Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by complex pathogenesis, with its development closely linked to immune dysregulation. Regulatory T cells (Tregs), as specialized immunomodulatory cells, play a pivotal role in negatively regulating immune responses and maintaining autoimmune tolerance. In recent years, extensive research has focused on the relationship between Tregs and RA pathogenesis, with the functional role of CD8⁺ Tregs as a critical area of investigation. This review summarizes the alterations in CD8⁺ Tregs during RA progression and their potential mechanisms of action. By elucidating the diversity of CD8⁺ Treg subsets and their intricate roles in modulating immune responses, this analysis provides novel insights and therapeutic strategies for RA diagnosis and treatment.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid/pathology* ; Humans ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology* ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology* ; Animals

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the characteristics of immune cell infiltration in tumor samples from Chinese patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and the correlation of immune cell infiltration with tumor stage and response to immunotherapy. METHODS: Tumor samples and clinicopathological data were collected from 154 ccRCC patients treated in Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University from October, 2020 to October, 2023. The immune cell types infiltrating the tumor tissues were identified using immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining, and their correlations with the patients' clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed. Patient-derived tumor tissue fragment models (PDTF) models, constructed using tumor tissues from 22 patients, were treated with PD-1 monoclonal antibody, and T cell activation was detected using flow cytometry to assess the patients' responses to immunotherapy. RESULTS: In Chinese ccRCC patients included in this study, CD8⁺ T cells, CD4⁺ T cells, and CD3⁺ T cells were the most abundant in the tumor tissues. Higher infiltration levels of CD3⁺ T cells (P=0.004), PD-1⁺ T cells (P=0.020), CD68⁺ T cells (P=0.049), CD79⁺ T cells (P=0.049), and Tryptase⁺ cells (P=0.049) were all positively correlated with a larger tumor size (≥5 cm). A higher infiltration level of CD4⁺ T cells was associated with a lower tumor stage. Patients with higher International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grades had higher infiltration levels of CD3⁺ T cells (P=0.023), CD8⁺ T cells (P=0.045), PD-1⁺ T cells (P=0.014), CD20⁺ B cells (P=0.020) and CD79⁺ B cells (P=0.049), and lower levels of Tryptase⁺ cells (P=0.001). Patients with abundant infiltrating immune cells tended to have better responses to immunotherapy. CONCLUSIONS The infiltrating immune cells are heterogeneous in Chinese ccRCC patients, and immune cell infiltration characteristics are closely correlated with clinicopathological parameters of the patients.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/pathology* ; Kidney Neoplasms/pathology* ; Immunotherapy ; Male ; Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating/immunology* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology* ; Aged ; T-Lymphocytes/immunology* ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/immunology* ; Adult ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology* ; Neoplasm Staging

Infiltration and activation of peripheral immune cells are critical in the progression of multiple sclerosis and its experimental animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). This study investigates the role of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) in oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) in modulating pathogenic T cells infiltrating the central nervous system through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) by using OPC-specific HMGB1 knockout (KO) mice. We found that HMGB1 released from OPCs promotes BBB disruption, subsequently allowing increased immune cell infiltration. The migration of CD4+ T cells isolated from EAE-induced mice was enhanced when co-cultured with OPCs compared to oligodendrocytes (OLs). OPC-specific HMGB1 KO mice exhibited lower BBB permeability and reduced immune cell infiltration into the CNS, leading to less damage to the myelin sheath and mitigated EAE progression. CD4+ T cell migration was also reduced when co-cultured with HMGB1 knock-out OPCs. Our findings reveal that HMGB1 secretion from OPCs is crucial for regulating immune cell infiltration and provides insights into the immunomodulatory function of OPCs in autoimmune diseases.
Animals ; Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/metabolism* ; HMGB1 Protein/deficiency* ; Mice, Knockout ; Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells/immunology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology* ; Cell Movement ; Blood-Brain Barrier/immunology* ; Mice ; Myelin Sheath/pathology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Coculture Techniques ; Oligodendroglia/metabolism* ; Female ; Cells, Cultured

Animals ; Asthma/pathology* ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Immunoglobulin E/blood* ; Incidence ; Lung/pathology* ; Mice ; Pollen/chemistry* ; Populus/adverse effects* ; Prevalence

