Interferon-Gamma-Release assay and absolute CD8 lymphocyte count for acquired immunosuppression monitoring in critically ill patients.

Guided biomarker-personalized immunotherapy is advancing rapidly as a means to rejuvenate immune function in injured patients who are the most immunosuppressed. A recent study introduced a fully automated interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) for monitoring the functionality of T lymphocytes in patients with septic shock. While a significant decrease in IFN-γ release capacity was observed, a significant correlation with CD8 lymphocyte absolute count was also reported, raising the question of whether ex-vivo IFN-γ production would be only a surrogate marker for lymphocyte count or if these two parameters conveyed distinct and complementary information. In a large cohort of more than 353 critically ill patients following various injuries (sepsis, trauma, major surgery), the primary objective of the present study was to simultaneously evaluate the association between ex vivo IFN-γ release and CD8 cell count with regard to adverse outcome. Our findings provide a clear-cut result, as they distinctly demonstrate that IGRA offers higher-quality information than CD8 count in terms of an independent association with the occurrence of an adverse outcome. These results strengthen the case for incorporating IGRA into the array of biomarkers of interest for defining endotypes in sepsis. This holds especially true given that fully automated tests are now readily available and could be used in routine clinical practice.

Immune Profiling Panel Gene Set Identifies Critically Ill Patients With Low Monocyte Human Leukocyte Antigen-DR Expression: Preliminary Results From the REAnimation Low Immune Status Marker (REALISM) Study.

OBJECTIVES: There is a crucial unmet need for biomarker-guided diagnostic and prognostic enrichment in clinical trials evaluating immune modulating therapies in critically ill patients. Low monocyte expression of human leukocyte antigen-DR (mHLA-DR), considered as a reference surrogate to identify immunosuppressed patients, has been proposed for patient stratification in immunostimulation approaches. However, its widespread use in clinic has been somewhat hampered by technical constraints inherent to flow cytometry technology. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the ability of a prototype multiplex polymerase chain reaction tool (immune profiling panel [IPP]) to identify immunosuppressed ICU patients characterized by a low mHLA-DR expression. DESIGN: Retrospective observational cohort study. SETTING: Adult ICU in a University Hospital, Lyon, France. PATIENTS: Critically ill patients with various etiologies enrolled in the REAnimation Low Immune Status Marker study (NCT02638779). INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: mHLA-DR and IPP data were obtained from 1,731 blood samples collected from critically ill patients with various etiologies and healthy volunteers. A partial least square regression model combining the expression levels of IPP markers was trained and used for the identification of samples from patients presenting with evidence of immunosuppression, defined here as mHLADR less than 8,000 antibodies bound per cell (AB/C). The IPP gene set had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.86 (95% CI 0.83-0.89) for the identification of immunosuppressed patients. In addition, when applied to the 123 patients still in the ICU at days 5-7 after admission, IPP similarly enriched the number of patients with ICU-acquired infections in the immunosuppressed group (26%), in comparison with low mHLA-DR (22%). CONCLUSIONS: This study reports on the potential of the IPP gene set to identify ICU patients presenting with mHLA-DR less than 8,000 AB/C. Upon further optimization and validation, this molecular tool may help in the stratification of patients that could benefit from immunostimulation in the context of personalized medicine.

Fully automated interferon-γ release assay to monitor antigen-independent T cell functionality: A proof of concept study in septic shock.

In sepsis, personalized immunotherapy is being evaluated as a means of restoring immune function in the most severely affected patients. Biomarkers play a crucial role in this process, as there are no clear clinical indicators of immune dysfunction. Functional testing is considered a gold standard for assessing immune function, but this approach faces analytical challenges in terms of clinical implementation. The use of technician-dependent, time-consuming, home-made protocols often leads to poor standardization. This study represents the first beta testing of a fully automated interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) for monitoring the functionality of antigen-independent T lymphocytes. We observed a significant decrease in IFN-γ release capacity, which was associated with typical alterations in immunological cellular parameters (such as low mHLA-DR expression and decreased CD8 T lymphocyte count), in 22 patients with septic shock. Since the test is performed using whole blood and requires no technician intervention, with results available within 4 h, it may offer new possibilities for monitoring patients with immune alterations in routine clinical conditions. Further investigations in larger cohorts of patients are now needed to validate its clinical potential.

