Exposure to tobacco smoke activates innate and adaptive immune responses that in long-term smokers have been linked to diseases of the lungs, cardiovascular system, joints, and other organs. The destruction of lung tissue that underlies smoking-induced emphysema has been associated with T helper 1 cells that recognize the matrix protein elastin. Factors that result in the development of such autoreactive T cells in smokers remain unknown but are crucial for further understanding the pathogenesis of systemic inflammatory diseases in smokers. Here, we show that lung myeloid dendritic cells were sufficient to induce T helper 1 and T helper 17 responses in CD4 T cells. T helper 1 and 17 cells are invariably present in lungs from patients with emphysema but not in lungs from normal individuals. Interleukin-17A, a canonical T helper 17 cytokine, enhanced secretion of CCL20, a chemoattractant for dendritic cells, and matrix metalloproteinase 12, a potent elastolytic proteinase, from lung macrophages. Thus, although diverse lung factors potentially contribute to T helper effector differentiation in vivo, lung myeloid dendritic cells direct the generation of pathogenic T cells and support a feedback mechanism that sustains both inflammatory cell recruitment and lung destruction. This mechanism may underlie disease in other elastin-rich organs and tissues.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/scitranlsmed.3000154 | DOI Listing |
Viruses
January 2025
Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead 2145, Australia.
Anogenital inflammation is a critical risk factor for HIV acquisition. The primary preventative HIV intervention, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), is ineffective in blocking transmission in anogenital inflammation. Pre-existing sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) and anogenital microbiota dysbiosis are the leading causes of inflammation, where inflammation is extensive and often asymptomatic and undiagnosed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmaceutics
January 2025
Wide River Institute of Immunology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Hongcheon 25159, Gangwon, Republic of Korea.
Background/objectives: Effectively targeting treatment-resistant tumor cells, particularly cancer stem cells (CSCs) involved in tumor recurrence, remains a major challenge in immunotherapy. This study examines the potential of combining mechanical high-intensity focused ultrasound (M-HIFU) with dendritic cell (DC) vaccines to enhance immune responses against OLFM4-expressing tumors, a CSC marker linked to immune evasion and tumor growth.
Methods: M-HIFU was applied to induce immunogenic cell death by mechanically disrupting tumor cells, releasing tumor-associated antigens and creating an immunostimulatory environment.
Pathogens
January 2025
Division of Basic and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
Pneumonia is a common respiratory infection affecting individuals of all ages, with a significantly higher incidence among the elderly. As the aging population grows, pneumonia is expected to become an increasingly critical health concern. In non-institutionalized elderly individuals, the annual incidence ranges from 25 to 44 per 1000, approximately four times higher than in those under 65.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
January 2025
Department of Medical Surgical Disciplines, Faculty of Medicine, Titu Maiorescu University of Bucharest, 031593 Bucharest, Romania.
In approximately half of the recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) cases, the underlying cause is unknown. However, most unexplained miscarriages are thought to be linked to immune dysfunction. This review summarizes the current evidence regarding the immunological evaluations of patients with RSA, with potential implications for clinical research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
January 2025
Centre of Biomedical Systems and Informatics, ZJU-UoE Institute, School of Medicine, International Campus, Zhejiang University, Haining 314400, China.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer globally, with limited effective biomarkers and sensitive therapeutic targets. An increasing number of studies have highlighted the critical role of tumor microenvironment (TME) imbalances, particularly immune escape due to impaired chemokine-mediated trafficking, in tumorigenesis and progression. Notably, CC chemokines (CCLs) have been shown to either promote or inhibit angiogenesis, metastasis, and immune responses in tumors, thereby influencing cancer development and patient outcomes.
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