Role of Immune Cells and Non-immune Cells with Immune Functions in the Pathogenesis of ALI/ARDS

This review outlines the effects of different types of cells with immune function on acute lung injury(ALI)inflammation and the regulation of inflammatory responses between these cells via cell-cell interactions.It is expected to provide some possible strategies for the research and treatment of ALI and acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS).

Facing challenges with hope:universal immune cells for hematologic malignancies

Many patients have achieved a favorable overall survival rate since allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(allo-HSCT)has been widely implemented to treat hematologic malignancies.However,graft-versus-host disease(GVHD)and complications of immunosuppressive drugs after allo-HSCT are the main causes of non-relapse mortality and a poor quality of life.In addition,GVHD and infusion-induced toxicity still occur with donor lymphocyte infusions(DLIs)and chimeric antigen receptor(CAR)T-cell therapy.Because of the special immune tolerance characteristics and anti-tumor ability of universal immune cells,universal immune cell therapy may strongly reduce GVHD,while simultaneously reducing tumor burden.Nevertheless,widespread application of universal immune cell therapy is mainly restricted by poor expansion and persistence efficacy.Many strategies have been applied to improve universal immune cell proliferation and persistence efficacy,including the use of universal cell lines,signaling regulation and CAR technology.In this review we have summarized current advances in universal immune cell therapy for hematologic malignancies with a discussion of future perspectives.

Diverse Roles of Immune Cells in Transplant Rejection and Immune Tolerance

Organ transplant rejection(OTR)is a complex immune reaction involving multiple cells,and it determines graft survival and patient prognosis.At present,most transplant recipients are administered a combination of immunosuppressive and biological agents to protect them from OTR.However,immunosuppressive agents negatively impact the immune system of the patients,causing them to suffer from serious complications,such as chronic infection and malignant tumors.Therefore,a thorough understanding of the mechanisms involved in immune tolerance and immune rejection with regard to organ transplant(OT)is essential for developing better treatment options and improving patient outcomes.This article reviews the role of immune cells in OTR and organ transplant tolerance(OTT),including the novel cell therapies that are currently under clinical trials for transplant recipients.

Three-dimensional structure of liver vessels and spatial distribution of hepatic immune cells

As the largest internal organ of the human body,the liver has an extremely complex vascularnetwork and multiple types of immune cells.It plays an important role in blood circulation,material metabolism,and immune response.Optical imaging is an effective tool for studying finevascular structure and immunocyte distribution of the liver.Here,we provide an overview of thestructure and composition of liver vessels,the threedimensional(3D)imaging of the liver,andthe spatial distribution and immune function of various cell components of the liver.Especially,we emphasize the 3D imaging methods for visualizing fine structure in the liver.Finally,wesummarize and prospect the development of 3D imaging of liver vesels and immune cells.

Roles of liver innate immune cells in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common liver disease in the United States and other developed countries and is expected to increase in the next few years. Emerging data suggest that some patients with NAFLD may progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis and even hepatocellular carcinoma. NAFLD can also promote the development and progression of disease in other organ systems, such as the cardiovascular and endocrine (i.e. diabetes) systems. Thus, understanding the pathogenesis of NAFLD is of great clinical importance and is critical for the prevention and treatment of the disease. Although the "two-hit hypothesis" is generally accepted, the exact pathogenesis of NAFLD has not been clearly established. The liver is an important innate immune organ with large numbers of innate immune cells, including Kupffer cells (KCs), natural killer T (NKT) cells and natural killer (NK) cells. Recent data show that an imbalance in liver cytokines may be implicated in the development of fatty liver disease. For example, Th1 cytokine excess may be a common pathogenic mechanism for hepatic insulin resistance and NASH. Innate immune cells in the liver play important roles in the excessive production of hepatic Th1 cytokines in NAFLD. In addition, liver innate immune cells participate in the pathogenesis of NAFLD in other ways. For example, activated KCs can generate reactive oxygen species, which induce liver injury. This review will focus primarily on the possible effect and mechanism of KCs, NKT cells and NK cells in the development of NAFLD.

