Project description:Aging is associated with declining immunity and inflammation as well as alterations in the gut microbiome with a decrease of beneficial microbes and increase in pathogenic ones. The aim of this study was to investigate aging associated gut microbiome in relation to immunologic and metabolic profile in a non-human primate (NHP) model. 12 old (age>18 years) and 4 young (age 3-6 years) Rhesus macaques were included in this study. Immune cell subsets were characterized in PBMC by flow cytometry and plasma cytokines levels were determined by bead based multiplex cytokine analysis. Stool samples were collected by ileal loop and investigated for microbiome analysis by shotgun metagenomics. Serum, gut microbial lysate and microbe-free fecal extract were subjected to metabolomic analysis by mass-spectrometry. Our results showed that the old animals exhibited higher inflammatory biomarkers in plasma and lower CD4 T cells with altered distribution of naïve and memory T cell maturation subsets. The gut microbiome in old animals had higher abundance of Archaeal and Proteobacterial species and lower Firmicutes than the young. Significant enrichment of metabolites that contribute to inflammatory and cytotoxic pathways was observed in serum and feces of old animals compared to the young. We conclude that aging NHP undergo immunosenescence and age associated alterations in the gut microbiome that has a distinct metabolic profile.
Project description:HIV is known to severely affect the gastrointestinal immune system, in particular compartments of immunity that regulate gut microbial composition. Furthermore, recent studies in mice have shown that dysregulation of the gut microbiome can contribute to chronic inflammation, which is a hallmark of HIV and is thought to fuel disease progression. We sought to understand whether the gut microbial community differs in HIV-infected subjects, and whether such putative differences are associated with disease progression. We found that dysbiosis in the gut mucosally-adherent bacterial community associates with markers of chronic inflammation and disease progression in HIV-infected subjects, and this dysbiosis remains in many subjects undergiong antiretroviral therapy. We used G3 PhyloChip microarrays (commercially available from Second Genome, Inc.) to profile gut bacteria in rectosigmoid biopsies from 32 subjects: 6 HIV-infected viremic untreated (VU), 18 HIV-infected subjects on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), 1 HIV-infected long-term non-progressor that is untreated (LTNP), and 9 HIV-uninfected subjects (HIV-).
Project description:Introduction: Systems vaccinology is a novel approach to predict immune response in vaccines. We have used a systems biology approach to identify early gene ‘signatures’ that predicted viral load control after analytical therapy interruption (ATI) in HIV-1 infected patients vaccinated with a dendritic cell-based (DC) HIV-1 vaccine. Methods: Frozen post-vaccination PBMC samples from participants of a previously published DC vaccine (DCV2) clinical trial were used for the study. mRNA and miRNA were extracted and gene expression was determined by microarray method. Differential gene expression analysis was performed on both mRNA and miRNA between responders (> 1 log10 copies/mL drop of VL after 12 weeks of ATI) and non-responders (<= 1 log10 copies/mL drop in VL at week 12 of ATI). Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was carried out with the hallmark gene sets of the Broad Institute on the mRNA data. After the stand-alone analyses of mRNA and miRNA we performed an additional GSEA with gene sets defined by the genes regulated by significantly differentially expressed miRNAs. Statistical analysis was done using R and the GSEA software of the Broad Institute. Results: There were 15 responders and 20 non-responders. No differentially expressed mRNAs were observed between responders and non-responders. As compared with non-responders, responders showed an up-regulation of gene sets corresponding to TNF- alpha signaling via the NFkB pathway, inflammatory response, coagulation, the complement system, Il6 and Il2 JAK-STAT signaling, or reactive oxygen-species pathways were up-regulated, and a down-regulation of gene sets corresponding to E2F targets, oxidative phosphorylation, or interferon alpha response. We found 9 differentially expressed miRNAs between responders and non-responders: miR-32-3p, miR-185-3p, miR-223-3p, miR-500b-3p, miR-550a-3p, miR-1183, miR-1184, miR-4455, and miR-8063. Twelve Broad hallmark gene sets that were significantly deregulated in the GSEA showed significant overlap with genes regulated by one or more of these miRNAs, 10 of them with genes regulated by miR-223-3p. We also observed that the expression of genes regulated by miR-223-3p, miR-1183 and miR-8063 was significantly down-regulated in responders as compared with non-responders. Conclusions: Deregulation of certain gene sets related to inflammatory processes seems fundamental in viral control during ATI. miR-223-3p may be one of the miRNAs that fine tune part of these processes.
Project description:Introduction: Systems vaccinology is a novel approach to predict immune response in vaccines. We have used a systems biology approach to identify early gene ‘signatures’ that predicted viral load control after analytical therapy interruption (ATI) in HIV-1 infected patients vaccinated with a dendritic cell-based (DC) HIV-1 vaccine. Methods: Frozen post-vaccination PBMC samples from participants of a previously published DC vaccine (DCV2) clinical trial were used for the study. mRNA and miRNA were extracted and gene expression was determined by microarray method. Differential gene expression analysis was performed on both mRNA and miRNA between responders (> 1 log10 copies/mL drop of VL after 12 weeks of ATI) and non-responders (<= 1 log10 copies/mL drop in VL at week 12 of ATI). Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was carried out with the hallmark gene sets of the Broad Institute on the mRNA data. After the stand-alone analyses of mRNA and miRNA we performed an additional GSEA with gene sets defined by the genes regulated by significantly differentially expressed miRNAs. Statistical analysis was done using R and the GSEA software of the Broad Institute. Results: There were 15 responders and 20 non-responders. No differentially expressed mRNAs were observed between responders and non-responders. As compared with non-responders, responders showed an up-regulation of gene sets corresponding to TNF- alpha signaling via the NFkB pathway, inflammatory response, coagulation, the complement system, Il6 and Il2 JAK-STAT signaling, or reactive oxygen-species pathways were up-regulated, and a down-regulation of gene sets corresponding to E2F targets, oxidative phosphorylation, or interferon alpha response. We found 9 differentially expressed miRNAs between responders and non-responders: miR-32-3p, miR-185-3p, miR-223-3p, miR-500b-3p, miR-550a-3p, miR-1183, miR-1184, miR-4455, and miR-8063. Twelve Broad hallmark gene sets that were significantly deregulated in the GSEA showed significant overlap with genes regulated by one or more of these miRNAs, 10 of them with genes regulated by miR-223-3p. We also observed that the expression of genes regulated by miR-223-3p, miR-1183 and miR-8063 was significantly down-regulated in responders as compared with non-responders. Conclusions: Deregulation of certain gene sets related to inflammatory processes seems fundamental in viral control during ATI. miR-223-3p may be one of the miRNAs that fine tune part of these processes.
