Immunity Commons^™

Capsaicinoids From Capsicum Annuum As An Alternative Fabh Inhibitor Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis: In Silico Study, Gabriella Chandrakirana Krisnamurti, Dewi Ratih Tirto Sari, Yohanes Bare

Makara Journal of Science

The number of tuberculosis (TB) cases worldwide reached 1.5 million in 2018; thus, TB is considered a deadly disease. TB is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and involves lipid synthesis. Considering the importance of lipid metabolism in bacteria, FabH may be an essential protein target for repressing lipid synthesis. Capsaicinoids from Capsicum annuum demonstrate potent antibacterial activity. This study predicted the ability of capsaicinoid compounds to inhibit FabH. In silico analysis was performed by retrieving the structure of FabH from PDB and those of selected capsaicinoid derivatives from PubChem. The compounds were docked using AutoDock Vina in PyRx 0.8 software. The …

Immunological Factors Associated With Siv/ Shiv Persistence In Diverse Tissue Niches, Omalla A. Olwenyi

Theses & Dissertations

The significant challenge towards a successful HIV cure lies in eradicating persistent viral reservoirs across diverse tissue niches. As a result, HIV-infected individuals have to resort to lifelong antiretroviral therapy. Recent news of supposed HIV eradication in a second patient has further re-invigorated the fields of HIV cure. However, a few barriers remain, such as the lack of currently available assays to accurately quantify viral reservoirs, limited information on cellular factors associated with persistence, and varied dynamics of the viral reservoir in various body compartments. Lastly, HIV-infected individuals live different lifestyles stemming from comorbid substance abuse including consumption of morphine, …

Intrinsically Disordered Protein Regions In Human Evolution And As Therapeutic Targets, Karen Paco Mendivil

KGI Theses and Dissertations

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and IDP regions (IDPRs) fail to form stable structures but have important biological functions via interacting with various molecular partners (proteins, DNA, RNA, glycosaminoglycans). We hypothesized that IDPRs are potential targets for therapeutics development because they are reservoirs of evolutionary innovation, and they play crucial roles in adaptation to pathogens.

We first studied the evolution of IDPRs in the human proteome and compared it with the proteome of non-human primates. We have found that evolutionary young protein-coding genes have included low conserved regions in the N-terminal part of proteins, and such regions are linked to high …

Dicer Represses Antiviral Innate Immunity Pathways In Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells, Chandan Gurung

Dissertations

Recent studies have demonstrated that embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are deficient in expressing type I interferons (IFN), the cytokines that play key roles in antiviral responses. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms and biological implications of this finding are poorly understood. In this study, I used a synthetic RNA-based assay that can simultaneously assess multiple forms of antiviral responses in ESCs. Dicer is an enzyme essential for RNA interference (RNAi), which is used as a major antiviral mechanism in invertebrates but not clear in vertebrates. RNAi activity is detected in wild-type ESCs but is abolished in Dicer knockout ESCs (D−/−ESCs) as …

Trained Immunity Enhances The Immune Response And Maintains Microbiome Diversity In Aging And Sepsis, P. Spencer Gill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The global population is rapidly aging. It is estimated that over the next thirty years, the number of individuals >60 years of age will increase by over a billion, and the number of individuals over age 80 may increase by 300 million. As humans age, our immune system becomes progressively weaker through a process called immune senescence. This age-related decrease in immune function increases susceptibility to infection and chronic diseases. Sepsis is a leading cause of death worldwide. Over the past two decades, there has been an increased incidence of sepsis which is due, in part, to our aging population …

Stat3 Inhibits Type I Interferon Signaling In Type I Conventional Dendritic Cells, Taylor Chrisikos

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) are an essential immune population, responsible for controlling adaptive immunity and tolerance. Recently, type I cDCs (cDC1s) have been delineated as a distinct cDC subset, uniquely responsible for coordinating T cell-mediated immunity against pathogens and tumors. Although the importance of cDC1s is now well established, the mechanisms that regulate cDC1 function remain largely unknown. Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) mediates the intracellular signaling of interleukin 10 (IL-10), an immunosuppressive cytokine. Therefore, we hypothesized that STAT3 and IL-10 inhibit cDC1 function and induction of T cell-mediated immunity. Herein, we show that IL-10 inhibits polyinosinic:polycytidylic …

