The TGFß type I receptor kinase inhibitor vactosertib in combination with pomalidomide in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma: a phase 1b trial.

Functional blockade of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGFß) signalling pathway improves the efficacy of cytotoxic and immunotherapies. Here, we conducted a phase 1b study (ClinicalTrials.gov., NCT03143985) to determine the primary endpoints of safety, tolerability, and maximal tolerated dose (200 mg twice daily) for the orally-available TGFß type I receptor kinase inhibitor vactosertib in combination with pomalidomide in relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) patients who had received ≥2 lines of chemoimmunotherapy. Secondary endpoints demonstrated sustained clinical responses, favorable pharmacokinetic parameters and a 6-month progression-free survival of 82%. Vactosertib combined with pomalidomide was well-tolerated at all dose levels and displayed a manageable adverse event profile. Exploratory analysis indicated that vactosertib co-treatment with pomalidomide also reduced TGFß levels in patient bone marrow as well as the level of CD8+ T-cells that expressed the immunoinhibitory marker PD-1. In vitro experiments indicated that vactosertib+pomalidomide co-treatment decreased the viability of MM cell lines and patient tumor cells, and increased CD8+ T-cell cytotoxic activity. Vactosertib is a safe therapeutic that demonstrates tumor-intrinsic activity and can overcome immunosuppressive challenges within the tumor microenvironment to reinvigorate T-cell fitness. Vactosertib offers promise to improve immunotherapeutic responses in heavily-pretreated MM patients refractory to conventional agents.

Isolation of Mouse Neutrophils.

Neutrophils represent the first line of defense against bacterial and fungal pathogens. Indeed, patients with inherited or acquired qualitative and quantitative neutrophil defects are at high risk for developing bacterial and fungal infections and suffering adverse outcomes from these infections. Therefore, research aiming at defining the molecular factors that modulate neutrophil effector function under homeostatic conditions and during infection is essential for devising strategies to augment neutrophil function and improve the outcomes of infected individuals. This article describes reproducible density-gradient-centrifugation-based as well as positive and negative immunomagnetic selection protocols that can be applied in any laboratory to harvest large numbers of highly enriched and highly viable neutrophils from the bone marrow of mice. In another protocol, we also present a method that combines gentle enzymatic tissue digestion with a positive immunomagnetic selection technique or fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to harvest highly pure and highly viable preparations of neutrophils directly from mouse tissues such as the kidney, the liver, or the spleen. Mouse neutrophils isolated by these protocols can be used to examine several aspects of cellular function ex vivo, including pathogen binding, phagocytosis, and killing, neutrophil chemotaxis, oxidative burst, degranulation, and cytokine production, and for performing neutrophil adoptive transfer experiments. © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA. Basic Protocol 1: Isolation of Neutrophils from Mouse Bone Marrow Using Positive Immunomagnetic Separation Alternate Protocol 1: Purification of Neutrophils from Bone Marrow Using Negative Immunomagnetic Separation Alternate Protocol 2: Purification of Neutrophils from Bone Marrow Using Histopaque-Based Density Gradient Centrifugation Basic Protocol 2: Isolation of Neutrophils from Mouse Tissues Using Positive Immunomagnetic Separation Alternate Protocol 3: Isolation of Neutrophils from Mouse Tissues Using FACS.

Vactosertib, a novel TGF-ß1 type I receptor kinase inhibitor, improves T-cell fitness: a single-arm, phase 1b trial in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Functional blockade of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß) signaling pathway improves the efficacy of cytotoxic and immunotherapies. We conducted a phase 1b study to determine the safety, efficacy, and maximal tolerated dose (200 mg po bid) of the potent, orally-available TGF-ß type I receptor kinase inhibitor vactosertib in relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma patients who had received ≥2 lines of chemoimmunotherapy. Vactosertib combined with pomalidomide was well-tolerated at all doses, had a manageable adverse event profile and induced durable responses with 80% progression-free survival (PFS-6) at 6 months, while pomalidomide alone historically achieved 20% PFS-6. Following treatment, the immunosuppressive marker PD-1 expression was reduced on patient CD8+ T-cells. Following ex vivo treatment, vactosertib decreased PD-1 expression on patient CD138+ cells, reduced PD-L1/PD-L2 on patient CD138+ cells and enhanced the anti-myeloma activity of autologous T-cells. Taken together, vactosertib is a safe immunotherapy that modulates the T-cell immunophenotype to reinvigorate T-cell fitness. Multiple myeloma (MM) is a genetically heterogeneous hematologic malignancy characterized by the excessive proliferation of clonal plasma cells (1, 2). MM remains mostly incurable but a small group of patients can achieve long-term remission (3). Treatment of MM presents unique challenges due to the complex molecular pathophysiology and genetic heterogeneity (4, 5). Given that MM is the second most common blood cancer characterized by cycles of remission and relapse, the development of new therapeutic modalities is crucial (6, 7). The prognosis for MM patients has improved substantially over the past two decades with the development of more effective therapeutics, e.g., proteasome inhibitors, and regimens that demonstrate greater anti-tumor activity (8-10). The management of RRMM represents a vital aspect of the overall care for patients with disease and a critical area of ongoing scientific and clinical research (10-12).

