Immunology & Cell Biology最新文献

In this article, we discuss a recently published study by Gopee et al., who have unveiled a surprising role for macrophages in human prenatal skin development, extending far beyond their traditional immune function. By constructing a comprehensive multi-omics single-cell atlas of human prenatal skin, they demonstrate that innate immune cells play a key role in hair follicle formation, scarless wound healing and neurovascular development.

As a young scientist in Brazil, my journey began with a modest education in a public school system that often lacked the resources needed to provide students with comprehensive support. However, with persistence and determination, I successfully gained admission to the University of São Paulo, a prestigious institution and one of the top universities in Latin America. My research focuses on the relationship between the nervous and immune systems in psychosis, a topic I am deeply passionate about. In this piece, I will discuss the systemic issues within the Brazilian education and research systems and delve deeper into my own challenges and achievements as a young scientist in Brazil, sharing insights that can inspire others in similar situations.

Located in Brisbane's Northshore riverfront precinct, just meters from the iconic Brisbane River, is the new Vaxxas Biomedical Facility. Dr Imogen Bermingham is a Principal Scientist in the Formulation and Analytical Team at Vaxxas, an Australian biotech company focused on developing a needle-free vaccination technology. Here, we discuss her work at Vaxxas, highlighting the opportunities for translational research within the growing biotech industry landscape in Queensland, Australia. Dr Bermingham also reflects on her transition from academia to industry, leveraging her skill set and expanding her capabilities within the dynamic research environment at Vaxxas.

In science and academia, success is often shaped by both knowledge and networking. Reflecting on nearly two decades in academic research, I recount my experience as a postdoctoral immunologist returning to Australia with limited local connections and support. Upon re-establishing myself in Australia, I initially faced barriers that restricted my visibility and collaborations. A turning point came when personal challenges motivated me to actively network, leading to valuable collaborations and career opportunities. By initiating conversations with academic leaders and peers, I expanded my network and established numerous leadership roles, even as a “junior” postdoc through founding a symposium, engaging with an immunology society, volunteering on various academic and advocacy committees, contributing to public outreach and nationally advocating for gender equity in science. These experiences reinforced that networking is about fostering meaningful relationships and creating opportunities to grow professionally. I provide advice on how to increase your networks by volunteering at work, when attending conferences, through contributing to societies and building a social media presence. My journey highlights the importance of being proactive in building networks, which can open doors, amplify one's voice, and drive career advancement in science and academia.

Treatments targeting the immune system only benefit a subset of patients with bladder cancer (BC). Biomarkers predictive of BC progression and response to specific therapeutic interventions are required. We evaluated whether peripheral blood immune subsets and expression of clinically relevant immune checkpoint markers are associated with clinicopathologic features of BC. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from blood collected from 23 patients with BC and 9 age-matched unaffected-by-cancer control donors were assessed using a 21-parameter flow cytometry panel composed of markers of T, B, natural killer and myeloid populations and immune checkpoint markers. Patients with BC had significantly lower numbers of circulating CD19⁺ B cells and elevated circulating CD4⁺CD8⁺ T cells compared with the control cohort. Immune checkpoint markers programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3 (TIM-3) were elevated in the total peripheral immune cell population in patients with BC. Within the BC cohort, PD-1 expression in T and myeloid cells was elevated in muscle-invasive compared with non–muscle-invasive disease. In addition, elevated T, B and myeloid PD-1 cell surface expression was significantly associated with tumor stage, suggesting that measures of peripheral immune cell exhaustion may be a predictor of tumor progression in BC. Finally, positive correlations between expression levels of the various immune checkpoints both overall and within key peripheral blood immune subsets collected from patients with BC were observed, highlighting likely coregulation of peripheral immune checkpoint expression. The peripheral blood immunophenotype in patients with BC is altered compared with cancer-free individuals. Understanding this dysregulated immune profile will contribute to the identification of diagnostic and prognostic indicators to guide effective immune-targeted, personalized treatments.

The Immunology & Cell Biology Publication of the Year Awards have been established for outstanding studies submitted by first authors who are financial members of the Australian & New Zealand Society for Immunology Inc. in the year of the article's publication. Articles vying for these awards can come from any of the journal categories including Original Articles, Outstanding Observations, Perspectives or Short Communications. The Journal undertakes rigorous review to identify the most outstanding original research articles based on scientific excellence. The winner of the Chris and Bhama Parish ICB Publication of the Year Award is awarded an AU$1000 scholarship provided by Wiley and the runner-up is awarded an AU$500 scholarship provided by Miltenyi.

