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Our previous studies reported that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) contamination decreased in well, tap, and surface water around a fluoropolymer plant in Osaka, Japan, between 2003 and 2016. In this study, we evaluated the degradability of PFOA and perfluorohexanoic acid in river soils to identify the influence of the degradation on the perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) in the Yodo River Basin. We also investigated the influence of abiotic oxidation on the formation of PFCAs in soils and measured the fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) as precursors of PFCAs in the soil and air samples collected at Osaka and Kyoto. No major degradations were observed in soils contaminated with PFCA during the 24-week experimental period, while the PFOA levels increased only in the control group. The PFCA levels significantly increased after oxidation in this group. The dominant FTOH in soils was 10:2 FTOH, whereas 6:2 FTOH was dominant in the air samples. These findings suggest that PFOA was rapidly removed from water system but persist in soils. Moreover, the results indicate the need to evaluate not only the PFCAs, but also the FTOHs and other precursors for the accurate prediction of PFCA accumulation and fates in the environment.
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Polímeros de Fluorocarbono , Fluorocarburos , Suelo , Japón , Ríos , Fluorocarburos/análisis , AguaRESUMEN
Shiga toxins (Stxs) produced by Stx-producing Escherichia coli are the primarily virulence factors of hemolytic uremic syndrome and central nervous system (CNS) impairment. Although the precise mechanisms of toxin dissemination remain unclear, Stxs bind to extracellular vesicles (EVs). Exosomes, a subset of EVs, may play a key role in Stx-mediated renal injury. To test this hypothesis, we isolated exosomes from monocyte-derived macrophages in the presence of Stx2a or Stx2 toxoids. Macrophage-like differentiated THP-1 cells treated with Stxs secreted Stx-associated exosomes (Stx-Exo) of 90-130 nm in diameter, which induced cytotoxicity in recipient cells in a toxin receptor globotriaosylceramide (Gb3 )-dependent manner. Stx2-Exo engulfed by Gb3 -positive cells were translocated to the endoplasmic reticulum in the human proximal tubule epithelial cell line HK-2. Stx2-Exo contained pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNAs and proteins and induced more severe inflammation than purified Stx2a accompanied by greater death of target cells such as human renal or retinal pigment epithelial cells. Blockade of exosome biogenesis using the pharmacological inhibitor GW4869 reduced Stx2-Exo-mediated human renal cell death. Stx2-Exo isolated from human primary monocyte-derived macrophages activated caspase 3/7 and resulted in significant cell death in primary human renal cortical epithelial cells. Based on these results, we speculate that Stx-containing exosomes derived from macrophages may exacerbate cytotoxicity and inflammation and trigger cell death in toxin-sensitive cells. Therapeutic interventions targeting Stx-containing exosomes may prevent or ameliorate Stx-mediated acute vascular dysfunction.
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Exosomas/metabolismo , Macrófagos/metabolismo , Toxina Shiga II/metabolismo , Toxina Shiga II/toxicidad , Trihexosilceramidas/metabolismo , Caspasa 3/metabolismo , Caspasa 7/metabolismo , Muerte Celular , Retículo Endoplásmico/metabolismo , Estrés del Retículo Endoplásmico , Exosomas/inmunología , Exosomas/ultraestructura , Humanos , Inflamación , Interleucina-1beta/genética , Interleucina-1beta/metabolismo , Interleucina-8/genética , Interleucina-8/metabolismo , Leucocitos Mononucleares/inmunología , Macrófagos/inmunología , Proteínas Quinasas Activadas por Mitógenos/metabolismo , Toxina Shiga II/farmacología , Células THP-1RESUMEN
Most coronavirus vaccines focus on the spike (S) antigen, but the frequent mutations in S raise concerns about the vaccine efficacy against new variants. Although additional antigens with conserved sequences are have been tested, the extent to which these vaccines can provide immunity against different coronavirus species remains unclear. In this study, we assessed the potential of nucleocapsid (N) as a coronavirus vaccine antigen. Immunization with MERS-CoV N induced robust immune responses, providing significant protection against MERS-CoV. Notably, MERS-CoV N elicited cross-reactive T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 N and significantly reduced lung inflammation following a SARS-CoV-2 challenge in the transient hACE2 mouse model. However, in K18-hACE transgenic mice, the vaccine showed limited protection. Collectively, our findings suggest that coronavirus N can be an effective vaccine antigen against homologous viruses, but its efficacy may vary across different coronaviruses, highlighting the need for further research on pan-coronavirus vaccines using conserved antigens.
