaccine that displays the receptor binding domains (RBDs) of the D614G and B.

Brd4 Regulates the Homeostasis of CD8 T-Lymphocytes and Their Proliferation in Response to Antigen Stimulation.

CD8 T cells are major components of adaptive immunity and confer robust protective cellular immunity, which requires adequate T-cell numbers, targeted migration, and efficient T-cell proliferation. Altered CD8 T-cell homeostasis and impaired proliferation result in dysfunctional immune response to infection or tumorigenesis. However, intrinsic factors controlling CD8 T-cell homeostasis and immunity remain largely elusive.

The ORF8 protein of SARS-CoV-2 mediates immune evasion through down-regulating MHC-Ι.

COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a global pandemic and has claimed over 2 million lives worldwide. Although the genetic sequences of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 have high homology, the clinical and pathological characteristics of COVID-19 differ significantly from those of SARS. How and whether SARS-CoV-2 evades (cellular) immune surveillance requires further elucidation.

The interferon-stimulated exosomal hACE2 potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication through competitively blocking the virus entry.

Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), it has become a global pandemic. The spike (S) protein of etiologic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) specifically recognizes human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) as its receptor, which is recently identified as an interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene. Here, we find that hACE2 exists on the surface of exosomes released by different cell types, and the expression of exosomal hACE2 is increased by IFNα/β treatment.

Amino acids and RagD potentiate mTORC1 activation in CD8 T cells to confer antitumor immunity.

Background: In the tumor microenvironment, tumor cells are able to suppress antitumor immunity by competing for essential nutrients, including amino acids. However, whether amino acid depletion modulates the activity of CD8 tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is unclear.

Method: In this study, we evaluated the roles of amino acids and the Rag complex in regulating mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling in CD8 TILs.

Nanoparticle Vaccines Based on the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) and Heptad Repeat (HR) of SARS-CoV-2 Elicit Robust Protective Immune Responses.

Various vaccine strategies have been proposed in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, each with unique strategies for eliciting immune responses. Here, we developed nanoparticle vaccines by covalently conjugating the self-assembled 24-mer ferritin to the receptor binding domain (RBD) and/or heptad repeat (HR) subunits of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike (S) protein. Compared to monomer vaccines, nanoparticle vaccines elicited more robust neutralizing antibodies and cellular immune responses.

Genetic variants of fatty acid elongase 6 in Chinese Holstein cow.

In the dairy industry, genetic variants have contributed to the improvement of milk production traits. Fatty acid elongase 6 (ELOVL6), which elongates saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), plays a distinct role in the balance of long-chain fatty acids composition in animals. ELOVL6 catalyzes the elongation of palmitic acids (C16:0) which is the most common saturated fatty acid found in animals and also an essential precursor to synthesize other long-chain fatty acids.