C5a-licensed phagocytes drive sterilizing immunity during systemic fungal infection.

Systemic candidiasis is a common, high-mortality, nosocomial fungal infection. Unexpectedly, it has emerged as a complication of anti-complement C5-targeted monoclonal antibody treatment, indicating a critical niche for C5 in antifungal immunity. We identified transcription of complement system genes as the top biological pathway induced in candidemic patients and as predictive of candidemia. Mechanistically, C5a-C5aR1 promoted fungal clearance and host survival in a mouse model of systemic candidiasis by stimulating phagocyte effector function and ERK- and AKT-dependent survival in infected tissues. C5ar1 ablation rewired macrophage metabolism downstream of mTOR, promoting their apoptosis and enhancing mortality through kidney injury. Besides hepatocyte-derived C5, local C5 produced intrinsically by phagocytes provided a key substrate for antifungal protection. Lower serum C5a concentrations or a C5 polymorphism that decreases leukocyte C5 expression correlated independently with poor patient outcomes. Thus, local, phagocyte-derived C5 production licenses phagocyte antimicrobial function and confers innate protection during systemic fungal infection.

Human Dectin-1 deficiency impairs macrophage-mediated defense against phaeohyphomycosis.

Subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis typically affects immunocompetent individuals following traumatic inoculation. Severe or disseminated infection can occur in CARD9 deficiency or after transplantation, but the mechanisms protecting against phaeohyphomycosis remain unclear. We evaluated a patient with progressive, refractory Corynespora cassiicola phaeohyphomycosis and found that he carried biallelic deleterious mutations in CLEC7A encoding the CARD9-coupled, ß-glucan-binding receptor, Dectin-1. The patient's PBMCs failed to produce TNF-α and IL-1ß in response to ß-glucan and/or C. cassiicola. To confirm the cellular and molecular requirements for immunity against C. cassiicola, we developed a mouse model of this infection. Mouse macrophages required Dectin-1 and CARD9 for IL-1ß and TNF-α production, which enhanced fungal killing in an interdependent manner. Deficiency of either Dectin-1 or CARD9 was associated with more severe fungal disease, recapitulating the human observation. Because these data implicated impaired Dectin-1 responses in susceptibility to phaeohyphomycosis, we evaluated 17 additional unrelated patients with severe forms of the infection. We found that 12 out of 17 carried deleterious CLEC7A mutations associated with an altered Dectin-1 extracellular C-terminal domain and impaired Dectin-1-dependent cytokine production. Thus, we show that Dectin-1 and CARD9 promote protective TNF-α- and IL-1ß-mediated macrophage defense against C. cassiicola. More broadly, we demonstrate that human Dectin-1 deficiency may contribute to susceptibility to severe phaeohyphomycosis by certain dematiaceous fungi.

Long-term antibiotic exposure promotes mortality after systemic fungal infection by driving lymphocyte dysfunction and systemic escape of commensal bacteria.

Antibiotics are a modifiable iatrogenic risk factor for the most common human nosocomial fungal infection, invasive candidiasis, yet the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. We found that antibiotics enhanced the susceptibility to murine invasive candidiasis due to impaired lymphocyte-dependent IL-17A- and GM-CSF-mediated antifungal immunity within the gut. This led to non-inflammatory bacterial escape and systemic bacterial co-infection, which could be ameliorated by IL-17A or GM-CSF immunotherapy. Vancomycin alone similarly enhanced the susceptibility to invasive fungal infection and systemic bacterial co-infection. Mechanistically, vancomycin reduced the frequency of gut Th17 cells associated with impaired proliferation and RORγt expression. Vancomycin's effects on Th17 cells were indirect, manifesting only in vivo in the presence of dysbiosis. In humans, antibiotics were associated with an increased risk of invasive candidiasis and death after invasive candidiasis. Our work highlights the importance of antibiotic stewardship in protecting vulnerable patients from life-threatening infections and provides mechanistic insights into a controllable iatrogenic risk factor for invasive candidiasis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Induces Irg1 in Murine Macrophages by a Pathway Involving Both TLR-2 and STING/IFNAR Signaling and Requiring Bacterial Phagocytosis.