Usability And Acceptability Of A Mobile App For Behavior Change And To Improve Immunization Coverage Among Children In Pakistan: A Mixed-Methods Study, Abdul Momin Kazi, Nazia Ahsan, Waliyah Mughis, Saima Jamal, Raheel Allana, Mehreen Raza, Sahrish Muneer, Muhammad Ayub Khan Mughal, Hussain Kalimuddin, Fareeha Sameen

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Pakistan's immunization uptake rates are still significantly lower than anticipated despite several initiatives. Lack of awareness, forgetting about vaccination schedule, and vaccine misconception/misinformation are a few of the major drivers that mitigate the rates of immunization. The current COVID-19 pandemic emphasizes the importance of immunization. The significant reductions in regular childhood vaccination during pandemic have increased the risk of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. Concerns among parents over possibly exposing their children to COVID-19 during child visits may have contributed to the reported declines. Innovative and cost-effective mHealth interventions must be implemented in order to address the problem of inadequate …

Characterization Of Metabolic Gene Expression In The Raw 264.7 Monocyte Cell Line, Lauren Macaisa

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

Immune cells undergo changes in gene expression and metabolism when activated by a foreign molecule. Although the changes are short-lived in response to an acute infection, they persist in disorders with underlying chronic inflammation. To understand how changes in gene expression relate to changes in metabolism, the expression of metabolic transporter proteins, was analyzed in response to chronic inflammation in a mouse monocyte cell line. Specifically, Glucose Transporter-1 (GLUT1), Monocarboxylate Transporter-1 (MCT1), Monocarboxylate Transporter-4 (MCT4), and Glutamate Aspartate Transporter (GLAST) were analyzed, and it was hypothesized that all the transporters would increase in expression in response to a prolonged inflammatory …

Roles Of A Bradykinin Storm And A Cytokine Storm In Covid-19 Cases, Nouha H. Odeh

Honors College Theses

In the light of recent events, it is imperative to understand the key inflammatory response elements that appear to be the source of more severe ailments resulting from a SARS-CoV-2 viral infection known as Covid-19 The more severe cases of Covid-19 are characterized by a severe inflammatory response resulting in tissue damage. My research proposal aims to investigate the two possible culprits of this response: a bradykinin (BK) storm and an interleukin-6 (IL-6) mediated cytokine storm. In both systems respectively, the excess release of these signals subsequently signals the production of even more of the same response element, resulting in …

Conserved Non-Pocket Interactions Drive The Diversity Of Peptide Presentation By Mhc Class I Molecules, Kyle Jackson

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL) can lyse infected or transformed cells through recognition of peptides presented on human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules. A thorough understanding of peptide-HLA interactions is needed for improvement of CTL-based immunotherapies. We observed that aspartic acid (D) and glutamic acid (E) at peptide position 4 are highly prevalent in HLA-I peptide ligands, and discovered that they interact with arginine (R) in position 65 and lysine (L) in position 66 of the α1 helix of the binding groove in HLA-A*0201 and HLA-A*2402. Since this interaction differed from well-characterized peptide-HLA anchor interactions mediated by peptide position 2 and the C-terminus, …

Immunological And Hematological Outcomes Following Protracted Low Dose/Low Dose Rate Ionizing Radiation And Simulated Microgravity, Amber M. Paul, Eliah G. Overbey, Willian A. Da Silveira, Nathaniel Szewczyk, Nina C. Nishiyama, Michael J. Pecaut, Sulekha Anand, Jonathan M. Galazka, Xiao Wen Mao

Publications

Using a ground-based model to simulate spaceflight [21-days of single-housed, hindlimb unloading (HLU) combined with continuous low-dose gamma irradiation (LDR, total dose of 0.04 Gy)], an in-depth survey of the immune and hematological systems of mice at 7-days post-exposure was performed. Collected blood was profiled with a hematology analyzer and spleens were analyzed by whole transcriptome shotgun sequencing (RNA-sequencing). The results revealed negligible differences in immune differentials. However, hematological system analyses of whole blood indicated large disparities in red blood cell differentials and morphology, suggestive of anemia. Murine Reactome networks indicated majority of spleen cells displayed differentially expressed genes (DEG) …