Every year, an outstanding series of papers are submitted for consideration for the prizes and 2023 was no different, with an exceptional standard of science reported in the papers. It is a great pleasure to announce the winners of the awards for 2023 as follows:

The award-winning papers by Drs Kedzierski and von Borstel highlight the outstanding quality of the work published in Immunology & Cell Biology. My very best congratulations are extended to the awardees on their success. I also thank our sponsor Miltenyi for their support of outstanding science and scientists and the journal. It is hoped that the outstanding quality of these awarded publications will also encourage others to consider Immunology & Cell Biology as a key journal for their cutting-edge research.

T-cell-mediated therapeutic strategies are the most potent effectors of cancer immunotherapy. However, an essential barrier to this therapy in solid tumors is disrupting the anti-cancer immune response, cancer-immunity cycle, T-cell priming, trafficking and T-cell cytotoxic capacity. Thus, reinforcing the anti-cancer immune response is needed to improve the effectiveness of T-cell-mediated therapy. Tumor-associated protease ADAM10, endothelial cells (ECs) and cytotoxic CD8⁺ T cells engage in complex communication via adhesion, transmigration and chemotactic mechanisms to facilitate an anti-cancer immune response. The precise impact of ADAM10 on the intricate mechanisms underlying these interactions remains unclear. This paper broadly explores how ADAM10, through different routes, influences the efficacy of T-cell-mediated therapy. ADAM10 cleaves CD8⁺ T-cell-targeting genes and impacts their expression and specificity. In addition, ADAM10 mediates the interactions of adhesion molecules with T cells and influences CD8⁺ T-cell activity and trafficking. Thus, understanding the role of ADAM10 in these events may lead to innovative strategies for advancing T-cell-mediated therapies.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is the most frequent immune-mediated neurological disorder, characterized by fluctuating muscle weakness. Specific recognition of self-antigens by T-cell receptors (TCRs) and B-cell receptors (BCRs), coupled with T–B cell interactions, activates B cells to produce autoantibodies, which are critical for the initiation and perpetuation of MG. The immune repertoire comprises all functionally diverse T and B cells at a specific time point in an individual, reflecting the essence of immune selectivity. By sequencing the nucleotide sequences of TCRs and BCRs, it is possible to track individual T- and B-cell clones. This review delves into the generation of autoreactive TCRs and BCRs in MG and comprehensively examines the applications of immune repertoire sequencing in understanding disease pathogenesis, developing diagnostic and prognostic markers and informing targeted therapies. We also discuss the current limitations and future potential of this approach.

Chronic wounds significantly burden health care systems worldwide, requiring novel strategies to ease their impact. Many physiological processes underlying wound healing are well studied but the role of mast cells remains controversial. Mast cells are innate immune cells and play an essential role in barrier function by inducing inflammation to defend the host against chemical irritants and infections, among others. Many mast cell–derived mediators have proposed roles in wound healing; however, in vivo evidence using mouse models has produced conflicting results. Recently, studies involving more complex wound models such as infected wounds, diabetic wounds and wounds healing under psychological stress suggest that mast cells play critical roles in these processes. This review briefly summarizes the existing literature regarding mast cells in normal wounds and the potential reasons for the contradictory results. Focus will be placed on examining more recent work emerging in the last 5 years that explores mast cells in more complex systems of wound healing, including infection, psychological stress and diabetes, with a discussion of how these discoveries may inspire future work in the field.

The humoral response is complex and involves multiple cellular populations and signaling pathways. Bacterial and viral infections, as well as immunization regimens, can trigger this type of response, promoting the formation of microanatomical cellular structures called germinal centers (GCs). GCs formed in secondary lymphoid organs support the differentiation of high-affinity plasma cells and memory B cells. There is growing evidence that the quality of the humoral response is influenced by genetic variants. Using 12 genetically divergent mouse strains, we assessed the impact of genetics on GC cellular traits. At steady state, in the spleen, lymph nodes and Peyer's patches, we quantified GC B cells, plasma cells and follicular helper T cells. These traits were also quantified in the spleen of mice following immunization with a foreign antigen, namely, sheep red blood cells, in addition to the number and size of GCs. We observed both strain- and organ-specific variations in cell type abundance, as well as for GC number and size. Moreover, we find that some of these traits are highly heritable. Importantly, the results of this study inform on the impact of genetic diversity in shaping the GC response and identify the traits that are the most impacted by genetic background.