Ageing and recurrent episodes of neuroinflammation promote progressive experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in Biozzi ABH mice

We gratefully acknowledge the Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Alliance for financial support

Immunogenicity of unprocessed and photooxidized bovine and human osteochondral grafts in collagen-sensitive mice

BACKGROUND: Autologous and allogeneic osteochondral grafts have been used to repair damaged or diseased cartilage. There are drawbacks to both of these methods, however. Another possible source for osteochondral grafting is photooxidized xenograft scaffolds. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adaptive immune response to unprocessed and photooxidized xenogeneic osteochondral grafts in a collagen-sensitive mouse model. METHODS: Unprocessed and photooxidized bovine and human osteochondral grafts were used. The grafts were implanted subcutaneously in collagen-sensitive DBA/1LacJ mice for four or twelve weeks. ELISPOT assays were conducted with spleen cells to evaluate the number of collagen-specific T cells that produce IL-2, IL-4, IL-5 or IFN-γ. Serum was collected and ELISA assays were performed to determine the titers of collagen-specific and total IgG, IgG1, IgG2a, or IgM antibodies. Histology was conducted on the retrieved osteochondral grafts. RESULTS: Results indicated that, with respect to adaptive T cell immunity, the photooxidized bovine grafts, unprocessed human grafts and photooxidized human grafts did not induce a significant response to collagen. The unprocessed bovine grafts, however, were slightly more immunogenic, inducing a weak immune response. With respect to antibody production, the bovine grafts were less immunogenic than the human grafts. Bovine collagen-specific IgG antibodies were not induced by these grafts, but production of IgM after twelve weeks was observed with both the unprocessed and photooxidized bovine grafts. In contrast, photooxidized human osteochondral grafts induced IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies, while the unprocessed human grafts did not. Pre-existing human collagen-specific IgM antibodies were present in all mice, including sham-operated negative controls that did not receive an implant. Histological analysis revealed some degree of fibrous encapsulation and inflammatory infiltrations in both bovine and human implants, whether unprocessed or photooxidized. CONCLUSION: Both bovine and human cartilage grafts showed weak, but clear immunogenicity in the DBA/1LacJ mice, indicating that immunogenic collagen was still contained in the grafts, even after cleaning and photooxidation. The process of photooxidation is still important in osteochondral grafting, since it stabilizes the surface of the cartilage by cross-linking the collagen fibers, and allows for immediate load bearing and joint resurfacing

Stability of SARS-CoV-2 spike antigens against mutations

Modern health care needs preventive vaccines and therapeutic treatments with stability against pathogen mutations to cope with current and future viral infections. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our analytic and predictive tool identified a set of eight short SARS-CoV-2 S-spike protein epitopes that had the potential to persistently avoid mutation. Here a combination of genetic, Systems Biology and protein structure analyses confirm the stability of our identified epitopes against viral mutations. Remarkably, this research spans the whole period of the pandemic, during which 93.9% of the eight peptides remained invariable in the globally predominant 43 circulating variants, including Omicron. Likewise, the selected epitopes are conserved in 97% of all 1,514 known SARS-CoV-2 lineages. Finally, experimental analyses performed with these short peptides showed their specific immunoreactivity. This work opens a new perspective on the design of next-generation vaccines and antibody therapies that will remain reliable against future pathogen mutations.Dr. Lozano-Perez acknowledges the European Commission ERDF/FEDER Operational Program 'Murcia' CCI No. 2007ES161PO001 (Project No. 14-20/20). Miodrag Grbic acknowledges support from the NSERC Discovery grant (Canada). This work also has received funding from the Department of Education of the Basque Government via the Consolidated Research Group MATH MODE (IT1456-22). Besides, Ildefonso Martinez De la Fuente and Iker Malaina were supported by the UPV/EHU and Basque Center of Applied Mathematics, grant US21/27N

STUDYING THE IMMUNOMODULATING PROPERTIES OF THE SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES-FRAGMENTS OF THE MAN'S MOLECULE OF INTERFERON ALPHA-2

The object of investigation: the peptides-fragments of the man's interferon molecule alpha-2 125, 126, 128 through 138 amino-acidic residues. The work is aimed at studying the action mechanisms of peptides on the proliferation and interleukin-2-dependent way of activation of lymphocytes of the man's periferal blood and proliferation of the lymphoblastoid cellular lines of the man MT4 and CEM, and at determining the parameters of the peptides bonding with the receptor structures of these lines. It has been established, that the peptides inhibit the proliferation of lymphocytes of the man's periferal blood, proliferation of the cellular lines MT4 and CEM and specifically bond with receptors on its surface. The investigation results have been used in constructing the hybride molecules, possessing the immunomodulating propertiesAvailable from VNTIC / VNTIC - Scientific & Technical Information Centre of RussiaSIGLERURussian Federatio