The Immune Microenvironment And Relation To Outcome In Patients With Advanced Breast Cancer Treated With Docetaxel With Or Without Gemcitabine, Elisabeth S. Stovgaard, Karama Asleh, Nazia Riaz, Samuel Leung, Dongxia Gao, Lise B. Nielsen, Anne-Vibeke Lænkholm, Eva Balslev, Maj-Britt Jensen, Dorte Nielsen, Torsten O. Nielsen

Centre for Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cell Research

Preclinical studies suggest that some effects of conventional chemotherapy, and in particular, gemcitabine, are mediated through enhanced antitumor immune responses. The objective of this study was to use material from a randomized clinical trial to evaluate whether patients with preexisting immune infiltrates responded better to treatment with gemcitabine + docetaxel (GD) compared to docetaxel alone. Formalin fixed, paraffin-embedded breast cancer tissues from SBG0102 phase 3 trial patients randomly assigned to treatment with GD or docetaxel were used. Immunohistochemical staining for CD8, FOXP3, LAG3, PD-1, PD-L1 and CD163 was performed. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and tumor associated macrophages were evaluated. Prespecified …

Effects Of A Low Crude Protein Diet With And Without Spirulina Platensis Inclusion On The Concentrations And Proportions Of Circulating Immune Cells In Broilers, Heather Glenn

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Immune system health is an important aspect of broiler production, especially with the reduction of the use of antibiotics. Nutritional aspects, like crude protein percentage, and natural alternatives to antibiotics are being investigated to see the effect they have on immunity. Spirulina is an alternative proteinaceous ingredient that producers are looking into, not only due to its high nutritional value, but also its immune boosting properties. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a low crude protein diet (LCP) and a Spirulina-supplemented low crude protein (LCP-SP) diet on broiler blood cell measurements, including, concentrations and proportions …

Synthetic Viral Pyrogen Induces Behavioral Fever In Plethodon Glutinosus Salamanders, Nicholas Britt

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Behavioral fever is an essential coping mechanism across ectothermic phyla to aid in combating pathogenic threats. Ectotherms lack internal temperature regulation associated with fever in endotherms; thus, ectotherms can exhibit a behavioral fever response when immunocompromised to thermoregulate by moving to warmer locations. The salamander order Caudata, tend to be keystone species in their resident ecosystems through their role as secondary consumers of invertebrates to maintain the food chain. With growing interest about ecology and conservation of salamanders as species diversity declines, this study was designed to determine if salamanders use their environment to take advantage of behavioral fever. The …

Sodium Pyruvate Ameliorates Influenza A Virus Infection In Vitro And In Vivo, Jessica M. Reel

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Pyruvate is produced in duplicate at the end of glycolysis in addition to ATP and NADH. Pyruvate is the metabolite of choice in most cells, whether obtained exogenously or endogenously. Recently we found that the addition of pyruvate’s conjugate base, sodium pyruvate, to cell culture media dampened the immune response to influenza A virus (IAV) infection in cultured innate immune cells. Thus, I decided to investigate the mechanism and potential for treatment of IAV. In vitro using bone marrow derived macrophages that were infected with IAV we found that adding sodium pyruvate to the media decreased immune signaling pathways through …

Placenta-Expanded Stromal Cell Therapy In A Rodent Model Of Simulated Weightlessness, Amber M. Paul, Linda Rubinstein, Charles Houseman, Metadel Abegaz, Steffy Tabares Ruiz

Publications

Long duration spaceflight poses potential health risks to astronauts during flight and re-adaptation after return to Earth. There is an emerging need for NASA to provide successful and reliable therapeutics for long duration missions when capability for medical intervention will be limited. Clinically relevant, human placenta-derived therapeutic stromal cells (PLX-PAD) are a promising therapeutic alternative. We found that treatment of adult female mice with PLX-PAD near the onset of simulated weightlessness by hindlimb unloading (HU, 30 d) was well-tolerated and partially mitigated decrements caused by HU. Specifically, PLX-PAD treatment rescued HU-induced thymic atrophy, and mitigated HU-induced changes in percentages of …

B25: Generation And Characterization Of Sars-Cov-2 Spike Protein-Pseudotyped Lentivirus Particles For Use In Neutralizing Antibody Titer Testing Of Human Serum, Luis Sanchez

