A vaccine targeting antigen-presenting cells through CD40 induces protective immunity against Nipah disease.

Nipah virus (NiV) has been recently ranked by the World Health Organization as being among the top eight emerging pathogens likely to cause major epidemics, whereas no therapeutics or vaccines have yet been approved. We report a method to deliver immunogenic epitopes from NiV through the targeting of the CD40 receptor of antigen-presenting cells by fusing a selected humanized anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody to the Nipah glycoprotein with conserved NiV fusion and nucleocapsid peptides. In the African green monkey model, CD40.NiV induces specific immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgG as well as cross-neutralizing responses against circulating NiV strains and Hendra virus and T cell responses. Challenge experiments using a NiV-B strain demonstrate the high protective efficacy of the vaccine, with all vaccinated animals surviving and showing no significant clinical signs or virus replication, suggesting that the CD40.NiV vaccine conferred sterilizing immunity. Overall, results obtained with the CD40.NiV vaccine are highly promising in terms of the breadth and efficacy against NiV.

Design, immunogenicity, and efficacy of a pan-sarbecovirus dendritic-cell targeting vaccine.

BACKGROUND: There is an urgent need of a new generation of vaccine that are able to enhance protection against SARS-CoV-2 and related variants of concern (VOC) and emerging coronaviruses. METHODS: We identified conserved T- and B-cell epitopes from Spike (S) and Nucleocapsid (N) highly homologous to 38 sarbecoviruses, including SARS-CoV-2 VOCs, to design a protein subunit vaccine targeting antigens to Dendritic Cells (DC) via CD40 surface receptor (CD40.CoV2). FINDINGS: CD40.CoV2 immunization elicited high levels of cross-neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, VOCs, and SARS-CoV-1 in K18-hACE2 transgenic mice, associated with viral control and survival after SARS-CoV-2 challenge. A direct comparison of CD40.CoV2 with the mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine showed that the two vaccines were equally immunogenic in mice. We demonstrated the potency of CD40.CoV2 to recall in vitro human multi-epitope, functional, and cytotoxic SARS-CoV-2 S- and N-specific T-cell responses that are unaffected by VOC mutations and cross-reactive with SARS-CoV-1 and, to a lesser extent, MERS epitopes. INTERPRETATION: We report the immunogenicity and antiviral efficacy of the CD40.CoV2 vaccine in a preclinical model providing a framework for a pan-sarbecovirus vaccine. FUNDINGS: This work was supported by INSERM and the Investissements d'Avenir program, Vaccine Research Institute (VRI), managed by the ANR and the CARE project funded from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking (JU).

Functional Ex Vivo Testing of Alveolar Monocytes in Patients with Pneumonia-Related ARDS.

Biomarkers of disease severity might help with individualizing the management of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). During sepsis, a sustained decreased expression of the antigen-presenting molecule human leucocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR) on circulating monocytes is used as a surrogate marker of immune failure. This study aimed at assessing whether HLA-DR expression on alveolar monocytes in the setting of a severe lung infection is associated with their functional alterations. BAL fluid and blood from immunocompetent patients with pneumonia-related ARDS admitted between 2016 and 2018 were isolated in a prospective monocentric study. Alveolar and blood monocytes were immunophenotyped using flow cytometry. Functional tests were performed on alveolar and blood monocytes after in vitro lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Phagocytosis activity and intracellular tumor necrosis factor (TNF) production were quantified using fluorochrome-conjugated-specific antibodies. Ten ARDS and seven non-ARDS control patients were included. Patients with pneumonia-related ARDS exhibited significantly lower HLA-DR expression both on circulating (p < 0.0001) and alveolar (p = 0.0002) monocytes. There was no statistically significant difference observed between patient groups (ARDS vs. non-ARDS) regarding both alveolar and blood monocytes phagocytosis activity. After LPS stimulation, alveolar (p = 0.027) and blood (p = 0.005) monocytes from pneumonia-related ARDS patients had a significantly lower intracellular TNF expression than non-ARDS patients. Monocytes from pneumonia-related ARDS patients have a deactivated status and an impaired TNF production capacity but display potent phagocytic activity. HLA-DR level expression should not be used as a surrogate marker of the phagocytic activity or the TNF production capacity of alveolar monocytes.

Targeting SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain to cells expressing CD40 improves protection to infection in convalescent macaques.

