Advances in Vaccines.

Vaccines represent one of the most important advances in science and medicine, helping people around the world in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. However, there are still gaps in vaccination programs in many countries. Out of 11.2 million children born in EU region, more than 500,000 infants did not receive the complete three-dose series of diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus vaccine before the first birthday. Data shows that there were more than 30,000 measles cases in the European region in recent years, and measles cases are rising in the USA. There are about 20 million children in the world still not getting adequate coverage of basic vaccines. Emerging infectious diseases such as malaria, Ebola virus disease, and Zika virus disease also threaten public health around the world. This chapter provides an overview of recent advances in vaccine development and technologies, manufacturing, characterization of various vaccines, challenges, and strategies in vaccine clinical development. It also provides an overview of recently approved major vaccines for human use.

TNFAIP8: a new effector for Galpha(i) coupling to reduce cell death and induce cell transformation.

Galpha(i)-coupled receptors comprise a diverse family of receptors that induce transformation by largely unknown mechanisms. We previously found that the Galpha(i)-coupled dopamine-D2short (D2S) receptor transforms Balb-D2S cells via Gαi3. To identify new Gαi effectors, a yeast two-hybrid screen was done using constitutively active Gαi3-Q204L as bait, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα)-induced protein 8 (TNFAIP8, SCC-S2/NDED/GG2-1) was identified. In contrast, TNFAIP8-related TIPE1 and TIPE2 showed a very weak interaction with Gαi3. In yeast mating, in vitro pull-down, co-immunoprecipitation and bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) assays, TNFAIP8 preferentially interacted with activated Gαi proteins, consistent with direct Gαi-TNFAIP8 coupling. Over-expression or depletion of TNFAIP8 using antisense constructs in Balb-D2S cells did not affect D2S-induced signaling to Gαi-dependent inhibition of cAMP. In contrast, antisense depletion of TNFAIP8 completely inhibited spontaneous and D2S-induced foci formation, consistent with a role for TNFAIP8 in Gαi-dependent transformation. To address possible mechanisms, the effect of D2S signaling via TNFAIP8 on TNFα action was examined. D2S receptor activation inhibited TNFα-induced cell death in Balb-D2S cells, but not in cells depleted of TNFAIP8. However, depletion of TNFAIP8 did not prevent D2S-induced inhibition of TNFα-mediated caspase activation, suggesting that D2S/TNFAIP8-induced protection from TNFα-induced cell death is caspase-independent. The data suggest that Gαi-TNFAIP8-mediated rescue of pre-oncogenic cells enhances progression to oncogenic transformation, providing a selective target to inhibit cellular transformation.

RGS17/RGSZ2 and the RZ/A family of regulators of G-protein signaling.

Regulators of G-protein signaling (RGS proteins) comprise over 20 different proteins that have been classified into subfamilies on the basis of structural homology. The RZ/A family includes RGSZ2/RGS17 (the most recently discovered member of this family), GAIP/RGS19, RGSZ1/RGS20, and the RGSZ1 variant Ret-RGS. The RGS proteins are GTPase activating proteins (GAPs) that turn off G-proteins and thus negatively regulate the signaling of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). In addition, some RZ/A family RGS proteins are able to modify signaling through interactions with adapter proteins (such as GIPC and GIPN). The RZ/A proteins have a simple structure that includes a conserved amino-terminal cysteine string motif, RGS box and short carboxyl-terminal, which confer GAP activity (RGS box) and the ability to undergo covalent modification and interact with other proteins (amino-terminal). This review focuses on RGS17 and its RZ/A sibling proteins and discusses the similarities and differences among these proteins in terms of their palmitoylation, phosphorylation, intracellular localization and interactions with GPCRs and adapter proteins. The specificity of these RGS protein for different Galpha proteins and receptors, and the consequences for signaling are discussed. The tissue and brain distribution, and the evolving understanding of the roles of this family of RGS proteins in receptor signaling and brain function are highlighted.

RGS17/RGSZ2, a novel regulator of Gi/o, Gz, and Gq signaling.

To identify novel regulators of Galpha(o), the most abundant G-protein in brain, we used yeast two-hybrid screening with constitutively active Galpha(o) as bait and identified a new regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) protein, RGS17 (RGSZ2), as a novel human member of the RZ (or A) subfamily of RGS proteins. RGS17 contains an amino-terminal cysteine-rich motif and a carboxyl-terminal RGS domain with highest homology to hRGSZ1- and hRGS-Galpha-interacting protein. RGS17 RNA was strongly expressed as multiple species in cerebellum and other brain regions. The interactions between hRGS17 and active forms of Galpha(i1-3), Galpha(o), Galpha(z), or Galpha(q) but not Galpha(s) were detected by yeast two-hybrid assay, in vitro pull-down assay, and co-immunoprecipitation studies. Recombinant RGS17 acted as a GTPase-activating protein (GAP) on free Galpha(i2) and Galpha(o) under pre-steady-state conditions, and on M2-muscarinic receptor-activated Galpha(i1), Galpha(i2), Galpha(i3), Galpha(z), and Galpha(o) in steady-state GTPase assays in vitro. Unlike RGSZ1, which is highly selective for G(z), RGS17 exhibited limited selectivity for G(o) among G(i)/G(o) proteins. All RZ family members reduced dopamine-D2/Galpha(i)-mediated inhibition of cAMP formation and abolished thyrotropin-releasing hormone receptor/Galpha(q)-mediated calcium mobilization. RGS17 is a new RZ member that preferentially inhibits receptor signaling via G(i/o), G(z), and G(q) over G(s) to enhance cAMP-dependent signaling and inhibit calcium signaling. Differences observed between in vitro GAP assays and whole-cell signaling suggest additional determinants of the G-protein specificity of RGS GAP effects that could include receptors and effectors.