The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has occurred in China and around the world. SARS-CoV-2-infected patients with severe pneumonia rapidly develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and die of multiple organ failure. Despite advances in supportive care approaches, ARDS is still associated with high mortality and morbidity. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapy may be an potential alternative strategy for treating ARDS by targeting the various pathophysiological events of ARDS. By releasing a variety of paracrine factors and extracellular vesicles, MSC can exert anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, anti-microbial, and pro-angiogenic effects, promote bacterial and alveolar fluid clearance, disrupt the pulmonary endothelial and epithelial cell damage, eventually avoiding the lung and distal organ injuries to rescue patients with ARDS. An increasing number of experimental animal studies and early clinical studies verify the safety and efficacy of MSC therapy in ARDS. Since low cell engraftment and survival in lung limit MSC therapeutic potentials, several strategies have been developed to enhance their engraftment in the lung and their intrinsic, therapeutic properties. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the mechanisms and optimization of MSC therapy in ARDS and highlighted the potentials and possible barriers of MSC therapy for COVID-19 patients with ARDS.
Adoptive Transfer ; Alveolar Epithelial Cells ; pathology ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Betacoronavirus ; Body Fluids ; metabolism ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; Clinical Trials as Topic ; Coinfection ; prevention & control ; therapy ; Coronavirus Infections ; complications ; immunology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Endothelial Cells ; pathology ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Genetic Therapy ; methods ; Genetic Vectors ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Immunity, Innate ; Inflammation Mediators ; metabolism ; Lung ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells ; physiology ; Multiple Organ Failure ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; complications ; immunology ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; immunology ; pathology ; therapy ; Translational Medical Research

To explore the role of methotrexate (MTX) in regulating the number of regulatory T cells (Treg) and the mRNA expression of transcription factor Foxp3.
 Methods: 1) We analyzed the number of Treg and the mRNA expression of Foxp3 by flow cytometry (FCM) and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) respectively in patients with psoriasis vulgaris, patients with psoriasis vulgaris after the 8-week treatment of MTX, and healthy people. 2) BALB/c female mice were smeared with imiquimod (IMQ) cream for 6 days. We recorded the change of the lesion in mice every day. The morphological changes of lesion in mice were evaluated by the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) and HE staining. 3) The mouse model was randomly divided into a control group and an MTX group. The MTX group was treated with different doses of MTX (38.5 and 77.0 nmol/L) on the third day of this experiment. The morphological changes of lesion in mice were evaluated by PASI and HE staining. We tested the number of Treg and the expression level of Foxp3 mRNA in splenic lymphocytes.
 Results: 1) The number of Treg and the expression level of Foxp3 mRNA were lower in psoriasis vulgaris patients than those in the healthy control group (P<0.05). After 8-week treatment of MTX, the number of Treg was increased (P<0.05) and Foxp3 mRNA level was up-regulated (P<0.01). 2) Typical psoriasis-like skin lesions, such as red scaly skin plaque were found after topical application of IMQ. Both the number of Treg in the splenic lymphocytes of mice and the Foxp3 mRNA level of Treg were reduced by IMQ (P<0.01 and P<0.05). 3) Different doses of MTX for mice showed the ability to improve skin lesion, increase the number of Treg in the spleen of mice and Foxp3 mRNA level in psoriatic dermatitis of mice (P<0.05).
 Conclusion: MTX is able to regulate the number of Treg and Foxp3 mRNA expression in psoriasis.
Adjuvants, Immunologic ; pharmacology ; Aminoquinolines ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Humans ; Imiquimod ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Lymphocyte Count ; Methotrexate ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Psoriasis ; drug therapy ; immunology ; metabolism ; pathology ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Spleen ; cytology ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has a significant impact on the prognosis of many malignant tumors such as gastric cancer, colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer, but the study on the prognosis of patients with resectable lung adenocarcinoma is less. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between the NLR and the clinicopathologic features of adenocarcinoma of lung patients who underwent radical pneumonectomy. Furthermore, this study aimed to clarify the predictive and prognostic significance of NLR in patients who underwent pneumonectomy for lung adenocarcinoma. METHODS: This study reviewed the medical records of 163 patients with lung adenocarcinoma who underwent pneumonectomy. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Youden index were used to determine the cut-off value of the NLR. Survival curves were described by Kaplan-Meier method and compared by Log-rank test. The univariate and multivariate analyses were performed with the Cox proportional hazard model to identify the prognostic factors. RESULTS: When the NLR value was 2.96, the Youden index was maximal, with a sensitivity of 77.5% and a specificity of 75.9%. The 5-year survival rate in the low NLR group was higher than that in the high NLR group (P<0.05). The univariate and multivariate analyses showed that TNM staging and NLR were independent factors in predicting survival rate. CONCLUSIONS The NLR value was a simple and useful tool to predict the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma after radical pneumonectomy.
Adenocarcinoma ; diagnosis ; immunology ; pathology ; surgery ; Adenocarcinoma of Lung ; Aged ; Cell Count ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Lung Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; immunology ; pathology ; surgery ; Lymphocytes ; cytology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neutrophils ; cytology ; Pneumonectomy ; Prognosis ; ROC Curve ; Retrospective Studies