Achieving sufficient worldwide vaccination coverage against SARS-CoV-2 will require additional approaches to currently approved viral vector and mRNA vaccines. Subunit vaccines may have distinct advantages when immunizing vulnerable individuals, children and pregnant women. Here, we present a new generation of subunit vaccines targeting viral antigens to CD40-expressing antigen-presenting cells. We demonstrate that targeting the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to CD40 (αCD40.RBD) induces significant levels of specific T and B cells, with long-term memory phenotypes, in a humanized mouse model. Additionally, we demonstrate that a single dose of the αCD40.RBD vaccine, injected without adjuvant, is sufficient to boost a rapid increase in neutralizing antibodies in convalescent non-human primates (NHPs) exposed six months previously to SARS-CoV-2. Vaccine-elicited antibodies cross-neutralize different SARS-CoV-2 variants, including D614G, B1.1.7 and to a lesser extent B1.351. Such vaccination significantly improves protection against a new high-dose virulent challenge versus that in non-vaccinated convalescent animals.

Targeting human langerin promotes HIV-1 specific humoral immune responses.

The main avenue for the development of an HIV-1 vaccine remains the induction of protective antibodies. A rationale approach is to target antigen to specific receptors on dendritic cells (DC) via fused monoclonal antibodies (mAb). In mouse and non-human primate models, targeting of skin Langerhans cells (LC) with anti-Langerin mAbs fused with HIV-1 Gag antigen drives antigen-specific humoral responses. The development of these immunization strategies in humans requires a better understanding of early immune events driven by human LC. We therefore produced anti-Langerin mAbs fused with the HIV-1 gp140z Envelope (αLC.Env). First, we show that primary skin human LC and in vitro differentiated LC induce differentiation and expansion of naïve CD4+ T cells into T follicular helper (Tfh) cells. Second, when human LC are pre-treated with αLC.Env, differentiated Tfh cells significantly promote the production of specific IgG by B cells. Strikingly, HIV-Env-specific Ig are secreted by HIV-specific memory B cells. Consistently, we found that receptors and cytokines involved in Tfh differentiation and B cell functions are upregulated by LC during their maturation and after targeting Langerin. Finally, we show that subcutaneous immunization of mice by αLC.Env induces germinal center (GC) reaction in draining lymph nodes with higher numbers of Tfh cells, Env-specific B cells, as well as specific IgG serum levels compared to mice immunized with the non-targeting Env antigen. Altogether, we provide evidence that human LC properly targeted may be licensed to efficiently induce Tfh cell and B cell responses in GC.

Alveolar compartmentalization of inflammatory and immune cell biomarkers in pneumonia-related ARDS.

BACKGROUND: Biomarkers of disease severity might help individualizing the management of patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Whether the alveolar compartmentalization of biomarkers has a clinical significance in patients with pneumonia-related ARDS is unknown. This study aimed at assessing the interrelation of ARDS/sepsis biomarkers in the alveolar and blood compartments and explored their association with clinical outcomes. METHODS: Immunocompetent patients with pneumonia-related ARDS admitted between 2014 and 2018 were included in a prospective monocentric study. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and blood samples were obtained within 48 h of admission. Twenty-two biomarkers were quantified in BAL fluid and serum. HLA-DR+ monocytes and CD8+ PD-1+ lymphocytes were quantified using flow cytometry. The primary clinical endpoint of the study was hospital mortality. Patients undergoing a bronchoscopy as part of routine care were included as controls. RESULTS: Seventy ARDS patients were included. Hospital mortality was 21.4%. The BAL fluid-to-serum ratio of IL-8 was 20 times higher in ARDS patients than in controls (p < 0.0001). ARDS patients with shock had lower BAL fluid-to-serum ratio of IL-1Ra (p = 0.026), IL-6 (p = 0.002), IP-10/CXCL10 (p = 0.024) and IL-10 (p = 0.023) than others. The BAL fluid-to-serum ratio of IL-1Ra was more elevated in hospital survivors than decedents (p = 0.006), even after adjusting for SOFA and driving pressure (p = 0.036). There was no significant association between alveolar or alveolar/blood monocytic HLA-DR or CD8+ lymphocytes PD-1 expression and hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: IL-8 was the most compartmentalized cytokine and lower BAL fluid-to-serum concentration ratios of IL-1Ra were associated with hospital mortality in patients with pneumonia-associated ARDS.

TLR-9 agonist and CD40-targeting vaccination induces HIV-1 envelope-specific B cells with a diversified immunoglobulin repertoire in humanized mice.