Atherosclerosis and the role of immune cells

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease arising from lipids, specifically low-density lipoproteins, and leukocytes. Following the activation of endothelium with the expression of adhesion molecules and monocytes, inflammatory cytokines from macrophages, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells, high levels of interferon(IFN)-α and β are generated upon the activation of tolllike receptor-9, and T-cells, especially the ones with Th1 profile, produce pro-inflammatory mediators such as IFN-γ and upregulate macrophages to adhere to the endothelium and migrate into the intima. This review presents an exhaustive account for the role of immunecells in the atherosclerosis.

Liver infiltration of multiple immune cells during the process of acute liver injury and repair

BACKGROUND Immune cells,including neutrophils,natural killer(NK)cells,T cells,NKT cells and macrophages,participate in the progression of acute liver injury and hepatic recovery.To date,there has been no systematic study on the quantitative changes in these different immune cells from initial injury to subsequent recovery.AIM To investigate the infiltration changes of various immune cells in acute liver injury models over time,and to study the relationship between the changes in leukocyte cellderived chemotaxin 2(LECT2)and the infiltration of several immune cells.METHODS Carbon tetrachloride-and concanavalin A-induced acute liver injury models were employed to mimic toxin-induced and autoimmune-mediated liver injury respectively.The quantitative changes in various immune cells were monitored at different time points.Serum samples were collected,and liver tissues were harvested.Ly6G,CD161,CD4,CD8 and F4/80 staining were used to indicate neutrophils,NK/NKT cells,CD4^(+)T cells,CD8^(+)T cells and macrophages,respectively.Lect2-KO mice were used to detect the function of LECT2.RESULTS During the injury and repair process,different types of immune cells began to increase,reached their peaks and fell into decline at different time points.Furthermore,when the serum alanine transaminase(ALT)and aspartate transaminase(AST)indices reverted to normal levels 7 d after the injury,the infiltration of immune cells still existed even 14 d after the injury,showing an obvious lag effect.We found that the expression of LECT2 was upregulated in acute liver injury mouse models,and the liver injuries of Lect2-KO mice were less severe than those of wild-type mice.Compared with wild-type mice,Lect2-KO mice had different immune cell infiltration.CONCLUSION The recovery time of immune cells was far behind that of serum ALT and AST during the process of liver repair.LECT2 could regulate monocyte/macrophage chemotaxis and might be used as a therapeutic target for acute liver injury.

Tail regeneration reduction in lizards after repetitive amputation or cauterization reflects an increase of immune cells in blastemas

Lizards are key amniote models for studying organ regeneration. During tail regeneration in lizards, blastemas contain sparse granulocytes, macrophages, and lymphocytes among the prevalent mesenchymal cells. Using transmission electron microscopy to examine scarring blastemas after third and fourth sequential tail amputations, the number of granulocytes, macrophages, and lymphocytes increased at 3-4 weeks in comparison to the first regeneration. An increase in granulocytes and agranulocytes also occurred within a week after blastema cauterization during the process of scarring Blood at the third and fourth regeneration also showed a significant increase in white blood cells compared with that under normal conditions and at the first regeneration. The extracellular matrix of the scarring blastema, especially after cauterization, was denser than that in the normal blastema and numerous white blood cells and fibroblasts were surrounded by electron-pale, fine fibrinoid material mixed with variable collagen fibrils. In addition to previous studies, the present observations support the hypothesis that an increase in inflammation and immune reactions determine scarring rather than regeneration. These new findings verify that an immune reaction against mesenchymal and epidermal cells of the regenerative blastema is one of the main causes for the failure of organ regeneration in amniotes.