Irg1 is an enzyme that generates itaconate, a metabolite that plays a key role in the regulation of inflammatory responses. Previous studies have implicated Irg1 as an important mediator in preventing excessive inflammation and tissue damage in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection. Here, we investigated the pattern recognition receptors and signaling pathways by which Mtb triggers Irg1 gene expression by comparing the responses of control and genetically deficient BMDMs. Using this approach, we demonstrated partial roles for TLR-2 (but not TLR-4 or -9), MyD88 and NFκB signaling in Irg1 induction by Mtb bacilli. In addition, drug inhibition studies revealed major requirements for phagocytosis and endosomal acidification in Irg1 expression triggered by Mtb but not LPS or PAM3CSK4. Importantly, the Mtb-induced Irg1 response was highly dependent on the presence of the bacterial ESX-1 secretion system, as well as host STING and Type I IFN receptor (IFNAR) signaling with Type II IFN (IFN-γ) signaling playing only a minimal role. Based on these findings we hypothesize that Mtb induces Irg1 expression in macrophages via the combination of two independent triggers both dependent on bacterial phagocytosis: 1) a major signal stimulated by phagocytized Mtb products released by an ESX-1-dependent mechanism into the cytosol where they activate the STING pathway leading to Type I-IFN production, and 2) a secondary TLR-2, MyD88 and NFκB dependent signal that enhances Irg1 production independently of Type I IFN induction.

Deciphering mechanisms of immune escape to inform immunotherapeutic strategies in multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma is an incurable cancer characterized by the uncontrolled growth of malignant plasma cells nurtured within a permissive bone marrow microenvironment. While patients mount numerous adaptive immune responses directed against their disease, emerging data demonstrate that tumor intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms allow myeloma cells to subvert host immunosurveillance and resist current therapeutic strategies. Myeloma downregulates antigens recognized by cellular immunity and modulates the bone marrow microenvironment to promote uncontrolled tumor proliferation, apoptotic resistance, and further hamper anti-tumor immunity. Additional resistance often develops after an initial clinical response to small molecules, immune-targeting antibodies, immune checkpoint blockade or cellular immunotherapy. Profound quantitative and qualitative dysfunction of numerous immune effector cell types that confer anti-myeloma immunity further supports myelomagenesis, disease progression and the emergence of drug resistance. Identification of tumor intrinsic and extrinsic resistance mechanisms may direct the design of rationally-designed drug combinations that prevent or overcome drug resistance to improve patient survival. Here, we summarize various mechanisms of immune escape as a means to inform novel strategies that may restore and improve host anti-myeloma immunity.

Response to Comments on "Aberrant type 1 immunity drives susceptibility to mucosal fungal infections".

Puel and Casanova and Kisand et al. challenge our conclusions that interferonopathy and not IL-17/IL-22 autoantibodies promote candidiasis in autoimmune polyendocrinopathy­candidiasis­ectodermal dystrophy. We acknowledge that conclusive evidence for causation is difficult to obtain in complex human diseases. However, our studies clearly document interferonopathy driving mucosal candidiasis with intact IL-17/IL-22 responses in Aire-deficient mice, with strong corroborative evidence in patients.

Aberrant type 1 immunity drives susceptibility to mucosal fungal infections.

Human monogenic disorders have revealed the critical contribution of type 17 responses in mucosal fungal surveillance. We unexpectedly found that in certain settings, enhanced type 1 immunity rather than defective type 17 responses can promote mucosal fungal infection susceptibility. Notably, in mice and humans with AIRE deficiency, an autoimmune disease characterized by selective susceptibility to mucosal but not systemic fungal infection, mucosal type 17 responses are intact while type 1 responses are exacerbated. These responses promote aberrant interferon-γ (IFN-γ)- and signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1)-dependent epithelial barrier defects as well as mucosal fungal infection susceptibility. Concordantly, genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of IFN-γ or Janus kinase (JAK)-STAT signaling ameliorates mucosal fungal disease. Thus, we identify aberrant T cell-dependent, type 1 mucosal inflammation as a critical tissue-specific pathogenic mechanism that promotes mucosal fungal infection susceptibility in mice and humans.