The development of HIV-1 vaccines is challenged by the lack of relevant models to accurately induce human B- and T-cell responses in lymphoid organs. In humanized mice reconstituted with human hematopoietic stem cells (hu-mice), human B cell-development and function are impaired and cells fail to efficiently transition from IgM B cells to IgG B cells. Here, we found that CD40-targeted vaccination combined with CpG-B adjuvant overcomes the usual defect of human B-cell switch and maturation in hu-mice. We further dissected hu-B cell responses directed against the HIV-1 Env protein elicited by targeting Env gp140 clade C to the CD40 receptor of antigen-presenting cells. The anti-CD40.Env gp140 vaccine was injected with CpG-B in a homologous prime/boost regimen or as a boost of a NYVAC-KC pox vector encoding Env gp140 clade C. Both regimens elicited Env-specific IgG-switched memory hu-B cells at a greater magnitude in hu-mice primed with NYVAC-KC. Single-cell RNA-seq analysis showed gp140-specific hu-B cells to express polyclonal IgG1 and IgG3 isotypes and a broad Ig VH/VL repertoire, with predominant VH3 family gene usage. These cells exhibited a higher rate of somatic hypermutation than the non-specific IgG+ hu-B-cell counterpart. Both vaccine regimens induced splenic GC-like structures containing hu-B and hu-Tfh-like cells expressing PD-1 and BCL-6. We confirmed in this model that circulating ICOS+ memory hu-Tfh cells correlated with the magnitude of gp140-specific B-cell responses. Finally, the NYVAC-KC heterologous prime led to a more diverse clonal expansion of specific hu-B cells. Thus, this study shows that CD40-targeted vaccination induces human IgG production in hu-mice and provides insights for the development of a CD40-targeting vaccine to prevent HIV-1 infection in humans.

The Potential of Immune Modulation in Therapeutic HIV-1 Vaccination.

We discuss here some of the key immunological elements that are at the crossroads and need to be combined to develop a potent therapeutic HIV-1 vaccine. Therapeutic vaccines have been commonly used to enhance and/or recall pre-existing HIV-1-specific cell-mediated immune responses aiming to suppress virus replication. The current success of immune checkpoint blockers in cancer therapy renders them very attractive to use in HIV-1 infected individuals with the objective to preserve the function of HIV-1-specific T cells from exhaustion and presumably target the persistent cellular reservoir. The major latest advances in our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for virus reactivation during therapy-suppressed individuals provide the scientific basis for future combinatorial therapeutic vaccine development.

Overexpression of GILZ in macrophages limits systemic inflammation while increasing bacterial clearance in sepsis in mice.

Studies support the beneficial effects of glucocorticoids (GCs) during septic shock, steering research toward the potential role of GC-induced proteins in controlling excessive inflammatory responses. GILZ is a glucocorticoid-induced protein involved in the anti-inflammatory effects of GCs. We investigated whether the overexpression of GILZ specifically limited to monocytes and macrophages (M/M) alone could control inflammation, thus improving the outcome of septic shock in animal models. We also monitored the expression of GILZ in M/M from septic mice and septic-shock patients. M/M from patients and septic mice displayed significantly lower expression of GILZ than those isolated from controls. Furthermore, transgenic mice (Tg-mice) experiencing sepsis, with increased expression of GILZ restricted to M/M, showed lower frequencies of inflammatory monocytes than their littermates and lower plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines. Tg-mice also had lower blood bacterial counts. We further established that the upregulation of GILZ in M/M enhanced their phagocytic capacity in in vivo assays. The increase of GILZ in M/M was also sufficient to improve the survival rates of septic mice. These results provide evidence for a central role of both GILZ and M/M in the pathophysiology of septic shock and a possible clue for the modulation of inflammation in this disease.

Glucocorticoid-Induced Leucine Zipper Protein Controls Macropinocytosis in Dendritic Cells.