The prognostic landscape of genes and infiltrating immune cells in cytokine induced killer cell treated-lung squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma

Objective:Patients with non–small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)respond differently to cytokine-induced killer cell(CIK)treatment.Therefore,potential prognostic markers to identify patients who would benefit from CIK treatment must be elucidated.The current research aimed at identifying predictive prognostic markers for efficient CIK treatment of patients with NSCLC.Methods:Patients histologically diagnosed with NSCLC were enrolled from the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital.We performed whole-exome sequencing(WES)on the tumor tissues and paired adjacent benign tissues collected from 50 patients with NSCLC,and RNA-seq on tumor tissues of 17 patients with NSCLC before CIK immunotherapy treatment.Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to analyze the association between clinical parameters and prognostic relevance.WES and RNA-seq data between lung squamous cell carcinoma(SCC)and adenocarcinoma(Aden)were analyzed and compared.Results:The pathology subtype of lung cancer was the most significantly relevant clinical parameter associated with DFS,as analyzed by multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression(P=0.031).The patients with lung SCC showed better CIK treatment efficacy and extended DFS after CIK treatment.Relatively low expression of HLA class II genes and checkpoint molecules,and less immunosuppressive immune cell infiltration were identified in the patients with lung SCC.Conclusions:Coordinated suppression of the expression of HLA class II genes and checkpoint molecules,as well as less immune suppressive cell infiltration together contributed to the better CIK treatment efficacy in lung SCC than lung Aden.

Overexpression of CD155 is associated with PD-1 and PD-L1 expression on immune cells,rather than tumor cells in the breast cancer microenvironment

BACKGROUND CD155 is an immune checkpoint protein in cancers and interacts with ligands to regulate the immune microenvironment.The expression of CD155 is correlated with the prognosis and pathological features of breast cancer.AIM To investigate the expression status of CD155 and the association with exhausted CD4+helper and CD8+cytotoxic tumor infiltrating lymphocytes(TILs)and PD-L1 in the breast cancer microenvironment.METHODS One hundred and twenty-six breast cancer patients with invasive ductal breast cancer were consecutively recruited into this study.Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression CD155,PD-L1 and PD-1 on tumor-infiltrating immune cells and tumor cells in the microenvironment.RESULTS The proportion of patients with CD155 expression was higher in triple negative breast cancer(72.7%)than in Luminal A patients(22.2%,P<0.05).Patients with positive CD155 expression had a higher percentage of CD4+/PD-1+helper TILs(30%)than patients with negative CD155 expression(21%,P<0.05).Patients with positive CD155 expression also had higher cell counts of exhausted CD4+TILs[47 vs 20/high-power fields(HPF)]and unexhausted CD8+TILs(30 vs 17/HPF)than patients with negative expression(P<0.05).CD155 expression was correlated with increased PD-L1 expression in immune cells,0.8%and 0.02%immune cells expressed PD-L1 in patients with positive and negative CD155 expression,respectively(P<0.05).CONCLUSION CD155 was related to an inhibitory immune breast cancer microenvironment.CD155 was associated with a high proportion of exhausted CD4+and unexhausted CD8+TILs and high PD-L1 expression in immune cells.

Comprehensive insights into the effects and regulatory mechanisms of immune cells expressing programmed death-1/programmed death ligand 1 in solid tumors

The programmed cell death-1(PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1(PD-L1)signaling pathway is an important mechanism in tumor immune escape,and expression of PD-L1 on tumor cells has been reported more frequently.However,accumulating evidence suggests that PD-1/PD-L1 is also widely expressed on immune cells,and that regulation is also critical for tumor immune responses.In this review,we emphasized that under solid tumor conditions,the immunoregulatory effects of immune cells expressing PD-1 or PD-L1,affected the prognoses of cancer patients.Therefore,a better understanding of the mechanisms that regulate PD-1 or PD-L1 expression on immune cells would provide clear insights into the increased efficacy of anti-PD antibodies and the development of novel tumor immunotherapy strategies.