The double sides of NLRP3 inflammasome activation in sepsis.

Sepsis is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction induced by a dysregulated host immune response to infection. Immune response induced by sepsis is complex and dynamic. It is schematically described as an early dysregulated systemic inflammatory response leading to organ failures and early deaths, followed by the development of persistent immune alterations affecting both the innate and adaptive immune responses associated with increased risk of secondary infections, viral reactivations, and late mortality. In this review, we will focus on the role of NACHT, leucin-rich repeat and pyrin-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in the pathophysiology of sepsis. NLRP3 inflammasome is a multiproteic intracellular complex activated by infectious pathogens through a two-step process resulting in the release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1ß and IL-18 and the formation of membrane pores by gasdermin D, inducing a pro-inflammatory form of cell death called pyroptosis. The role of NLRP3 inflammasome in the pathophysiology of sepsis can be ambivalent. Indeed, although it might protect against sepsis when moderately activated after initial infection, excessive NLRP3 inflammasome activation can induce dysregulated inflammation leading to multiple organ failure and death during the acute phase of the disease. Moreover, this activation might become exhausted and contribute to post-septic immunosuppression, driving impaired functions of innate and adaptive immune cells. Targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome could thus be an attractive option in sepsis either through IL-1ß and IL-18 antagonists or through inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome pathway downstream components. Available treatments and results of first clinical trials will be discussed.

Identification of a sub-group of critically ill patients with high risk of intensive care unit-acquired infections and poor clinical course using a transcriptomic score.

BACKGROUND: The development of stratification tools based on the assessment of circulating mRNA of genes involved in the immune response is constrained by the heterogeneity of septic patients. The aim of this study is to develop a transcriptomic score based on a pragmatic combination of immune-related genes detected with a prototype multiplex PCR tool. METHODS: As training cohort, we used the gene expression dataset obtained from 176 critically ill patients enrolled in the REALISM study (NCT02638779) with various etiologies and still hospitalized in intensive care unit (ICU) at day 5-7. Based on the performances of each gene taken independently to identify patients developing ICU-acquired infections (ICU-AI) after day 5-7, we built an unweighted score assuming the independence of each gene. We then determined the performances of this score to identify a subgroup of patients at high risk to develop ICU-AI, and both longer ICU length of stay and mortality of this high-risk group were assessed. Finally, we validated the effectiveness of this score in a retrospective cohort of 257 septic patients. RESULTS: This transcriptomic score (TScore) enabled the identification of a high-risk group of patients (49%) with an increased rate of ICU-AI when compared to the low-risk group (49% vs. 4%, respectively), with longer ICU length of stay (13 days [95% CI 8-30] vs. 7 days [95% CI 6-9], p < 0.001) and higher ICU mortality (15% vs. 2%). High-risk patients exhibited biological features of immune suppression with low monocytic HLA-DR levels, higher immature neutrophils rates and higher IL10 concentrations. Using the TScore, we identified 160 high-risk patients (62%) in the validation cohort, with 30% of ICU-AI (vs. 18% in the low-risk group, p = 0.06), and significantly higher mortality and longer ICU length of stay. CONCLUSIONS: The transcriptomic score provides a useful and reliable companion diagnostic tool to further develop immune modulating drugs in sepsis in the context of personalized medicine.

Immune Profiling Demonstrates a Common Immune Signature of Delayed Acquired Immunodeficiency in Patients With Various Etiologies of Severe Injury.