Ag sampling is a key process in dendritic cell (DC) biology. DCs use constitutive macropinocytosis, receptor-mediated endocytosis, and phagocytosis to capture exogenous Ags for presentation to T cells. We investigated the mechanisms that regulate Ag uptake by DCs in the steady-state and after a short-term LPS exposure in vitro and in vivo. We show that the glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper protein (GILZ), already known to regulate effector versus regulatory T cell activation by DCs, selectively limits macropinocytosis, but not receptor-mediated phagocytosis, in immature and recently activated DCs. In vivo, the GILZ-mediated inhibition of Ag uptake is restricted to the CD8α+ DC subset, which expresses the highest GILZ level among splenic DC subsets. In recently activated DCs, we further establish that GILZ limits p38 MAPK phosphorylation, providing a possible mechanism for GILZ-mediated macropinocytosis control. Finally, our results demonstrate that the modulation of Ag uptake by GILZ does not result in altered Ag presentation to CD4 T cells but impacts the efficiency of cross-presentation to CD8 T cells. Altogether, our results identify GILZ as an endogenous inhibitor of macropinocytosis in DCs, the action of which contributes to the fine-tuning of Ag cross-presentation.

T-Regulatory Cells and Vaccination "Pay Attention and Do Not Neglect Them": Lessons from HIV and Cancer Vaccine Trials.

Efficient vaccines are characterized by the establishment of long-lived memory T cells, including T-helper (effectors and follicular) and T-regulatory cells (Tregs). While the former induces cytotoxic or antibody responses, the latter regulates immune responses by maintaining homeostasis. The role of Tregs in inflammatory conditions is ambiguous and their systematic monitoring in vaccination along with effector T-cells is not instinctive. Recent studies from the cancer field clearly showed that Tregs suppress vaccine-induced immune responses and correlate with poor clinical benefit. In HIV infection, Tregs are needed during acute infection to preserve tissue integrity from an overwhelmed activation, but are not beneficial in chronic infection as they suppress anti-HIV responses. Current assays used to evaluate vaccine-induced specific responses are limited as they do not take into account antigen-specific Tregs. However, new assays, such as the OX40 assay, which allow for the simultaneous detection of a full range of Th-responses including antigen-specific Tregs responses, can overcome these issues. In this review article we will revise the role of Tregs in vaccination and review the recent work performed in the field, including the available tools to monitor them, from novel assays to humanized mouse models.

Intrinsic Defect in Keratinocyte Function Leads to Inflammation in Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, inflammatory, debilitating, follicular disease of the skin. Despite a high prevalence in the general population, the physiopathology of HS remains poorly understood. The use of antibiotics and immunosuppressive agents for therapy suggests a deregulated immune response to microflora. Using cellular and gene expression analyses, we found an increased number of infiltrating CD4(+) T cells secreting IL-17 and IFN-γ in perilesional and lesional skin of patients with HS. By contrast, IL-22-secreting CD4(+) T cells are not enriched in HS lesions contrasting with increased number of those cells in the blood of patients with HS. We showed that keratinocytes isolated from hair follicles of patients with HS secreted significantly more IL-1ß, IP-10, and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 5 (RANTES) either constitutively or on pattern recognition receptor stimulations. In addition, they displayed a distinct pattern of antimicrobial peptide production. These findings point out a functional defect of keratinocytes in HS leading to a balance prone to inflammatory responses. This is likely to favor a permissive environment for bacterial infections and chronic inflammation characterizing clinical outcomes in patients with HS.

Decreased expression of the glucocorticoid receptor-GILZ pathway in Kupffer cells promotes liver inflammation in obese mice.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Kupffer cells (KC) play a key role in the onset of inflammation in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) induces glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper (GILZ) expression in monocytes/macrophages and is involved in several inflammatory processes. We hypothesized that the GR-GILZ axis in KC may contribute to the pathophysiology of obesity-induced liver inflammation. METHODS: By using a combination of primary cell culture, pharmacological experiments, mice deficient for the Gr specifically in macrophages and transgenic mice overexpressing Gilz in macrophages, we explored the involvement of the Gr-Gilz axis in KC in the pathophysiology of obesity-induced liver inflammation. RESULTS: Obesity was associated with a downregulation of the Gr and Gilz, and an impairment of Gilz induction by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and dexamethasone (DEX) in KC. Inhibition of Gilz expression in isolated KC transfected with Gilz siRNA demonstrated that Gilz downregulation was sufficient to sensitize KC to LPS. Conversely, liver inflammation was decreased in obese transgenic mice specifically overexpressing Gilz in macrophages. Pharmacological inhibition of the Gr showed that impairment of Gilz induction in KC by LPS and DEX in obesity was driven by a downregulation of the Gr. In mice specifically deficient for Gr in macrophages, Gilz expression was low, leading to an exacerbation of obesity-induced liver inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity is associated with a downregulation of the Gr-Gilz axis in KC, which promotes liver inflammation. The Gr-Gilz axis in KC is an important target for the regulation of liver inflammation in obesity.

