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Microorganisms
Special Issues
Host–virus Interaction, Immune Responses and Disease Risk
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Host–virus Interaction, Immune Responses and Disease Risk

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Virology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 5230

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Carolina Scagnolari

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Virology, Department of Molecular Medicine, Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Interests: virus-host interaction; antiviral immunity; virus interferon resistance; flavivirus, HIV; respiratory infectious diseases; cystic fibrosis; COVID-19 pathogenesis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases have become a major public health concern around the globe. Viruses are small, obligate, intracellular parasites, and their reproduction relies entirely on the cell's translational machinery. Due to this dependence, viruses have evolved conserved mechanisms for hijacking host-cell machinery and targeting immune pathways. Virus-associated molecules are recognized by host cells trough different pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs). These PRRs activate complex downstream signaling pathways that stimulate an antiviral response via the production of interferons, cytokines, proapoptotic factors, microRNAs and the activation and maturation of innate and acquired immune cellular arms.

Hence, the scope of this Special Issue titled “Host–Virus Interaction, Immune Responses, and Disease Risk” will be the following: I) to characterize the lifecycle of viruses and to identify cellular functions and molecular mechanisms that participate in viral restriction; II) to evaluate dynamic relationships between viruses and immunity, with a focus on the processes underlying the induction and detrimental function of cytokines during acute or persistent viral infections.

This Special Issue will provide some key examples on how the rapid identification of virus-host interactions is essential to reach a comprehensive understanding of the viral infection process, and how this can lead to new advances in novel potential treatments or for the repurposing of available drugs.

Dr. Carolina Scagnolari
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

 

Keywords

  • virus
  • cytokines
  • interferon
  • zoonotic viruses
  • adaptive immunity
  • innate immunity
  • T cells
  • B cells