OBJECTIVES: The host response plays a central role in the pathophysiology of sepsis and severe injuries. So far, no study has comprehensively described the overtime changes of the injury-induced immune profile in a large cohort of critically ill patients with different etiologies. DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort study. SETTING: Adult ICU in a University Hospital in Lyon, France. PATIENTS: Three hundred fifty-three septic, trauma, and surgical patients and 175 healthy volunteers were included in the REAnimation Low Immune Status Marker study. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Extensive immune profiling was performed by assessing cellular phenotypes and functions, protein, and messenger RNA levels at days 1-2, 3-4, and 5-7 after inclusion using a panel of 30 standardized immune markers. Using this immunomonitoring panel, no specificity in the immune profile was observed among septic, trauma, and surgical patients. This common injury-induced immune response was characterized by an initial adaptive (i.e., physiologic) response engaging all constituents of the immune system (pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine releases, and innate and adaptive immune responses) but not associated with increased risk of secondary infections. In contrary, the persistence in a subgroup of patients of profound immune alterations at the end of the first week after admission was associated with increased risk of secondary infections independently of exposure to invasive devices. The combined monitoring of markers of pro-/anti-inflammatory, innate, and adaptive immune responses allowed a better enrichment of patients with risk of secondary infections in the selected population. CONCLUSIONS: Using REAnimation Low Immune Status Marker immunomonitoring panel, we detected delayed injury-acquired immunodeficiency in a subgroup of severely injured patients independently of primary disease. Critically ill patients' immune status could be captured through the combined monitoring of a common panel of complementary markers of pro-/anti-inflammatory, innate, and adaptive immune responses. Such immune monitoring needs to be incorporated in larger study cohorts with more extensive immune surveillance to develop specific hypothesis allowing for identification of biological systems affecting altered immune function related to late infection in the setting of acute systemic injury.

APOB CRISPR-Cas9 Engineering in Hypobetalipoproteinemia: A Promising Tool for Functional Studies of Novel Variants.

Hypobetalipoproteinemia is characterized by LDL-cholesterol and apolipoprotein B (apoB) plasma levels below the fifth percentile for age and sex. Familial hypobetalipoproteinemia (FHBL) is mostly caused by premature termination codons in the APOB gene, a condition associated with fatty liver and steatohepatitis. Nevertheless, many families with a FHBL phenotype carry APOB missense variants of uncertain significance (VUS). We here aimed to develop a proof-of-principle experiment to assess the pathogenicity of VUS using the genome editing of human liver cells. We identified a novel heterozygous APOB-VUS (p.Leu351Arg), in a FHBL family. We generated APOB knock-out (KO) and APOB-p.Leu351Arg knock-in Huh7 cells using CRISPR-Cas9 technology and studied the APOB expression, synthesis and secretion by digital droplet PCR and ELISA quantification. The APOB expression was decreased by 70% in the heterozygous APOB-KO cells and almost abolished in the homozygous-KO cells, with a consistent decrease in apoB production and secretion. The APOB-p.Leu351Arg homozygous cells presented with a 40% decreased APOB expression and undetectable apoB levels in cellular extracts and supernatant. Thus, the p.Leu351Arg affected the apoB secretion, which led us to classify this new variant as likely pathogenic and to set up a hepatic follow-up in this family. Therefore, the functional assessment of APOB-missense variants, using gene-editing technologies, will lead to improvements in the molecular diagnosis of FHBL and the personalized follow-up of these patients.

Droplet digital PCR allows vector copy number assessment and monitoring of experimental CAR T cells in murine xenograft models or approved CD19 CAR T cell-treated patients.