Research progress on the role of immune cells in Brucella infection

Brucellosis is one of the most prevalent zoonoses in the world. Incidence of the disease has increased significantly in recent years and has seriously affected the health of human beings and the development of animal husbandry. The pathogenesis of brucellosis remains unclear. Current studies suggest that this disease may be related to changes in natural killer cells, dendritic cells, and macrophages in immune cell subsets. Brucellosis may be also related to T helper(Th) 1 cell/Th2 cell imbalance in the CD4^+ T cell subset, immunoregulation of regulatory T cells and Th17 cells, and the mechanism of action of CD8^+ T cell. This paper aims to review the research progress on these inherent immune cells, the CD4^+ T cell subset, and CD8^+ T cells in Brucella infection.

The Skin Whitening Effect of Co-Cultured Conditioned Medium: Involvement of Synergy between Stem Cells and Immune Cells

Many researchers have described that mesenchymal stem cells conditioned medium and immune cells conditioned medium have a clear whitening effect when they are used as cosmetic ingredients. In this study, we confirmed the whitening efficacy of various concentrations of immune cells and stem cell conditioned media. The author tried to study a conditioned medium that has a strong whitening effect even with a composition of less than 20% (the most used concentration in cosmetics). Because of the fact that the conditioned medium contains various cytokines and growth factors secreted by stem cells or immune cells, it is known to have effects such as wound healing, antioxidant, and whitening effect. Recently, stem cells have been used not only in the development of cosmetic raw materials but also in skincare procedures, and there are reports being released of cosmetics using immune cells conditioned medium. The concentration-dependent whitening effect equivalently increased as the concentration of the mono-cultured conditioned medium was obtained through the stem cells or immune cells culture. In the case of co-culture, whitening results are like the effect of positive control such as arbutin in the medium carrying only 10% of the co-cultured conditioned medium. It is possible that enhanced whitening efficiency in co-cultured conditioned medium leads to a major innovation in the global cosmetic market.

Immune cells in the B-cell lymphoma microenvironment:From basic research to clinical applications

B-cell lymphoma is a group of hematological malignancies characterized by variable genetic and biological features and clinical behaviors.The tumor microenvironment(TME)is a complex network in tumors,which consists of surrounding blood vessels,extracellular matrix,immune and non-immune cells,and signaling molecules.Increasing evidence has shown that the TME,especially immune cells within,is a double-edged sword,acting either as a tumor killer or as a promoter of tumor progression.These pro-tumor activities are driven by subpopulations of immune cells that express typical markers but have unique transcriptional characteristics,making tumor-associated immune cells good targets for human anti-cancer therapy by ablating immunosuppressive cells or enhancing immune-activated cells.Thus,exploring the role of immune cells in the TME provides distinct insights for immunotherapy in B-cell lymphoma.In this review,we elucidated the interaction between immune cells and tumor cells and their function in the initiation,progression,and prognosis of B-cell lymphoma,from preclinical experiments to clinical trials.Furthermore,we outlined potential therapeutic approaches and discussed the potential clinical value and future perspectives of targeting immune cells in patients with B-cell lymphoma.

Clinical significance of peripheral blood immune cells in patients with gastric cancer after surgery

BACKGROUND Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide,and surgical resection is one of the main ways to treat gastric cancer.However,the immune status of postoperative patients is crucial for prognosis and survival,and immune cells play an important role in this process.Therefore,it is helpful to understand the immune status of postoperative patients by evaluating the levels of peripheral blood immune cells,especially total T cells(CD3+),helper T cells(CD3+CD4+),and suppressor T cells(CD3+CD8+),and its relationship to sur-vival.AIM To analyzed the immune cells in peripheral blood of patients with gastric cancer after surgery,detect the levels of total T cells,helper T cells and suppressor T cells.METHODS A total of 58 patients with gastric cancer who received surgical treatment were included in the retrospective study.Flow cytometry was used to detect the level of peripheral blood immune cells and analyze the correlation between total T cells,helper T cells and inhibitory T cells.To explore the relationship between these immune markers and patient survival.RESULTS The results showed that the levels of total T cells,helper T cells,and suppressor T cells changed in patients after gastric cancer surgery.There was a significant positive correlation between total T cells,helper T cells and suppressor T cells(r=0.35,P<0.01;r=0.56,P<0.01).However,there was a negative correlation between helper T cells and suppressor T cells(r=-0.63,P<0.01).Follow-up showed that the survival rate of patients in the high-level total T cell group was significantly higher than that in the low-level group(28.87±24.98 months vs 18.42±16.21 months).The survival curve shows that the curve of patients in the high-level group is shifted to the upper right,and that of the low-level group is shifted downward.There was no significant difference between the levels of helper T cells and suppressor T cells and patient survival time.CONCLUSION By detecting peripheral blood immune cells with flow cytometry,we can initially evaluate the immune status of patients after gastric cancer surgery and initially explore its relationship with patient survival.