[TSC-22D proteins: new regulators of cell homeostasis?]. / Les protéines de la famille TSC-22D - De nouveaux régulateurs de l'homéostasie cellulaire ?

The GILZ (glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper) protein has first been identified as a glucocorticoid-responsive gene and is now presented as a major regulator of inflammation. Expanding literature documents a role for GILZ as a mediator of the immuno-modulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of glucocorticoids, mainly through interference with key signal transduction pathways such as nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) or activated protein-1 (AP-1). The TSC-22 (TGF-ß-stimulated clone-22) protein is described as an apoptosis modulator and as a new tumor suppressor gene. GILZ and TSC-22, characterized by the presence of a leucine zipper domain and a TSC-box, belong to the TSC-22D (TSC-22 domain) family of proteins which comprises today 18 members. Functions of these proteins suggest that this family plays a major role in cell homeostasis and in the regulation of the immune system.

Glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper enhanced expression in dendritic cells is sufficient to drive regulatory T cells expansion in vivo.

Tolerance induction by dendritic cells (DCs) is, in part, mediated by the activation of regulatory T cells (Tregs). We have previously shown in vitro that human DCs treated with glucocorticoids (GCs), IL-10, or TGF-ß upregulate the GC-Induced Leucine Zipper protein (GILZ). GILZ overexpression promotes DC differentiation into regulatory cells that generate IL-10-producing Ag-specific Tregs. To investigate whether these observations extend in vivo, we have generated CD11c-GILZ(hi) transgenic mice. DCs from these mice constitutively overexpress GILZ to levels observed in GC-treated wild-type DCs. In this article, we establish that GILZ(hi) DCs display an accumulation of Foxp3(+) Tregs in the spleens of young CD11c-GILZ(hi) mice. In addition, we show that GILZ(hi) DCs strongly increase the Treg pool in central and peripheral lymphoid organs of aged animals. Upon adoptive transfer to wild-type recipient mice, OVA-loaded GILZ(hi) bone marrow-derived DCs induce a reduced activation and proliferation of OVA-specific T cells as compared with control bone marrow-derived DCs, associated with an expansion of thymus-derived CD25(+)Foxp3(+) CD4 T cells. Transferred OVA-loaded GILZ(hi) DCs produce significantly higher levels of IL-10 and express reduced levels of MHC class II molecules as compared with OVA-loaded control DCs, emphasizing the regulatory phenotype of GILZ(hi) DCs in vivo. Thus, our work demonstrates in vivo that the GILZ overexpression alone is sufficient to promote a tolerogenic mode of function in DCs.

Inflammatory mechanisms in HIV-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe complication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and a leading major cause of death when present. HIV-PAH could be the consequence of multiple hits including the direct effects of HIV proteins, use of illicit drugs, and chronic inflammation. Indeed, HIV infection has long been identified as an immunosuppressive disease but, since the advent of highly active antiretroviral treatments (HAART), HIV infection is considered as an inflammatory disease in which vascular complications have become a major cause of morbidity and death. Conversely to immunosuppression, which correlates with blood CD4 + T cell level, inflammation in HIV infection is due to the lack of gut CD4 + T cell restoration. Such gut T cell depletion favors lipopolysaccharide translocation and, in turn, chronic systemic interleukin-6 overproduction. Conversely to blood CD4 + T cells, gut CD4 + T cells are only partially restored with HAART, usually slowly after several months or years, with a large heterogeneity from one patient to another. These characteristics may cause chronic inflammation, and we hypothesize that PAH may occur because of this inflammatory component despite HAART, even with apparently good response to therapy (i.e., blood CD4 + T cell normalization and undetectable HIV load). Inflammation theory in HIV-PAH (as in other forms of PAH) could open new treatment options.

Continuous versus intermittent treatment strategies during primary HIV-1 infection: the randomized ANRS INTERPRIM Trial.