Therapeutic responses to Roseomonas mucosa in atopic dermatitis may involve lipid-mediated TNF-related epithelial repair.

Dysbiosis of the skin microbiota is increasingly implicated as a contributor to the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD). We previously reported first-in-human safety and clinical activity results from topical application of the commensal skin bacterium Roseomonas mucosa for the treatment of AD in 10 adults and 5 children older than 9 years of age. Here, we examined the potential mechanism of action of R. mucosa treatment and its impact on children with AD less than 7 years of age, the most common age group for children with AD. In 15 children with AD, R. mucosa treatment was associated with amelioration of disease severity, improvement in epithelial barrier function, reduced Staphylococcus aureus burden on the skin, and a reduction in topical steroid requirements without severe adverse events. Our observed response rates to R. mucosa treatment were greater than those seen in historical placebo control groups in prior AD studies. Skin improvements and colonization by R. mucosa persisted for up to 8 months after cessation of treatment. Analyses of cellular scratch assays and the MC903 mouse model of AD suggested that production of sphingolipids by R. mucosa, cholinergic signaling, and flagellin expression may have contributed to therapeutic impact through induction of a TNFR2-mediated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. These results suggest that a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of R. mucosa treatment in individuals with AD is warranted and implicate commensals in the maintenance of the skin epithelial barrier.

Protective Activity of Programmed Cell Death Protein 1 Blockade and Synergy With Caspofungin in a Murine Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis Model.

Pharmacological immune checkpoint blockade has revolutionized oncological therapies, and its remarkable success has sparked interest in expanding checkpoint inhibitor therapy in infectious diseases. Herein, we evaluated the efficacy of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade in a murine invasive pulmonary aspergillosis model. We found that, compared with isotype-treated infected control mice, anti-PD-1-treated mice had improved survival, reduced fungal burden, increased lung concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines and neutrophil-attracting chemokines, and enhanced pulmonary leukocyte accumulation. Furthermore, combined treatment with anti-PD-1 and caspofungin resulted in a significant survival benefit compared with caspofungin or anti-PD-1 therapy alone, indicating a synergistic effect between PD-1 inhibitors and immunomodulatory antifungal agents.

Cutaneous barrier leakage and gut inflammation drive skin disease in Omenn syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Severe early-onset erythroderma and gut inflammation, with massive tissue infiltration of oligoclonal activated T cells are the hallmark of Omenn syndrome (OS). OBJECTIVE: The impact of altered gut homeostasis in the cutaneous manifestations of OS remains to be clarified. METHODS: We analyzed a cohort of 15 patients with OS and the 129Sv/C57BL/6 knock-in Rag2R229Q/R229Q (Rag2R229Q) mouse model. Homing phenotypes of circulating lymphocytes were analyzed by flow cytometry. Inflammatory cytokines and chemokines were examined in the sera by ELISA and in skin biopsies by immunohistochemistry and in situ RNA hybridization. Experimental colitis was induced in mice by dextran sulfate sodium salt. RESULTS: We show that memory/activated T cells from patients with OS and from the Rag2R229Q mouse model of OS abundantly express the skin homing receptors cutaneous lymphocyte associated antigen and CCR4 (Ccr4), associated with high levels of chemokine C-C motif ligands 17 and 22. Serum levels of LPS are also elevated. A broad Th1/Th2/Th17 inflammatory signature is detected in the periphery and in the skin. Increased Tlr4 expression in the skin of Rag2R229Q mice is associated with enhanced cutaneous inflammation on local and systemic administration of LPS. Likewise, boosting colitis in Rag2R229Q mice results in increased frequency of Ccr4+ splenic T cells and worsening of skin inflammation, as indicated by epidermal thickening, enhanced epithelial cell activation, and dermal infiltration by Th1 effector T cells. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the existence of an interplay between gut and skin that can sustain skin inflammation in OS.

Development of a novel ß-1,6-glucan-specific detection system using functionally-modified recombinant endo-ß-1,6-glucanase.