The early life immune dynamics and cellular drivers at single-cell resolution in lamb forestomachs and abomasum

Background Four-chambered stomach including the forestomachs(rumen,reticulum,and omasum)and abomasum allows ruminants convert plant fiber into high-quality animal products.The early development of this four-chambered stomach is crucial for the health and well-being of young ruminants,especially the immune development.However,the dynamics of immune development are poorly understood.Results We investigated the early gene expression patterns across the four-chambered stomach in Hu sheep,at 5,10,15,and 25 days of age.We found that forestomachs share similar gene expression patterns,all four stomachs underwent widespread activation of both innate and adaptive immune responses from d 5 to 25,whereas the metabolic function were significantly downregulated with age.We constructed a cell landscape of the four-chambered stomach using single-cell sequencing.Integrating transcriptomic and single-cell transcriptomic analyses revealed that the immune-associated module hub genes were highly expressed in T cells,monocytes and macrophages,as well as the defense-associated module hub genes were highly expressed in endothelial cells in the four-stomach tissues.Moreover,the non-immune cells such as epithelial cells play key roles in immune maturation.Cell communication analysis predicted that in addition to immune cells,non-immune cells recruit immune cells through macrophage migration inhibitory factor signaling in the forestomachs.Conclusions Our results demonstrate that the immune and defense responses of four stomachs are quickly developing with age in lamb's early life.We also identified the gene expression patterns and functional cells associated with immune development.Additionally,we identified some key receptors and signaling involved in immune regulation.These results help to understand the early life immune development at single-cell resolution,which has implications to develop nutritional manipulation and health management strategies based on specific targets including key receptors and signaling pathways.

Mitochondrial dysfunction affects hepatic immune and metabolic remodeling in patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-onchronic liver failure

BACKGROUND Immune dysregulation and metabolic derangement have been recognized as key factors that contribute to the progression of hepatitis B virus(HBV)-related acute-on-chronic liver failure(ACLF).However,the mechanisms underlying immune and metabolic derangement in patients with advanced HBV-ACLF are unclear.AIM To identify the bioenergetic alterations in the liver of patients with HBV-ACLF causing hepatic immune dysregulation and metabolic disorders.METHODS Liver samples were collected from 16 healthy donors(HDs)and 17 advanced HBV-ACLF patients who were eligible for liver transplantation.The mitochondrial ultrastructure,metabolic characteristics,and immune microenvironment of the liver were assessed.More focus was given to organic acid metabolism as well as the function and subpopulations of macrophages in patients with HBV-ACLF.RESULTS Compared with HDs,there was extensive hepatocyte necrosis,immune cell infiltration,and ductular reaction in patients with ACLF.In patients,the liver suffered severe hypoxia,as evidenced by increased expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α.Swollen mitochondria and cristae were observed in the liver of patients.The number,length,width,and area of mitochondria were adaptively increased in hepatocytes.Targeted metabolomics analysis revealed that mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation decreased,while anaerobic glycolysis was enhanced in patients with HBV-ACLF.These findings suggested that,to a greater extent,hepa-tocytes used the extra-mitochondrial glycolytic pathway as an energy source.Patients with HBV-ACLF had elevated levels of chemokine C-C motif ligand 2 in the liver homogenate,which stimulates peripheral monocyte infiltration into the liver.Characterization and functional analysis of macrophage subsets revealed that patients with ACLF had a high abundance of CD68^(+)HLA-DR^(+)macrophages and elevated levels of both interleukin-1βand transforming growth factor-β1 in their livers.The abundance of CD206^(+)CD163^(+)macrophages and expression of interleukin-10 decreased.The correlation analysis revealed that hepatic organic acid metabolites were closely associated with macrophage-derived cytokines/chemokines.CONCLUSION The results indicated that bioenergetic alteration driven by hypoxia and mitochondrial dysfunction affects hepatic immune and metabolic remodeling,leading to advanced HBV-ACLF.These findings highlight a new therapeutic target for improving the treatment of HBV-ACLF.

