Urine microRNA-7977/G6PD level in DKD patients and its association with dysfunction of albumin-induced autophagy in proximal epithelial tubular cells.

Studies have shown that decreased expression of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) play an important role in DKD. However, the upstream and downstream pathways of G6PD downregulation leading to DKD have not been elucidated.We conducted a series of studies including clinical study, animal studies, and in vitro studies to explore this. Firstly, a total of 90 subjects were evaluated. The urinary G6PD activity and its association with the clinical markers were analyzed. Then, urine differentially microRNAs that can bind and degrade G6PD were screened and verified in DKD patients. After that, high glucose (HG)-cultured Human kidney cells (HK-2) and Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats were used to test the roles of miR-7977/G6PD/albumin-induced autophagy in DKD. The plasma and urinary G6PD activity were decreased significantly in patients with DKD, accompanied by increased urinary mir-7977 level. The fasting plasma glucose (FPG), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and urinary albumin excretion were independent predictors of urinary G6PD activity by multiple linear regression analysis.The increased expression of miR-7977 and decreased expression of G6PD were also found in the kidney of ZDF rats with early renal tubular damage.In HK-2 cells cultured with normal situation, low level of albumin could induce autophagy along with the stimulation of G6PD although this was impaired under high glucose. Overexpression of G6PD reversed albumin-induced autophagy in HK2 cells under high glucose.Inhibition mir-7977 expression led to significantly increased expression of G6PD and reversed the effects of high glucose on albumin induced autophagy.Our study supports a new mechanism of G6PD downregulation in DKD.

NK-like CD8 T cell: one potential evolutionary continuum between adaptive memory and innate immunity.

CD8 T cells are crucial adaptive immune cells with cytotoxicity to fight against pathogens or abnormal self-cells via major histocompatibility complex class I-dependent priming pathways. The composition of the memory CD8 T-cell pool is influenced by various factors. Physiological aging, chronic viral infection, and autoimmune diseases promote the accumulation of CD8 T cells with highly differentiated memory phenotypes. Accumulating studies have shown that some of these memory CD8 T cells also exhibit innate-like cytotoxicity and upregulate the expression of receptors associated with natural killer (NK) cells. Further analysis shows that these NK-like CD8 T cells have transcriptional profiles of both NK and CD8 T cells, suggesting the transformation of CD8 T cells into NK cells. However, the specific induction mechanism underlying NK-like transformation and the implications of this process for CD8 T cells are still unclear. This review aimed to deduce the possible differentiation model of NK-like CD8 T cells, summarize the functions of major NK-cell receptors expressed on these cells, and provide a new perspective for exploring the role of these CD8 T cells in health and disease.

Surface chemical modification of poly(dimethylsiloxane) for stabilizing antibody immobilization and T cell cultures.

Advances in cell immunotherapy underscore the need for effective methods to produce large populations of effector T cells, driving growing interest in T-cell bioprocessing and immunoengineering. Research suggests that T cells demonstrate enhanced expansion and differentiation on soft matrices in contrast to rigid ones. Nevertheless, the influence of antibody conjugation chemistry on these processes remains largely unexplored. In this study, we examined the effect of antibody conjugation chemistry on T cell activation, expansion and differentiation using a soft and biocompatible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) platform. We rigorously evaluated three distinct immobilization methods, beginning with the use of amino-silane (PDMS-NH2-Ab), followed by glutaraldehyde (PDMS-CHO-Ab) or succinic acid anhydride (PDMS-COOH-Ab) activation, in addition to the conventional physical adsorption (PDMS-Ab). By employing both stable amide bonds and reducible Schiff bases, antibody conjugation significantly enhanced antibody loading and density compared to physical adsorption. Furthermore, we discovered that the PDMS-COOH-Ab surface significantly promoted IL-2 secretion, CD69 expression, and T cell expansion compared to the other groups. Moreover, we observed that both PDMS-COOH-Ab and PDMS-NH2-Ab surfaces exhibited a tendency to induce the differentiation of naïve CD4+ T cells into Th1 cells, whereas the PDMS-Ab surface elicited a Th2-biased immunological response. These findings highlight the importance of antibody conjugation chemistry in the design and development of T cell culture biomaterials. They also indicate that PDMS holds promise as a material for constructing culture platforms to modulate T cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation.

Optimization of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface chemical modification and formulation for improved T cell activation and expansion.

Adoptive T cell therapy has undergone remarkable advancements in recent decades; nevertheless, the rapid and effective ex vivo expansion of tumor-reactive T cells remains a formidable challenge, limiting their clinical application. Artificial antigen-presenting substrates represent a promising avenue for enhancing the efficiency of adoptive immunotherapy and fostering T cell expansion. These substrates offer significant potential by providing flexibility and modularity in the design of tailored stimulatory environments. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) silicone elastomer stands as a widely utilized biomaterial for exploring the varying sensitivity of T cell activation to substrate properties. This paper explores the optimization of PDMS surface modification and formulation to create customized stimulatory surfaces with the goal of enhancing T cell expansion. By employing soft PDMS elastomer functionalized through silanization and activating agent, coupled with site-directed protein immobilization techniques, a novel T cell stimulatory platform is introduced, facilitating T cell activation and proliferation. Notably, our findings underscore that softer modified elastomers (Young' modulus E∼300 kPa) exhibit superior efficacy in stimulating and activating mouse CD4+ T cells compared to their stiffer counterparts (E∼3 MPa). Furthermore, softened modified PDMS substrates demonstrate enhanced capabilities in T cell expansion and Th1 differentiation, offering promising insights for the advancement of T cell-based immunotherapy.

Maresin2 negatively regulates DC's maturation via the MAPK/NF-κB pathway in DCs.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects and mechanisms of Maresin2 on the function of DCs(Dendritic cells). METHOD: The levels of IL-6, IL-12, TNF-α and IL-1ß secreted by BMDCs (Bone marrow-derived Dendritic cells) after Maresin2 treatment were detected by ELISA. At the same time, the expressions of costimulatory molecules CD40 and CD86 on the surface, the ability of phagocytosis of ovalbumin(OVA) antigen, and antigen presentation function in BMDCs were analyzed by flow cytometry. Finally, MAPK and NF-κB pathway signaling phosphorylation in Maresin2-treated BMDCs were detected by western blot. RESULTS: The secretion levels of IL-6, IL-12, TNF-α and IL-1ß were significantly decreased in the Maresin2 treatment group after LPS treatment (P < 0.05). The expression levels of CD86 and CD40 were significantly decreased after Maresin2 treatment (P < 0.05). Maresin2 enhanced the phagocytosis ability of ovalbumin(OVA) (P < 0.05), but the ability of antigen presentation of BMDCs with the treatment of Maresin2 changed slightly (P > 0.05). Phosphorylation of p38, JNK, p65, ikka/ß and ERK peaked at 15 min in the LPS group, while phosphorylation of p-p38 and p-ERK weakened 30 min and 60 min after treatment with Maresin2. CONCLUSIONS: Maresin2 inhibits inflammatory cytokine secretion but enhances phagocytosis via the MAPK/NF-κB pathway in BMDCs, which may contribute to negatively regulating inflammation.