Project description:Bronchoalveolar lavage is commonly performed to examine inflammation and responsible pathogens in lung diseases, and its findings may be used to assess the immune profile of the lung tumor microenvironment (TME). To investigate whether analyses of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) can help identify non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), BALF and blood were prospectively collected before initiating nivolumab. The secreted molecules, microbiome, and cellular profiles based on BALF and blood analysis were compared regarding therapeutic effect in 12 patients. Compared to non-responders, responders showed significantly higher CXCL9 levels and greater diversity in the lung microbiome profile in BALF, and greater frequency of CD56+ subset in blood T cells, whereas no significant difference was found in PD-L1 expression of tumor cells. Antibiotic treatment in a preclinical lung cancer model significantly decreased CXCL9 in the lung TME, resulting in reduced sensitivity to nivolumab, which was reversed by CXCL9 induction in tumor cells. Thus, CXCL9 and the microbiome in the lung TME might be associated with each other, and their balance could contribute to nivolumab sensitivity in NSCLC patients. BALF analysis can help predict the efficacy of ICIs when performed along with currently approved examinations.
Project description:Persistent and elevated systemic inflammation contributes to the increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in persons with HIV (PWH). , but aspects of the innate and adaptive immune response to HIV and other chronic co-infections that promote the development of these comorbid conditions remain unclear. We used mass cytometry and the tracking responders expanding (T-REX) workflow to define differences in circulating cells of the innate and adaptive immune arms, which differentiate non-diabetic and prediabetic/diabetic persons with HIV (PWH) on long-term antiretroviral therapy (ART). We found a significantly higher proportion of circulating CD14+ monocytes complexed with T cells, B cells, and NK cells among PWH with diabetes. The CD3+ T cells in these complexes were predominantly CD8+ memory T cells. The CD3+ CD14+ T cell-monocyte complexes are pro-inflammatory and negatively associated with plasma interleukin-10 levels and circulating CD4+ T regulatory cells. Using transmission electron microscopy, we observed heterogeneous interactions between CD3+ T cells and monocytes within the complexes, including formation of immune synapses and phagocytosis. 10x Chromium single-cell sequencing RNA transcriptomic analysis of CD3+ CD14+ doublets showed differential expression of genes involved in T cell activation and the adaptive immune response compared to monocytes that were not complexed with other immune cells. Notably, there were significantly more copies of HIV RNA per cell in the CD3+ CD14+ T cell-monocyte complexes compared to CD14+ monocytes or CD3+ CD4+ T cells alone, and HIV virions were observed in both T cells and monocytes within the doublets?. Metabolically, CD3+ CD14+ T cell-monocyte complexes had high glucose-dependence with minimal mitochondrial dependence. Taken together, CD3+ CD14+ T cell-monocyte pairs are functional and physically interacting immune cell complexes which might be enriched with HIV. These complexesare increased among individuals with diabetes and may be a target for future HIV cure studies and diseases of aging.
Project description:Systemic and local (oral mucosal) immune responses in acutely infected HIV individuals before the initiation of HAART have not been well characterized. Protein microarrays were used to analyze saliva and plasma from HIV infected and HIV uninfected subjects to identify new biomarkers for HIV disease progression and pathogenesis. A 507 protein microarray was employed to provide a broad view of cytokines and chemokines in saliva and plasma in acutely HIV infected subjects as compared to uninfected subjects. A custom array derived from the initial results was refined to highlight those molecules with significant change relative to control subjects indicating the potential for biological impact.
Project description:A 507 protein microarray was employed to provide a broad view of cytokines and chemokines in saliva and plasma in acutely HIV infected subjects as compared to uninfected subjects. A 40 cytokine custom array derived from the initial results was refined to highlight those molecules with significant change relative to control subjects indicating the potential for biological impact. Systemic and local (oral mucosal) immune responses in acutely infected HIV individuals before the initiation of HAART have not been well characterized. Protein microarrays were used to analyze saliva and plasma from HIV infected and HIV uninfected subjects to identify new biomarkers for HIV disease progression and pathogenesis.
Project description:There is a growing appreciation of the role of the microbiome in cancer, and evidence in pre-clinical models that the gut microbiome may modulate responses to immune checkpoint blockade though this has not been well-characterized in patients. We analyzed the oral (n=86)and gut (n=43) 16S microbiome in melanoma patients on PD-1 blockade. Significant differences were noted in the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome between responders and non-responders in patients with a fecal microbiome sample, with significantly higher alpha diversity and relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae bacteria) in R. Metagenomic studies (n=25) revealed functional differences in gut bacteria in R including enrichment of anabolic pathways. Immune profiling demonstrated enhanced systemic and anti-tumor immunity in patients with a favorable gut microbiome as well as in germ-free mice receiving fecal transplant from responding patients. Together, these data have important implications for treatment with immune checkpoint blockade in cancer.