ß-1,3-d-Glucan is a ubiquitous glucose polymer produced by plants, bacteria, and most fungi. It has been used as a diagnostic tool in patients with invasive mycoses via a highly-sensitive reagent consisting of the blood coagulation system of horseshoe crab. However, no method is currently available for measuring ß-1,6-glucan, another primary ß-glucan structure of fungal polysaccharides. Herein, we describe the development of an economical and highly-sensitive and specific assay for ß-1,6-glucan using a modified recombinant endo-ß-1,6-glucanase having diminished glucan hydrolase activity. The purified ß-1,6-glucanase derivative bound to the ß-1,6-glucan pustulan with a KD of 16.4 nm We validated the specificity of this ß-1,6-glucan probe by demonstrating its ability to detect cell wall ß-1,6-glucan from both yeast and hyphal forms of the opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans, without any detectable binding to glucan lacking the long ß-1,6-glucan branch. We developed a sandwich ELISA-like assay with a low limit of quantification for pustulan (1.5 pg/ml), and we successfully employed this assay in the quantification of extracellular ß-1,6-glucan released by >250 patient-derived strains of different Candida species (including Candida auris) in culture supernatant in vitro We also used this assay to measure ß-1,6-glucan in vivo in the serum and in several organs in a mouse model of systemic candidiasis. Our work describes a reliable method for ß-1,6-glucan detection, which may prove useful for the diagnosis of invasive fungal infections.

Lymphocyte-driven regional immunopathology in pneumonitis caused by impaired central immune tolerance.

Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED), a monogenic disorder caused by AIRE mutations, presents with several autoimmune diseases. Among these, endocrine organ failure is widely recognized, but the prevalence, immunopathogenesis, and treatment of non-endocrine manifestations such as pneumonitis remain poorly characterized. We enrolled 50 patients with APECED in a prospective observational study and comprehensively examined their clinical and radiographic findings, performed pulmonary function tests, and analyzed immunological characteristics in blood, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and endobronchial and lung biopsies. Pneumonitis was found in >40% of our patients, presented early in life, was misdiagnosed despite chronic respiratory symptoms and accompanying radiographic and pulmonary function abnormalities, and caused hypoxemic respiratory failure and death. Autoantibodies against BPIFB1 and KCNRG and the homozygous c.967_979del13 AIRE mutation are associated with pneumonitis development. APECED pneumonitis features compartmentalized immunopathology, with accumulation of activated neutrophils in the airways and lymphocytic infiltration in intraepithelial, submucosal, peribronchiolar, and interstitial areas. Beyond APECED, we extend these observations to lung disease seen in other conditions with secondary AIRE deficiency (thymoma and RAG deficiency). Aire-deficient mice had similar compartmentalized cellular immune responses in the airways and lung tissue, which was ameliorated by deficiency of T and B lymphocytes. Accordingly, T and B lymphocyte-directed immunomodulation controlled symptoms and radiographic abnormalities and improved pulmonary function in patients with APECED pneumonitis. Collectively, our findings unveil lung autoimmunity as a common, early, and unrecognized manifestation of APECED and provide insights into the immunopathogenesis and treatment of pulmonary autoimmunity associated with impaired central immune tolerance.

CARD9+ microglia promote antifungal immunity via IL-1ß- and CXCL1-mediated neutrophil recruitment.

The C-type lectin receptor-Syk (spleen tyrosine kinase) adaptor CARD9 facilitates protective antifungal immunity within the central nervous system (CNS), as human deficiency in CARD9 causes susceptibility to fungus-specific, CNS-targeted infection. CARD9 promotes the recruitment of neutrophils to the fungus-infected CNS, which mediates fungal clearance. In the present study we investigated host and pathogen factors that promote protective neutrophil recruitment during invasion of the CNS by Candida albicans. The cytokine IL-1ß served an essential function in CNS antifungal immunity by driving production of the chemokine CXCL1, which recruited neutrophils expressing the chemokine receptor CXCR2. Neutrophil-recruiting production of IL-1ß and CXCL1 was induced in microglia by the fungus-secreted toxin Candidalysin, in a manner dependent on the kinase p38 and the transcription factor c-Fos. Notably, microglia relied on CARD9 for production of IL-1ß, via both transcriptional regulation of Il1b and inflammasome activation, and of CXCL1 in the fungus-infected CNS. Microglia-specific Card9 deletion impaired the production of IL-1ß and CXCL1 and neutrophil recruitment, and increased fungal proliferation in the CNS. Thus, an intricate network of host-pathogen interactions promotes antifungal immunity in the CNS; this is impaired in human deficiency in CARD9, which leads to fungal disease of the CNS.