Immune cells in alcohol-related liver disease

Alcohol-related liver disease(ALD),which is caused by excessive alcohol consumption,is one of the most common types of liver disease and a primary cause of hepatic injury,with a disease spectrum that in-cludes steatosis,steatohepatitis,fibrosis,cirrhosis,and hepatocellular carcinoma.Various lines of evi-dence have indicated that immune cells play a significant role in the inflammatory processes of ALD.On the one hand,the liver contains various resident immune cells that have been proven to perform different functions in ALD.For example,in the progression of the disease,Kupffer cells(KCs)are activated by lipopolysaccharide-Toll-like receptor 4 signaling and release various proinflammatory cytokines.Moreover,alcohol intake has been shown to depress the function of natural killer cells.Additionally,two types of unconventional T cells(natural killer T cells and mucosal-associated invariant T cells)are involved in the development of ALD.On the other hand,alcohol and many different cytokines stimulate the recruitment and infiltration of circulating immune cells(neutrophils,T cells,macrophages,and mast cells)into the liver.The neutrophils can produce proinflammatory mediators and cause the dysfunction of anti-infection processes.Additionally,alcohol intake can change the phenotype of T cells,resulting in their increased production of interleukin-17.Aside from KCs,infiltrating macrophages have also been observed in patients with ALD,but the roles of all of these cells in the progression of the disease have shown both similarities and differences.Additionally,the activated mast cells are also associated with the development of ALD.Herein,we review the diverse roles of the various immune cells in the progression of ALD.

Progress in nanoparticle-based regulation of immune cells

Immune cells are indispensable defenders of the human body,clearing exogenous pathogens and toxicities or endogenous malignant and aging cells.Immune cell dysfunction can cause an inability to recognize,react,and remove these hazards,resulting in cancers,inflammatory diseases,autoimmune diseases,and infections.Immune cells regulation has shown great promise in treating disease,and immune agonists are usually used to treat cancers and infections caused by immune suppression.In contrast,immunosuppressants are used to treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.However,the key to maintaining health is to restore balance to the immune system,as excessive activation or inhibition of immune cells is a common complication of immunotherapy.Nanoparticles are efficient drug delivery systems widely used to deliver small molecule inhibitors,nucleic acid,and proteins.Using nanoparticles for the targeted delivery of drugs to immune cells provides opportunities to regulate immune cell function.In this review,we summarize the current progress of nanoparticle-based strategies for regulating immune function and discuss the prospects of future nanoparticle design to improve immunotherapy.

The role of innate immune cells in post-hepatectomy liver regeneration

The fame of regeneration has been attributed to the liver ever since the era of Greek mythology,in which Prometheus’liver could grow back overnight against the daily predation of Zeus’eagle.Hepatectomy is the very basis of liver surgery including liver transplantation,and post-hepatectomy liver regeneration remains the center of interest for both clinicians and scientists.Novel tools for structural and functional assessment of liver regeneration have been constantly developed and validated,laying the groundwork for clinical management and scientific analysis(1).