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Endemic human coronaviruses (HCoVs) have been evidenced to be cross-reactive to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Although a correlation exists between the immunological memory to HCoVs and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity, there is little experimental evidence for the effects of HCoV memory on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. Here, we investigated the Ag-specific immune response to COVID-19 vaccines in the presence or absence of immunological memory against HCoV spike Ags in a mouse model. Pre-existing immunity against HCoV did not affect the COVID-19 vaccine-mediated humoral response with regard to Ag-specific total IgG and neutralizing Ab levels. The specific T cell response to the COVID-19 vaccine Ag was also unaltered, regardless of pre-exposure to HCoV spike Ags. Taken together, our data suggest that COVID-19 vaccines elicit comparable immunity regardless of immunological memory to spike of endemic HCoVs in a mouse model.
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Influenza is an acute respiratory disease and a global health problem. Although influenza vaccines are commercially available, frequent antigenic changes in hemagglutinin might render them less effective or unavailable. We previously reported that modified outer membrane vesicle (fmOMV) provided immediate and robust protective immunity against various subtypes of influenza virus. However, the effect was transient because it was innate immunity-dependent. In this study, we investigated the effects of consecutive administration of fmOMV and influenza virus on the adaptive immune response and long-term protective immunity against influenza virus. When the mice were pretreated with fmOMV and subsequently infected with influenza virus, strong influenza-specific antibody and T cell responses were induced in both systemic and lung mucosal compartments without pathogenic symptoms. Upon the secondary viral challenge at week 4, the mice given fmOMV and influenza virus exhibited almost complete protection against homologous and heterologous viral challenge. More importantly, this strong protective immunity lasted up to 18 weeks after the first infection. These results show that pretreatment with fmOMV and subsequent infection with influenza virus efficiently induces broad and long-lasting protective immunity against various virus subtypes, suggesting a novel antiviral strategy against newly-emerging viral diseases without suitable vaccines or therapeutics.
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Vacunas contra la Influenza , Gripe Humana , Infecciones por Orthomyxoviridae , Orthomyxoviridae , Inmunidad Adaptativa , Animales , Anticuerpos Antivirales , Humanos , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos BALB CRESUMEN
Host immune responses, such as those initiated by pattern recognition receptor (PRR) activation, are important for viral clearance and pathogenesis. However, little is known about the interactions of viral proteins with surface PRRs or, more importantly, the association of innate immune activation with viral pathogenesis. In this study, we showed that internal influenza virus proteins were released from infected cells. Among these proteins, nucleoprotein (NP) played a critical role in viral pathogenesis by stimulating neighboring cells through toll-like receptor (TLR)2, TLR4, and the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. Through the activation of these PRRs, NP induced the production of interleukin (IL)-1ß and IL-6, which subsequently led to the induction of trypsin. Trypsin induced by NP increased the infectivity of influenza virus, leading to increases in viral replication and pathology upon subsequent viral infection. These results reveal the role of released NP in influenza pathogenesis and highlight the importance of the interactions of internal viral proteins with PRRs in the extracellular compartment during viral pathogenesis.
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Gripe Humana , Orthomyxoviridae , Receptor Toll-Like 4 , Humanos , Inflamasomas/metabolismo , Gripe Humana/metabolismo , Gripe Humana/virología , Interleucina-1beta/metabolismo , Proteína con Dominio Pirina 3 de la Familia NLR/metabolismo , Nucleoproteínas , Orthomyxoviridae/metabolismo , Receptor Toll-Like 4/metabolismo , Tripsina/metabolismoRESUMEN
Shiga toxins (Stxs) produced by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) are the major virulence factors responsible for hemorrhagic colitis, which can lead to life-threatening systemic complications including acute renal failure (hemolytic uremic syndrome) and neuropathy. Here, we report that O-GlcNAcylation, a type of post-translational modification, was acutely increased upon induction of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in host cells by Stxs. Suppression of the abnormal Stx-mediated increase in O-GlcNAcylation effectively inhibited apoptotic and inflammatory responses in Stx-susceptible cells. The protective effect of O-GlcNAc inhibition for Stx-mediated pathogenic responses was also verified using three-dimensional (3D)-cultured spheroids or organoids mimicking the human kidney. Treatment with an O-GlcNAcylation inhibitor remarkably improved the major disease symptoms and survival rate for mice intraperitoneally injected with a lethal dose of Stx. In conclusion, this study elucidates O-GlcNAcylation-dependent pathogenic mechanisms of Stxs and demonstrates that inhibition of aberrant O-GlcNAcylation is a potential approach to treat Stx-mediated diseases.
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Infecciones por Escherichia coli , Síndrome Hemolítico-Urémico , Animales , Estrés del Retículo Endoplásmico , Síndrome Hemolítico-Urémico/patología , Riñón/patología , Ratones , Toxina Shiga/metabolismo , Toxinas ShigaRESUMEN
The global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still threatening human health, economy, and social life worldwide. As a counteraction for this devastating disease, a number of vaccines are being developed with unprecedented speed combined with new technologies. As COVID-19 vaccines are being developed in the absence of a licensed human coronavirus vaccine, there remain further questions regarding the long-term efficacy and safety of the vaccines, as well as immunological mechanisms in depth. This review article discusses the current status of COVID-19 vaccine development, mainly focusing on antigen design, clinical trials in later stages, and immunological considerations for further study.
