Project description:Whole transcriptome amplification of RNA purified from colon explants cultured with different forms of HIV (free, complement opsonized and complement and antibody opsonized HIV) or mock treated for 24h.
Project description:Whole transcriptome amplification of RNA purified from cervical explants (endocervix/ectocervix) cultured with different forms of HIV (free, complement opsonized and complement and antibody opsonized HIV) or mock treated for 6h or 24h.
Project description:There is an ongoing debate whether sex hormones impact risk of HIV transmission. This study evaluated if serum estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) levels predict the ex vivo cervical tissue HIV infection, tissue immune environment and transcriptome. Cervical mucosa and peripheral blood samples were collected from subjects undergoing total hysterectomies. Tissue explants were challenged with HIV-1BaL and infection was monitored in the supernatants by HIV gag qRT-PCR. Serum E2 and P4 concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay. Blood and tissue T cell phenotypes were characterized by flow cytometry. Tissue responses to HIV exposure were measured by Luminex. Tissue transcriptome in an unchallenged portion of mucosa was analyzed by RNAseq. We show that serum E2 concentrations inversely associated with cervical HIV-1BaL infection ex vivo and this association was independent of potential confounders (race, age, phase of the cycle, parakeratosis, metaplasia, histopathological signs of cervical inflammation, and HSV-2 status). E2 concentrations did not associate with T cell frequencies/phenotype in either tissues or blood. However, higher E2 concentrations predicted a mixed profile of pro-/anti-inflammatory genes expression and HIV-induced soluble mediators. In contrast, P4 concentrations or P4/E2 ratios did not associate with ex vivo tissue infection level, but increased P4 concentrations associated with high frequencies of a4b7+ and low LFA-1+ T cells and mainly pro-inflammatory responses to HIV. These data suggest inhibitory effect of E2 on local mucosal HIV amplification early post transmission, provide insights in the mechanism of E2-mediated anti-HIV activity and highlight P4-associated immune changes in the mucosa.
Project description:Several lines of evidence suggest that inflammation plays a pivotal role in the development and progression of CRC and can be unleashed by the loss of innate immunosurveillance. The complement system is a well characterized first line of defense against pathogens and a central component of the immune responses. As such, the complement system is an important determinant in the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis and emerging evidences suggest that complement dysregulation is involved in the development and progression of CRC. Here we show that in CRC patients CpG island methylation occurs in the gene encoding for the complement anaphylatoxin C3a receptor (c3aR) and strong C3aR down-regulation resulted in decreased overall survival and events-free survival in CRC patients. Ablation of c3ar in mouse models of CRC resulted in the establishment of a pro-inflammatory microbial flora, which fostered strong Th1/Th17 immune responses and a striking increase in tumor incidence and growth that were both dependent on the microbiota. Our findings highlight a previously unrecognized tumor oncosuppressive role for C3aR in CRC that could be exploited as a biomarker for more effective therapeutic intervention.
Project description:Analysis of transcriptional differences between HIV infected persons with evidence of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection by Quantiferon Gold-in-tube, with and without evidence of subclinical TB disease on FDG-PET/CT scan. Tuberculosis is classically divided into two clinical states: latent infection and active disease. One-quarter of the global population is considered latently infected but diagnostic tests poorly predict the small proportion that will progress to disease. We recruited 35 asymptomatic, HIV-1 infected adults with latent TB by current diagnostic criteria, who underwent [18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission/computed tomography; ten had pulmonary abnormalities consistent with subclinical disease and were significantly more likely to progress. As positive control, we recruited 15 HIV-1 infected adults with symptomatic microbiologically confirmed active pulmonary TB, age, sex and CD4 matched to the 35 participants undergoing FDG-PET/CT. By whole-blood transcriptomic profiling we characterised 82-transcripts distinguishing those with subclinical pathology from those without. Transcripts representing the classical complement pathway were overabundant in both subclinical and active TB. We have demonstrated that latent TB is not a homogenous condition and defined a distinct high-risk subgroup with evidence of subclinical disease. These findings point the way to the future development of more predictive diagnostic tests.
Project description:The aim of this study was to characterize the impact of differential HIV opsonization on DC modulation. DCs are the most potent antigen-presenting cells and among the first cells HIV is attaching to. HIV spontaneously activates the complement system even in the absence of specific antibodies and is therefore found opsonized with complement fragments from the beginning of infection. Gene expression profiles of DCs from three different human donors and treated for 24 hrs with 100 ng/ml LPS, 300 ng/ml non-opsonized HIV (HIV-MC), or 300 ng/ml complement-opsonized (HIV-C) were compared to those of untreated immature DCs.
Project description:HIV transmission via genital and colorectal mucosa are the most common routes of dissemination. Here, we explored the effects of free and complement-opsonized HIV on colorectal tissue. Initially, there was higher antiviral responses in the free HIV compared to complement-opsonized virus. The mucosal transcriptional response at 24 hr revealed the involvement of activated T cells, which was mirrored in cellular responses observed at 96 hr in isolated mucosal T cells. Further, HIV exposure led to skewing of T cell phenotypes predominantly to inflammatory CD4+ T cells, that is Th17 and Th1Th17 subsets. Of note, HIV exposure created an environment that altered the CD8+ T cell phenotype, for example expression of regulatory factors, especially when the virions were opsonized with complement factors. Our findings suggest that HIV-opsonization alters the activation and signaling pathways in the colorectal mucosa, which promotes viral establishment by creating an environment that stimulates mucosal T cell activation and inflammatory Th cells.