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Simulated Contact Tracing Of Covid-19 Propagation At Kutztown University For Fall 2020, Dale E. Parson

Computer Science and Information Technology Faculty

From mid-May through August 2020 the author designed, built, revised, and analyzed resulting data from two simulation programs for virtual contact tracing of COVID-19 infection propagation at Kutztown University in the fall 2020 semester. The first was command-line driven and non-graphical, with results distributed to faculty and administrators on May 28. The second was a three-dimensional interactive graphical simulation, distributed to faculty, administrators, and the public as a narrated video via YouTube on July 16. The algorithm is an adaptation of spreading activation as used in theoretical psychology and artificial intelligence research since the 1970s. It propagates discrete, probable infections …

Establishing And Validating Methods To Assess The Influence Of Exercise On Circulating Exosome Profiles In Sedentary Older Adults, Heather Quiriarte

LSU Master's Theses

Aging is associated with progressing cellular structural and functional changes, and sedentary behavior can exacerbate these hallmarks of aging. Routine exercise is known to have beneficial effects on physiological systems, but the exact molecular mechanisms behind the health benefits are unclear. Emerging evidence suggests extracellular vesicles called exosomes are involved in the intercommunication between cells and organs following exercise by delivering their cargo such as proteins and miRNAs. miRNA profiles in older adults following acute and chronic exercise need further exploration. Specifically, the effects of regular low-intensity physical activity (LPA) breaks in sedentary time on proteins and miRNA packaged in …

H1n1 Influenza Virus (Swine Flu): A Comprehensive Insight Into Escalating Catch-22 Scenarios, Muhammad Shahzaib, Ehsan Ul Haq

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Introduction: Viruses have always been a major cause of various disastrous pandemics in mankind’s history. H1N1 became a threat when its original strain was first discovered back in the swine flu pandemic of 2009. It became highly catastrophic on a large scale because none of the therapeutic interventions and methodologies that were already present at the time were effective against the virus.

Methods: A vast amount of literature and research is available regarding H1N1 influenza from different reputable sources online. The data were gathered with the contrasting and relative situations of 1918 and 2009 pandemics in mind. The overall extracted …

Effects Of A Low Crude Protein Diet With And Without Spirulina Platensis Inclusion On White Blood Cell Profiles In Broilers, Heather Glenn, Garrett J. Mullenix, Gisela F. Erf

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Spirulina microalgae is an alternative protein source under consideration for feed formulation in commercial broiler production. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a low crude protein (LCP) diet and a LCP diet formulated with 100 g/kg Spirulina (LCP-SP) on blood cell measurements in broilers. One-day-old Ross 708 male broilers were assigned to three dietary treatments: a standard crude protein (SCP), the LCP, or the LCP-SP diet, with five pens/treatment. When the chickens were 37-days old, blood samples were obtained from 2 birds/pen. Each blood sample was used to determine 1) the concentrations of white blood …

Human Regulatory T Cells Control Inflammation From Effector T Cells In Prediabetes, Rui Liu

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic low-grade inflammatory disease. A T cell cytokine profile (Th17) from PBMCs can distinguish obese T2D from obese non-diabetes subjects. Individual T cell subsets interact with each other and the diverse subsets jointly determine overall inflammation. Cellular metabolism drives cytokine production of CD4⁺ T cells, and therefore contributes to inflammation in T2D. However, specific changes in metabolism and function of CD4⁺ T cells during the progression from lean healthy to obese and diabetic stages in people have not been clarified.

We hypothesize that human regulatory T cells (Treg) impact metabolism of effector …

Muscle Mass And Immune Function In The Senior Horse, Alisa Christina Herbst

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

Senior horses (≥ 15 years) represent up to one-third of the global equine population, and the proportion of old horses (≥ 20 years) in the U.S. has been steadily increasing. Aging is associated with a loss of skeletal muscle mass in horses, and while age-related muscle loss is comparingly well characterized in humans, little is currently known concerning underlying mechanisms, adverse outcomes, or the prevalence of low muscle mass in senior horses. One factor proposed to play a role in the development of age-related muscle atrophy in humans is inflamm-aging, a low-grade inflammation that affects elderly people and that has …