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The recent emergence of the novel coronavirus (CoV) or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses a global threat to human health and economy. As of June 26, 2020, over 9.4 million cases of infection, including 482,730 deaths, had been confirmed across 216 countries. To combat a devastating virus pandemic, numerous studies on vaccine development are urgently being accelerated. In this review article, we take a brief look at the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 in comparison to SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)-CoVs and discuss recent approaches to coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) vaccine development.
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Obesity has been associated with increased symptoms and mortality in influenza patients and impaired immune responses to the influenza vaccine. To date, however, there is no effective adjuvant to improve vaccine efficacy for the obese population. To address this issue, we generated a modified outer membrane vesicle with attenuated endotoxicity (fmOMV) and tested its adjuvant effect on the influenza vaccine in comparison with a squalene-based oil-in-water adjuvant (AddaVax) using a diet-induced obese (DIO) mouse model. Although coadministration of fmOMV did not affect neutralizing antibody (Ab) response, it preferentially induced IgG2c antibody response and significantly increased the vaccine-induced T cell response. More importantly, fmOMV conferred significant protection against homologous and heterologous influenza virus challenge, whereas AddaVax showed marginal protection irrespective of the strongest Ab and T cell responses in DIO mice. These results indicate that fmOMV improves the antigen-specific T cell response and the efficacy of an influenza vaccine, suggesting a potential influenza vaccine adjuvant for the obese population.
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Adyuvantes Inmunológicos , Vesículas Extracelulares/metabolismo , Inmunogenicidad Vacunal , Vacunas contra la Influenza/inmunología , Infecciones por Orthomyxoviridae/inmunología , Infecciones por Orthomyxoviridae/prevención & control , Animales , Anticuerpos Neutralizantes/inmunología , Anticuerpos Antivirales/inmunología , Dieta , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Inmunidad Celular , Virus de la Influenza A/inmunología , Masculino , Ratones , Ratones Obesos , Pruebas de Neutralización , Obesidad , Infecciones por Orthomyxoviridae/metabolismo , Infecciones por Orthomyxoviridae/mortalidadRESUMEN
Influenza A virus (IAV) poses a constant worldwide threat to human health. Although conventional vaccines are available, their protective efficacy is type or strain specific, and their production is time-consuming. For the control of an influenza pandemic in particular, agents that are immediately effective against a wide range of virus variants should be developed. Although pretreatment of various Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands have already been reported to be effective in the defense against subsequent IAV infection, the efficacy was limited to specific subtypes, and safety concerns were also raised. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of an attenuated bacterial outer membrane vesicle -harboring modified lipid A moiety of lipopolysaccharide (fmOMV) against IAV infection and the underlying mechanisms. Administration of fmOMV conferred significant protection against a lethal dose of pandemic H1N1, PR8, H5N2, and highly pathogenic H5N1 viruses; this broad antiviral activity was dependent on macrophages but independent of neutrophils. fmOMV induced recruitment and activation of macrophages and elicited type I IFNs. Intriguingly, fmOMV showed a more significant protective effect than other TLR ligands tested in previous reports, without exhibiting any adverse effect. These results show the potential of fmOMV as a prophylactic agent for the defense against influenza virus infection.
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Membrana Externa Bacteriana/inmunología , Virus de la Influenza A/fisiología , Vacunas contra la Influenza/inmunología , Gripe Humana/inmunología , Lípido A/inmunología , Macrófagos/inmunología , Infecciones por Orthomyxoviridae/inmunología , Vesículas Secretoras/inmunología , Animales , Escherichia coli/genética , Femenino , Humanos , Interferón Tipo I/metabolismo , Ligandos , Lípido A/genética , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos C57BL , Transducción de Señal , Receptores Toll-Like/agonistasRESUMEN
This study was conducted to clarify the spatial distributions of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) in well, surface and tap water around a fluoropolymer plant in Osaka between 2003 and 2016 and to predict the fate of those chemicals in these aquatic environments. We analyzed 44 well, six surface and six tap water samples collected within a 5 km radius of the plant. The PFOA concentrations in well water ranged from 45.2 to 7440 ng/L (median = 240 ng/L), while PFHxA concentrations ranged from 9.68 to 970 (median = 45.4 ng/L) in 2015-2016. The concentration of other perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids were lower than PFOA and PFHxA in well water. Fixed-point observation showed that the levels of PFOA decreased greatly over the last few decades, whereas those of PFHxA increased in both well and surface water. Further monitoring and investigation are suggested to understand PFOA and PFHxA contamination and fate in the environment, as well as their potential for human exposure in this region.