BACKGROUND: Genetically engineered chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T lymphocytes are promising therapeutic tools for cancer. Four CAR T cell drugs, including tisagenlecleucel (tisa-cel) and axicabtagene-ciloleucel (axi-cel), all targeting CD19, are currently approved for treating B cell malignancies. Flow cytometry (FC) remains the standard for monitoring CAR T cells using a recombinant biotinylated target protein. Nevertheless, there is a need for additional tools, and the challenge is to develop an easy, relevant, highly sensitive, reproducible, and inexpensive detection method. Molecular tools can meet this need to specifically monitor long-term persistent CAR T cells. METHODS: Based on 2 experimental CAR T cell constructs, IL-1RAP and CS1, we designed 2 quantitative digital droplet (ddPCR) PCR assays. By targeting the 4.1BB/CD3z (28BBz) or 28/CD3z (28z) junction area, we demonstrated that PCR assays can be applied to approved CD19 CAR T drugs. Both 28z and 28BBz ddPCR assays allow determination of the average vector copy number (VCN) per cell. We confirmed that the VCN is dependent on the multiplicity of infection and verified that the VCN of our experimental or GMP-like IL-1RAP CAR T cells met the requirement (< 5 VCN/cell) for delivery to the clinical department, similar to approved axi-cel or tisa-cel drugs. RESULTS: 28BBz and 28z ddPCR assays applied to 2 tumoral (acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or multiple myeloma (MM) xenograft humanized NSG mouse models allowed us to quantify the early expansion (up to day 30) of CAR T cells after injection. Interestingly, following initial expansion, when circulating CAR T cells were challenged with the tumor, we noted a second expansion phase. Investigation of the bone marrow, spleen and lung showed that CAR T cells disseminated more within these tissues in mice previously injected with leukemic cell lines. Finally, circulating CAR T cell ddPCR monitoring of R/R acute lymphoid leukemia or diffuse large B cell lymphoma (n = 10 for tisa-cel and n = 7 for axi-cel) patients treated with both approved CAR T cells allowed detection of early expansion, which was highly correlated with FC, as well as long-term persistence (up to 450 days), while FC failed to detect these events. CONCLUSION: Overall, we designed and validated 2 ddPCR assays allowing routine or preclinical monitoring of early- and long-term circulating approved or experimental CAR T cells, including our own IL-1RAP CAR T cells, which will be evaluated in an upcoming phase I clinical trial.

Monocyte CD169 expression in COVID-19 patients upon intensive care unit admission.

During the second surge of COVID-19 in France (fall 2020), we assessed the expression of monocyte CD169 (i.e., Siglec-1, one of the numerous IFN-stimulated genes) upon admission to intensive care units of 45 patients with RT-PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV2 pulmonary infection. Overall, CD169 expression was strongly induced on circulating monocytes of COVID-19 patients compared with healthy donors and patients with bacterial sepsis. Beyond its contribution at the emergency department, CD169 testing may be also helpful for patients' triage at the ICU to rapidly reinforce suspicion of COVID-19 etiology in patients with acute respiratory failure awaiting for PCR results for definitive diagnosis.

Longitudinal assessment of IFN-I activity and immune profile in critically ill COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Since the onset of the pandemic, only few studies focused on longitudinal immune monitoring in critically ill COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) whereas their hospital stay may last for several weeks. Consequently, the question of whether immune parameters may drive or associate with delayed unfavorable outcome in these critically ill patients remains unsolved. METHODS: We present a dynamic description of immuno-inflammatory derangements in 64 critically ill COVID-19 patients including plasma IFNα2 levels and IFN-stimulated genes (ISG) score measurements. RESULTS: ARDS patients presented with persistently decreased lymphocyte count and mHLA-DR expression and increased cytokine levels. Type-I IFN response was initially induced with elevation of IFNα2 levels and ISG score followed by a rapid decrease over time. Survivors and non-survivors presented with apparent common immune responses over the first 3 weeks after ICU admission mixing gradual return to normal values of cellular markers and progressive decrease of cytokines levels including IFNα2. Only plasma TNF-α presented with a slow increase over time and higher values in non-survivors compared with survivors. This paralleled with an extremely high occurrence of secondary infections in COVID-19 patients with ARDS. CONCLUSIONS: Occurrence of ARDS in response to SARS-CoV2 infection appears to be strongly associated with the intensity of immune alterations upon ICU admission of COVID-19 patients. In these critically ill patients, immune profile presents with similarities with the delayed step of immunosuppression described in bacterial sepsis.

Immune Profiling Panel: A Proof-of-Concept Study of a New Multiplex Molecular Tool to Assess the Immune Status of Critically Ill Patients.