Molecular And Genetic Studies On A Sipd/Ipad-Related Virulence Spike Protein From Immune-Suppressive Particles Of A Drosophila Parasitoid, Carlo Miguel A. Sevilla

Dissertations and Theses

Parasitoid wasps are effective biological control agents that have evolved intricate host immune suppression strategies to overcome host immune defenses. The most important anti-parasite defense mechanism is encapsulation, where the host’s blood cells surround the wasp egg. In the Drosophila/Leptopilina host-parasitoid system, extracellular vesicles (EVs) are oviposited along with the wasp egg. The EVs possess spikes and contain hundreds of proteins, some of which enable wasp eggs to escape encapsulation by changing the morphology and function of hemocytes, or killing them. Previous studies have identified an abundant surface/spike protein (SSp40) from Leptopilina heterotoma EVs. While p40, a predicted …

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Vaccine Development Using Dual-Species Whole Cell And Subunit Vaccines, Catherine Bell Blackwood

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen which can cause severe, recurrent, and chronic infections. The pathogen is highly adaptable, and pneumonia caused by it is associated with high morbidity and mortality, especially in individuals with the genetic disorder cystic fibrosis. Antibiotic resistance amongst clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa is steadily increasing, and multi-drug resistant strains are prevalent. There is currently no vaccine available for commercial use against P. aeruginosa. For these reasons, we sought to understand the immunity to P. aeruginosa induced by whole cell vaccination and identify antigens for development of future subunit vaccines. In this dissertation, …

The Effects Of Genetic Differences In An Innate Immune Receptor On Immune Responses To Haemonchus Contortus In Sheep, Denzel Deshawn Middleton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Little is known about differences observed in early immunological signaling events that result in cellular infiltration and Th2 cytokine production that mediate parasite expulsion. Parasite resistant St. Croix (STC) sheep have been used as model for full host protective immunity as they present the ability to respond to larval stages of H. contortus. RNA sequencing analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) stimulated with H. contortus larval antigen (HcLA) revealed significant upregulation in NLRP3 and its pathway component TLR4. Predicted protein structural software identified distinct differences in NLRP3 protein structure in STC and parasite susceptible Suffolk (SUF) sheep. NLRP3 …

An Investigation Of The Role Of Basigin-Variant-1 In The Immune Response Within The Retina, Abigail D. Tompa

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The neural retina is considered an immune privileged area, in that the eye attempts to suppress the inflammatory response to preserve vision. If there is damage to the blood-retina barrier, such as in diabetes or macular degeneration, it is possible for monocytes to travel out of the blood vessels and into the retina. While studying retinoblastoma, a research group determined that the protein, Basigin, through its extracellular domain, elicits an immune response by enhancing transcription of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6). Basigin is cell adhesion molecule that belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily. The Basigin gene has two main transcripts, that …

Impact Of Physical Activity And Cardiorespiratory Fitness On Vascular Homeostasis In Premenopausal Women Consuming A Westernized High-Fat Meal, Lauren N. Pedersen

Theses and Dissertations

A large percentage of adults in industrialized nations consume a Westernized dietary pattern, which contributes to fasting dyslipidemia and increased risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Evidence suggests that a single Westernized meal containing high saturated fat may induce alterations in blood lipids as well as disturb multiple factors regulating peripheral vascular homeostasis, including innate immune cell function, oxidative stress, and vascular function. Conversely, participation in acute and chronic exercise may beneficially impact an individual’s postprandial response. Therefore, this dissertation contains three manuscripts seeking to describe how acute exercise, cardiorespiratory fitness, and physical activity level impact the lipemic and vascular homeostatic …

Dsrna Conjugated Phytoglycogen Nanoparticles As An Innate Immune Stimulant To Prevent Viral Infections In Rainbow Trout And Atlantic Salmon, Kayla Samms

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Salmonids are one of the world’s most farmed fish species. These aquatic vertebrate species rely heavily on their innate immune responses to defend themselves against invading pathogens. Although commercial vaccines are available against some viral and bacterial pathogens affecting salmonids, their protective efficacy is variable. Using a prophylactic inducer of local and systemic innate immune responses could have significant implications in salmonid aquaculture. A potent inducer of the innate immune response in fish is double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), a molecule that all viruses make during their replicative cycle. Polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (polyI:C) is a synthetic dsRNA commonly used to induce type I …