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1573 KiB  
Article
Monocyte Activation and Ageing Biomarkers in the Development of Cardiovascular Ischaemic Events or Diabetes in People with HIV
by Jose I. Bernardino, Belen Alejos, Javier Rodriguez-Centeno, Andrés Esteban-Cantos, Beatriz Mora-Rojas, Rocío Montejano, Rosa De Miguel, Marta Montero-Alonso, Oskar Ayerdi, Cristina Hernández-Gutierrez, Adriá Curran, Jose R. Arribas and Berta Rodés
Microorganisms 2023, 11(7), 1818; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11071818 - 16 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1391
Abstract
We investigated whether blood telomere length (TL), epigenetic age acceleration (EAA), and soluble inflammatory monocyte cytokines are associated with cardiovascular events or diabetes (DM) in people living with HIV (PLHIV). This was a case–control study nested in the Spanish HIV/AIDS Cohort (CoRIS). Cases [...] Read more.
We investigated whether blood telomere length (TL), epigenetic age acceleration (EAA), and soluble inflammatory monocyte cytokines are associated with cardiovascular events or diabetes (DM) in people living with HIV (PLHIV). This was a case–control study nested in the Spanish HIV/AIDS Cohort (CoRIS). Cases with myocardial infarction, stroke, sudden death, or diabetes after starting antiretroviral therapy were included with the available samples and controls matched for sex, age, tobacco use, pre-ART CD4 cell count, viral load, and sample time-point. TL (T/S ratio) was analysed by quantitative PCR and EAA with DNA methylation changes by next-generation sequencing using the Weidner formula. Conditional logistic regression was used to explore the association with cardiometabolic events. In total, 180 participants (94 cases (22 myocardial infarction/sudden death, 12 strokes, and 60 DM) and 94 controls) were included. Of these, 84% were male, median (IQR) age 46 years (40–56), 53% were current smokers, and 22% had CD4 count ≤ 200 cells/mm3 and a median (IQR) log viral load of 4.52 (3.77–5.09). TL and EAA were similar in the cases and controls. There were no significant associations between TL, EAA, and monocyte cytokines with cardiometabolic events. TL and EAA were mildly negatively correlated with sCD14 (rho = −0.23; p = 0.01) and CCL2/MCP-1 (rho = −0.17; p = 0.02). We found no associations between TL, EAA, and monocyte cytokines with cardiovascular events or diabetes. Further studies are needed to elucidate the clinical value of epigenetic biomarkers and TL in PLHIV. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Host–virus Interaction, Immune Responses and Disease Risk)
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13 pages, 1772 KiB  
Article
Alterations in the Expression of IFN Lambda, IFN Gamma and Toll-like Receptors in Severe COVID-19 Patients
by Leonardo Sorrentino, Matteo Fracella, Federica Frasca, Alessandra D’Auria, Letizia Santinelli, Luca Maddaloni, Ginevra Bugani, Camilla Bitossi, Massimo Gentile, Giancarlo Ceccarelli, Ombretta Turriziani, Claudio Maria Mastroianni, Guido Antonelli, Gabriella d’Ettorre, Alessandra Pierangeli and Carolina Scagnolari
Microorganisms 2023, 11(3), 689; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11030689 - 8 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1859
Abstract
Contradictory results have been reported regarding interferon (IFN) lambda (λ1–3) and IFN gamma (γ) production in COVID-19 patients. To gain insight into the roles played by these IFNs in SARS-CoV-2 infection, IFNλ1–3 and IFNγ mRNA expression was evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells [...] Read more.
Contradictory results have been reported regarding interferon (IFN) lambda (λ1–3) and IFN gamma (γ) production in COVID-19 patients. To gain insight into the roles played by these IFNs in SARS-CoV-2 infection, IFNλ1–3 and IFNγ mRNA expression was evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) (n = 32) and in cells of paired bronchoalveolar lavages (BALs) (n = 12). Lower IFNλ1–3 values (p < 0.001 for IFNλ1 and 3 and p = 0.013 for IFNλ2) in the PBMCs of severely ill patients were found compared to healthy donors (n = 15). Reduced levels of IFNγ were also detected in patients’ PBMCs (p < 0.01) and BALs (p = 0.041) compared to healthy donors. The presence of secondary bacterial infections was associated with decreased IFNλ amounts in PBMCs (p = 0.001, p = 0.015 and p = 0.003, respectively) but increased concentrations of IFNλ3 (p = 0.022) in BALs. Patients with alterations in C-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase and D-dimer levels had decreased IFNλ1 and 3 (p = 0.003 and p < 0.001) and increased IFNγ (p = 0.08) in PBMCs. Analyzing Toll-like receptors (TLRs) involved in IFN production, we found that TLR3 was highly expressed (p = 0.033) in patients with bacterial superinfections, while TLR7 and 8 (p = 0.029 and p = 0.049) were reduced in BALs of deceased patients. Overall, severe COVID-19 might be characterized by dysregulation in IFNγ, IFNλ and TLR3, 7 and 8 production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Host–virus Interaction, Immune Responses and Disease Risk)
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13 pages, 1424 KiB  
Article
Influence of SARS-COV-2 Infection on Cytokine Production by Mitogen-Stimulated Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and Neutrophils in COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit Patients
by Sahar Essa, Mohammed Shamsah, Abdalaziz H. Alsarraf, Ali Esmaeil, Ahmed Al-Shammasi and Raj Raghupathy
Microorganisms 2022, 10(11), 2194; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10112194 - 4 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1586
Abstract
We sought to investigate the influence of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the cytokine profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and neutrophils from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Neutrophils and PBMCs were separated and stimulated with the mitogen phytohemagglutinin. Culture [...] Read more.
We sought to investigate the influence of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the cytokine profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and neutrophils from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Neutrophils and PBMCs were separated and stimulated with the mitogen phytohemagglutinin. Culture supernatants of mitogen-stimulated PBMCs and neutrophils from 88 COVID-19 ICU patients and 88 healthy controls were evaluated for levels of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interferon (IFN)-α, IFN-γ, interleukin (IL)-2, -4, -5, -6, -9, -10, -12, -17A, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α using anti-cytokine antibody MACSPlex capture beads. Cytokine profiles of PBMCs showed significantly lower levels of GM-CSF, IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-9, IL-10, IL-17A, and TNF-α (p < 0.0001) in COVID-19 ICU patients. In contrast, COVID-19 ICU patients showed higher median levels of IL-2 (p < 0.001) and IL-5 (p < 0.01) by PBMCs. As for neutrophils, COVID-19 ICU patients showed significantly lower levels of GM-CSF, IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-9, IL-10, IL-17A, IL-12, TNF-α (p < 0.0001), and IFN-α (p < 0.01). T-helper (Th)1:Th2 cytokine ratios revealed lower inflammatory cytokine for PBMCs and neutrophils in COVID-19 ICU patients. Cytokine production profiles and Th1:Th2 cytokine ratios suggest that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has an immunomodulatory effect on PBMCs and neutrophils. This study also suggests that the increased levels of several cytokines in the serum are not sourced from PBMCs and neutrophils. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Host–virus Interaction, Immune Responses and Disease Risk)
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