BACKGROUND: Critical illness such as sepsis is a life-threatening syndrome defined as a dysregulated host response to infection and is characterized by patients exhibiting impaired immune response. In the field of diagnosis, a gap still remains in identifying the immune profile of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: A new multiplex immune profiling panel (IPP) prototype was assessed for its ability to semiquantify messenger RNA immune-related markers directly from blood, using the FilmArray System, in less than an hour. Samples from 30 healthy volunteers were used for the technical assessment of the IPP tool. Then the tool was clinically assessed using samples from 10 healthy volunteers and 20 septic shock patients stratified using human leukocyte antigen-DR expression on monocytes (mHLA-DR). RESULTS: The IPP prototype consists of 16 biomarkers that target the immune response. The majority of the assays had a linear expression with different RNA inputs and a coefficient of determination (R2) > 0.8. Results from the IPP pouch were comparable to standard quantitative polymerase chain reaction and the assays were within the limits of agreement in Bland-Altman analysis. Quantification cycle values of the target genes were normalized against reference genes and confirmed to account for the different cell count and technical variability. The clinical assessment of the IPP markers demonstrated various gene modulations that could distinctly differentiate 3 profiles: healthy volunteers, intermediate mHLA-DR septic shock patients, and low mHLA-DR septic shock patients. CONCLUSIONS: The use of IPP showed great potential for the development of a fully automated, rapid, and easy-to-use immune profiling tool. The IPP tool may be used in the future to stratify critically ill patients in the ICU according to their immune status. Such stratification will enable personalized management of patients and guide treatments to avoid secondary infections and lower mortality.

Monocyte HLA-DR Measurement by Flow Cytometry in COVID-19 Patients: An Interim Review.

Several months after the sudden emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, the understanding of the appropriate host immune response to a virus totally unknown of human immune surveillance is still of major importance. By international definition, COVID-19 falls in the scope of septic syndromes (organ dysfunction due to dysregulated host response to an infection) in which immunosuppression is a significant driver of mortality. Sepsis-induced immunosuppression is mostly defined and monitored by the measurement of decreased expression of HLA-DR molecules on circulating monocytes (mHLA-DR). In this interim review, we summarize the first mHLA-DR results in COVID-19 patients. In critically ill patients, results homogenously indicate a decreased mHLA-DR expression, which, along with profound lymphopenia and other functional alterations, is indicative of a status of immunosuppression. © 2020 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

Commercial anti-CD19 CAR T cell therapy for patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive B cell lymphoma in a European center.

Two autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) T cells (axicabtagene ciloleucel [axi-cel] and tisagenlecleucel [tisa-cel]) are commercially approved in Europe for relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We performed a retrospective study to evaluate patterns of use, efficacy and safety for axi-cel and tisa-cel. Data from 70 patients who underwent apheresis for commercial CAR T cells between January 2018 and November 2019 in our institution were retrospectively collected. Sixty-one patients were infused. The median age at infusion was 59 years old (range 27-75 years). The median number of prior therapies was 3 (range, 2-6). The overall response rates (ORRs) at 1 month and 3 months were 63% and 45%, respectively, with 48% and 39% achieving a complete response (CR), respectively. After a median follow-up after infusion of 5.7 months, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 3.0 months (95% CI, 2.8-8.8 months), and the median overall survival (OS) was 11.8 months (95% CI, 6.0-12.6 months). In multivariate analysis, factors associated with poor PFS were the number of previous lines of treatment before CAR T cells (≥4) (P = .010) and a C reactive protein (CRP) value >30 mg/L at the time of lymphodepletion (P < .001). Likewise, the only factor associated with a shorter OS was CRP >30 mg/L (P = .009). Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) of any grade occurred in 85% of patients, including 8% of patients with CRS of grade 3 or higher. Immune cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) of any grade occurred in 28% of patients, including 10% of patients with ICANS of grade 3 or higher. Regarding efficacy and safety, no significant difference was found between axi-cel and tisa-cel. This analysis describes one of the largest real-life cohorts of patients treated with axi-cel and tisa-cel for R/R aggressive B cell lymphoma in Europe.

Septic Shock Shapes B Cell Response toward an Exhausted-like/Immunoregulatory Profile in Patients.