Dominant activating RAC2 mutation with lymphopenia, immunodeficiency, and cytoskeletal defects.

Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 2 (RAC2), through interactions with reduced NAD phosphate oxidase component p67 phox , activates neutrophil superoxide production, whereas interactions with p21-activated kinase are necessary for fMLF-induced actin remodeling. We identified 3 patients with de novo RAC2[E62K] mutations resulting in severe T- and B-cell lymphopenia, myeloid dysfunction, and recurrent respiratory infections. Neutrophils from RAC2[E62K] patients exhibited excessive superoxide production, impaired fMLF-directed chemotaxis, and abnormal macropinocytosis. Cell lines transfected with RAC2[E62K] displayed characteristics of active guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-bound RAC2 including enhanced superoxide production and increased membrane ruffling. Biochemical studies demonstrated that RAC2[E62K] retains intrinsic GTP hydrolysis; however, GTPase-activating protein failed to accelerate hydrolysis resulting in prolonged active GTP-bound RAC2. Rac2+/E62K mice phenocopy the T- and B-cell lymphopenia, increased neutrophil F-actin, and excessive superoxide production seen in patients. This gain-of-function mutation highlights a specific, nonredundant role for RAC2 in hematopoietic cells that discriminates RAC2 from the related, ubiquitous RAC1.

The homozygous CX3CR1-M280 mutation impairs human monocyte survival.

Several reports have demonstrated that mouse Cx3cr1 signaling promotes monocyte/macrophage survival. In agreement, we previously found that, in a mouse model of systemic candidiasis, genetic deficiency of Cx3cr1 resulted in increased mortality and impaired tissue fungal clearance associated with decreased macrophage survival. We translated this finding by showing that the dysfunctional CX3CR1 variant CX3CR1-M280 was associated with increased risk and worse outcome of human systemic candidiasis. However, the impact of this mutation on human monocyte/macrophage survival is poorly understood. Herein, we hypothesized that CX3CR1-M280 impairs human monocyte survival. We identified WT (CX3CR1-WT/WT), CX3CR1-WT/M280 heterozygous, and CX3CR1-M280/M280 homozygous healthy donors of European descent, and we show that CX3CL1 rescues serum starvation-induced cell death in CX3CR1-WT/WT and CX3CR1-WT/M280 but not in CX3CR1-M280/M280 monocytes. CX3CL1-induced survival of CX3CR1-WT/WT monocytes is mediated via AKT and ERK activation, which are both impaired in CX3CR1-M280/M280 monocytes, associated with decreased blood monocyte counts in CX3CR1-M280/M280 donors at steady state. Instead, CX3CR1-M280/M280 does not affect monocyte CX3CR1 surface expression or innate immune effector functions. Together, we show that homozygocity of the M280 polymorphism in CX3CR1 is a potentially novel population-based genetic factor that influences human monocyte signaling.

Host immune status-specific production of gliotoxin and bis-methyl-gliotoxin during invasive aspergillosis in mice.

Delayed diagnosis in invasive aspergillosis (IA) contributes to its high mortality. Gliotoxin (GT) and bis-methyl-gliotoxin (bmGT) are secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus during invasive, hyphal growth and may prove diagnostically useful. Because IA pathophysiology and GT's role in virulence vary depending on the underlying host immune status, we hypothesized that GT and bmGT production in vivo may differ in three mouse models of IA that mimic human disease. We defined temporal kinetics of GT and bmGT in serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lungs of A. fumigatus-infected chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), hydrocortisone-treated, and neutropenic mice. We harvested lungs for assessment of fungal burden, histology and GT/bmGT biosynthetic genes' mRNA induction. GT levels were higher in neutropenic versus CGD or steroid-treated lungs. bmGT was persistently detected only in CGD lungs. GT, but not bmGT, was detected in 71% of sera and 50% of BALF of neutropenic mice; neither was detected in serum/BALF of CGD or steroid-treated mice. Enrichment of GT in Aspergillus-infected neutropenic lung correlated with fungal burden and hyphal length but not induction of GT biosynthetic genes. In summary, GT is detectable in mouse lungs, serum and BALF during neutropenic IA, suggesting that GT may be useful to diagnose IA in neutropenic patients.