OBJECTIVES: The ANRS-112 INTERPRIM trial assessed whether fixed-cycles of antiretroviral treatment interruption (ART-STI) combined or not with pegylated interferon alpha-2b (peg-IFN) could lower viral load and achieve a healthier immune system in patients diagnosed during primary HIV-1-infection (PHI). DESIGN AND METHODS: Patients were randomized to receive either continuous ART (cART) during 72 weeks, or cART during 36 weeks followed by three ART-STIs, or the same ART-STIs associated with peg-IFN during the first 14 weeks and each interruption (ART-STI-IFN). Treatment was stopped at week 72. Final evaluation was based on plasma HIV-RNA level 6 months after the last treatment interruption. RESULTS: Eighty-seven percent of patients achieved undetectable HIV-RNA at week 32, with no deleterious impact of sequential treatment interruptions (STIs). Viral rebounds during interruptions were lower in the ART-STI-IFN than in the ART-STI group and during the second and third interruptions compared with the first one. However, HIV-RNA levels, CD4 T-cell counts and CD4 T/CD8 T ratios were similar between groups after the 6-month interruption, with a persistent effect on CD4 T cells and total cell-associated HIV-DNA levels. Predictive factors of virological outcome were HIV-RNA and HIV-DNA levels at PHI and HIV-DNA levels at treatment interruption. HIV-specific responses did not differ between strategies and were not associated with outcome. Forty-eight percent of patients experienced treatment resumption during long-term follow-up without difference between groups. CONCLUSION: When initiated during PHI, STIs associated or not with IFN did not result in a different outcome as compared to cART. All regimens showed a high response rate and a sustained immunological benefit after cessation.

Role of neutrophil proteinase 3 and mast cell chymase in chemerin proteolytic regulation.

Chemerin is a potent chemotactic factor that was identified recently as the ligand of ChemR23, a G protein-coupled receptor expressed by mononuclear phagocytes, dendritic cells (DCs), and NK cells. Chemerin is synthesized as a secreted precursor, prochemerin, which is poorly active on ChemR23. However, prochemerin can be converted rapidly into a full ChemR23 agonist by proteolytic removal of a carboxy-terminal peptide. This maturation step is mediated by the neutrophil-derived serine proteases elastase and cathepsin G. In the present work, we have investigated proteolytic events that negatively control chemerin activity. We demonstrate here that neutrophil-derived proteinase 3 (PR3) and mast cell (MC) chymase are involved in the generation of specific chemerin variants, which are inactive, as they do not induce calcium release or DC chemotaxis. Mass spectrometry analysis showed that PR3 specifically converts prochemerin into a chemerin form, lacking the last eight carboxy-terminal amino acids, and is inactive on ChemR23. Whereas PR3 had no effect on bioactive chemerin, MC chymase was shown to abolish chemerin activity by the removal of additional amino acids from its C-terminus. This effect was shown to be specific to bioactive chemerin (chemerin-157 and to a lesser extent, chemerin-156), as MC chymase does not use prochemerin as a substrate. These mechanisms, leading to the production of inactive variants of chemerin, starting from the precursor or the active variants, highlight the complex interplay of proteases regulating the bioactivity of this novel mediator during early innate immune responses.

Stimulation of the primary anti-HIV antibody response by IFN-alpha in patients with acute HIV-1 infection.

Type I IFNs are needed for the production of antiviral antibodies in mice; whether they also stimulate primary antibody responses in vivo during human viral infections is unknown. This was assessed in patients acutely infected with HIV-1 and treated with IFN-alpha2b. Patients with acute HIV-1 infection were randomized to receive antiretroviral therapy alone (Group A, n=60) or combined for 14 weeks with pegylated-IFN-alpha2b (Group B, n=30). Emergence of anti-HIV antibodies was monitored during 32 weeks by Western blot (WB) analyses of serum samples. IFN-alpha2b treatment stimulated the production of anti-HIV antibodies. On Week 32, 19 weeks after the last IFN-alpha2b administration, there were 8.5 (6.5-10.0) HIV WB bands (median, interquartile range) in Group B and 7.0 (5.0-10.0) bands in Group A (P=0.054), and band intensities were stronger in Group B (P<0.05 for p18, p24, p34, p40, and p55 HIV antigens). IFN-alpha2b treatment also increased circulating concentrations of the B cell-activating factor of the TNF family (P<0.001) and ex vivo production of IL-12 (P<0.05), reflecting its effect on innate immune cells. Withdrawal of antiretroviral treatment on Week 36 resulted in a lower rebound of HIV replication in Group B than in Group A (P<0.05). Therefore, type I IFNs stimulate the emerging anti-HIV immune response in patients with acute HIV-1 infection, resulting in an improved control of HIV replication. Type I IFNs are thus critical in the development of efficient antiviral immune responses in humans, including the production of antiviral antibodies.