Septic shock is accompanied by the development of immune dysfunctions whose intensity and duration are associated with increased risk of secondary infections and mortality. Although B lymphocytes play a pivotal role in the immune response to infections, no comprehensive exploration of circulating B cell status has been performed during the immunosuppressive phase of septic shock. Thus, our aim was to extensively characterize the phenotype and function of B cells in septic shock, including IL-10 production. Circulating B lymphocyte phenotype and function were evaluated by flow cytometry on fresh whole blood and after ex vivo stimulation in adult septic shock patients sampled at day 1, 3, and 6 after the onset of shock. The circulating B cell number was reduced in septic shock patients, whereas the B cell proportion among total lymphocytes was increased. The remaining circulating B lymphocytes presented with decreased MHC class II expression and increased CD21low CD95high exhausted-like phenotype but showed no change in maturation status. Circulating B cell functions were markedly altered after sepsis with reduced ex vivo activation and proliferation capacities. Finally, B cell response after septic shock was characterized by a clear plasmacytosis and an increased IL-10 production in remaining B cells from patients after ex vivo stimulation. During the sepsis-induced immunosuppression phase, B cell response is altered and is oriented toward an exhausted-like/immunoregulatory profile. Further studies are now needed to confirm the immunoregulatory properties of B lymphocytes and evaluate their role in sepsis-induced immunosuppression.

Monocytic HLA-DR expression kinetics in septic shock patients with different pathogens, sites of infection and adverse outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Decreased monocytic (m)HLA-DR expression is the most studied biomarker of sepsis-induced immunosuppression. To date, little is known about the relationship between sepsis characteristics, such as the site of infection, causative pathogen, or severity of disease, and mHLA-DR expression kinetics. METHODS: We evaluated mHLA-DR expression kinetics in 241 septic shock patients with different primary sites of infection and pathogens. Furthermore, we used unsupervised clustering analysis to identify mHLA-DR trajectories and evaluated their association with outcome parameters. RESULTS: No differences in mHLA-DR expression kinetics were found between groups of patients with different sites of infection (abdominal vs. respiratory, p = 0.13; abdominal vs. urinary tract, p = 0.53) and between pathogen categories (Gram-positive vs. Gram-negative, p = 0.54; Gram-positive vs. negative cultures, p = 0.84). The mHLA-DR expression kinetics differed between survivors and non-survivors (p < 0.001), with an increase over time in survivors only. Furthermore, we identified three mHLA-DR trajectories ('early improvers', 'delayed or non-improvers' and 'decliners'). The probability for adverse outcome (secondary infection or death) was higher in the delayed or non-improvers and decliners vs. the early improvers (delayed or non-improvers log-rank p = 0.03, adjusted hazard ratio 2.0 [95% CI 1.0-4.0], p = 0.057 and decliners log-rank p = 0.01, adjusted hazard ratio 2.8 [95% CI 1.1-7.1], p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Sites of primary infection or causative pathogens are not associated with mHLA-DR expression kinetics in septic shock patients. However, patients showing delayed or no improvement in or a declining mHLA-DR expression have a higher risk for adverse outcome compared with patients exhibiting a swift increase in mHLA-DR expression. Our study signifies that changes in mHLA-DR expression over time, and not absolute values or static measurements, are of clinical importance in septic shock patients.

Dynamic LTR retrotransposon transcriptome landscape in septic shock patients.

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Numerous studies have explored the complex and dynamic transcriptome modulations observed in sepsis patients, but a large fraction of the transcriptome remains unexplored. This fraction could provide information to better understand sepsis pathophysiology. Multiple levels of interaction between human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) and the immune response have led us to hypothesize that sepsis is associated with HERV transcription and that HERVs may contribute to a signature among septic patients allowing stratification and personalized management. METHODS: We used a high-density microarray and RT-qPCR to evaluate the HERV and Mammalian Apparent Long Terminal Repeat retrotransposons (MaLR) transcriptome in a pilot study that included 20 selected septic shock patients, stratified on mHLA-DR expression, with samples collected on day 1 and day 3 after inclusion. We validated the results in an unselected, independent cohort that included 100 septic shock patients on day 3 after inclusion. We compared septic shock patients, according to their immune status, to describe the transcriptional HERV/MaLR and conventional gene expression. For differential expression analyses, moderated t tests were performed and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to analyze RT-qPCR results. RESULTS: We showed that 6.9% of the HERV/MaLR repertoire was transcribed in the whole blood, and septic shock was associated with an early modulation of a few thousand of these loci, in comparison to healthy volunteers. We provided evidence that a subset of HERV/MaLR and conventional genes were differentially expressed in septic shock patients, according to their immune status, using monocyte HLA-DR (mHLA-DR) expression as a proxy. A group of 193 differentially expressed HERV/MaLR probesets, tested in an independent septic shock cohort, identified two groups of patients with different immune status and severity features. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that a large, unexplored part of our genome, which codes for HERV/MaLR, may be linked to the host immune response. The identified set of HERV/MaLR probesets should be evaluated on a large scale to assess the relevance of these loci in the stratification of septic shock patients. This may help to address the heterogeneity of these patients.