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a rare and lethal central nervous demyelinating disease caused by JC polyomavirus (JCV), particularly in patients with impaired immune system. The variation of JCV plays an important role in the pathogenesis of PML, including the recombination of non-coding regulatory region (NCCR), which is closely related to binding sites of transcription factors and affect the level of gene transcription. Nucleotide mutations in VP1 region determine the antigenicity and receptor specificity of JCV, play an important role in cell adsorption, immune-mediation and pathogenicity. In addition, immune cells are also involved in the pathogenesis of PML. T lymphocytes can recognize virus antigens, clear JCV, which are directly related to the prognosis of PML. B lymphocytes can serve as latent sites of JCV, and participate in viral transmission, replication, and coordination of the expression of transcription factors. This paper summarizes the roles of JCV variation and immune cells in pathogenesis of PML.
B-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; virology ; Capsid Proteins ; genetics ; immunology ; Humans ; JC Virus ; immunology ; Leukoencephalopathy, Progressive Multifocal ; pathology ; virology ; Mutation ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; virology

Novel biologics that redirect cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) to kill tumor cells bearing a tumor associated antigen hold great promise in the clinic. However, the ability to safely and potently target CD3 on CTL toward tumor associated antigens (TAA) expressed on tumor cells remains a challenge of both technology and biology. Herein we describe the use of a Half DVD-Ig format that can redirect CTL to kill tumor cells. Notably, Half DVD-Ig molecules that are monovalent for each specificity demonstrated reduced non-specific CTL activation and conditional CTL activation upon binding to TAA compared to intact tetravalent DVD-Ig molecules that are bivalent for each specificity, while maintaining good drug like properties and appropriate PK properties.
Animals ; Antibodies, Bispecific ; immunology ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; immunology ; pharmacokinetics ; CD3 Complex ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic ; ErbB Receptors ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphocyte Activation ; immunology ; Mice, SCID ; Neoplasms ; immunology ; pathology ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic ; immunology

Cancer stem cells (CSCs), a subpopulation of tumor cells, have self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation abilities that play an important role in cancer initiation, maintenance, and metastasis. An accumulation of evidence indicates that CSCs can cause conventional therapy failure and cancer recurrence because of their treatment resistance and self-regeneration characteristics. Therefore, approaches that specifically and efficiently eliminate CSCs to achieve a durable clinical response are urgently needed. Currently, treatments with chimeric antigen receptor-modified T (CART) cells have shown successful clinical outcomes in patients with hematologic malignancies, and their safety and feasibility in solid tumors was confirmed. In this review, we will discuss in detail the possibility that CART cells inhibit CSCs by specifically targeting their cell surface markers, which will ultimately improve the clinical response for patients with various types of cancer. A number of viewpoints were summarized to promote the application of CSC-targeted CART cells in clinical cancer treatment. This review covers the key aspects of CSC-targeted CART cells against cancers in accordance with the premise of the model, from bench to bedside and back to bench.
Humans ; Molecular Targeted Therapy ; methods ; Neoplasms ; immunology ; pathology ; therapy ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; pathology ; Receptors, Chimeric Antigen ; metabolism ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; metabolism ; Translational Medical Research