How Clinical Flow Cytometry Rebooted Sepsis Immunology.

On May 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized sepsis as a global health priority by adopting a resolution to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and management of this deadly disease. While it has long been known that sepsis deeply perturbs immune homeostasis by inducing a tremendous systemic inflammatory response, pivotal observations based on clinical flow cytometry indicate that sepsis indeed initiates a more complex immune response that varies over time, with the concomitant occurrence of both pro- and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. As a resultant, some septic patients enter a stage of protracted immunosuppression. This paved the way for immunostimulation approaches in sepsis. Clinical flow cytometry permitted this evolution by drawing a new picture of pathophysiology and reshaping immune trajectories in patients. Additional information from cytometry by time of flight mass cytometry and other high-dimensional flow cytometry platform should rapidly enrich our understanding of this complex disease. This review reports on landmarks of clinical flow cytometry in sepsis and how this single-cell analysis technique permitted to breach the wall of decades of unfruitful anti-inflammatory-based clinical trials in sepsis. © 2019 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

IL-7 and Its Beneficial Role in Sepsis-Induced T Lymphocyte Dysfunction.

Sepsis, defined as life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by dysregulated host response to infection, has recently been acknowledged as a worldwide health priority. Sepsis remains the leading cause of mortality in intensive care units and accounts for 6 million deaths every year. Few therapeutic options targeting host immune response in sepsis have demonstrated their efficacy so far. Increasing evidence suggests that a profound immune suppression develops following sepsis, affecting innate and adaptive immune response, of which intensity and duration is associated with increased risk of death and nosocomial infection. Immunostimulant treatments are thus now evaluated in sepsis, and recombinant human IL-7 (rhIL-7) represents a promising candidate. rhIL-7 has been evaluated in several clinical trials in patients with altered lymphocytic responses (HIV infection, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and cancer). Recent studies in animal models and in patients' samples ex vivo demonstrated its efficacy in improving sepsis-induced T cell alterations. Finally, the first clinical trial evaluating rhIL-7 in septic shock patients has just been published. This review will discuss the use of rhIL-7 to treat sepsis-induced T cell dysfunction by introducing the pathophysiology of sepsis and sepsis-related lymphocyte alterations before focusing on rhIL-7 and its potential use of as a therapeutic intervention in patients.

IL-7 Restores T Lymphocyte Immunometabolic Failure in Septic Shock Patients through mTOR Activation.

T lymphocyte alterations are central to sepsis pathophysiology, whereas related mechanisms remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that metabolic alterations could play a role in sepsis-induced T lymphocyte dysfunction. Samples from septic shock patients were obtained at day 3 and compared with those from healthy donors. T cell metabolic status was evaluated in the basal condition and after T cell stimulation. We observed that basal metabolic content measured in lymphocytes by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was altered in septic patients. Basal ATP concentration, oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), and glycolysis pathways in T cells were decreased as well. After stimulation, T lymphocytes from patients failed to induce glycolysis, OXPHOS, ATP production, GLUT1 expression, glucose entry, and proliferation to similar levels as controls. This was associated with significantly altered mTOR, but not Akt or HIF-1α, activation and only minor AMPKα phosphorylation dysfunction. IL-7 treatment improved mTOR activation, GLUT1 expression, and glucose entry in septic patients' T lymphocytes, leading to their enhanced proliferation. mTOR activation was central to this process, because rapamycin systematically inhibited the beneficial effect of recombinant human IL-7. We demonstrate the central role of immunometabolism and, in particular, mTOR alterations in the pathophysiology of sepsis-induced T cell alterations. Our results support the rationale for targeting metabolism in sepsis with recombinant human IL-7 as a treatment option.