Single-cell RNA sequencing of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from bronchopulmonary dysplasiaLiu, Yan, Li
et alClin Transl Med (2025) 15 (3), e70276
Abstract: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a severe respiratory disease that primarily affects premature infants, characterized by persistent inflammation and abnormal immune activation. This study aimed to elucidate the immunological mechanisms underlying BPD by integrating single-cell RNA sequencing with T/B cell receptor profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from preterm infants with BPD, complemented by validation in a murine BPD model.We profiled PBMCs from preterm infants diagnosed with BPD and healthy controls, identifying 22 distinct cell clusters corresponding to major immune cell types.Significant alterations were observed in myeloid and lymphoid subsets, with neutrophils undergoing metabolic reprogramming toward oxidative phosphorylation. T and B cell subsets exhibited phenotypic and functional changes, with B cells serving as crucial interaction hubs in cell communication networks. Progenitor cell analysis in BPD mouse models revealed specific alterations in hematopoietic stem cells. Analysis of cell-cell communication networks highlighted intricate intercellular interactions in BPD, emphasizing a pivotal role for the BTLA-TNFRSF14 signaling axis in disease pathogenesis. Additionally, pharmacological blockade of BTLA in mouse models alleviated disease severity, suggesting its potential therapeutic effects through modulation of the BTLA-TNFRSF14 pathway.These findings enhance the understanding of the BPD immune microenvironment and lay the foundation for developing targeted immunomodulatory therapies.Single-cell sequencing revealed immune cell profiles in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Neutrophils underwent metabolic changes, and B cells were key in immune communication. Targeting B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA)-TNFRSF14 signalling reduced BPD severity in mouse models, suggesting a potential therapy.© 2025 The Author(s). Clinical and Translational Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Shanghai Institute of Clinical Bioinformatics.
BTLA promoter hypomethylation correlates with enhanced immune cell infiltration, favorable prognosis, and immunotherapy response in melanomaYang, Zheng, Miao
et alJ Immunother Cancer (2025) 13 (3)
Abstract: Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB)-based immunotherapy has significantly improved survival in advanced melanoma. However, many patients exhibit resistance to these therapies. This study examines the impact of BTLA promoter methylation on its expression, immune cell infiltration, and clinical outcomes, evaluating its potential as a prognostic and predictive biomarker for immunotherapy response.We analyzed methylation and gene expression data from public datasets (The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO)) and an in-house cohort of melanoma patients treated with ICB therapy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. We developed a quantitative methylation-specific PCR (qMSP) assay to measure methylation levels of the cg24157392 and cg03995631 CpG sites, and a targeted bisulfite sequencing assay was used to validate the accuracy of qMSP. We measured BTLA protein expression using multiplex immunofluorescence and immunohistochemical staining methods. Pearson correlation, survival analysis, and immune cell infiltration estimation were conducted to explore the associations between BTLA promoter methylation, mRNA and protein expression, clinical outcomes, and immune characteristics.Hypomethylation at CpG sites cg24157392 and cg03995631 in the BTLA promoter were significantly associated with higher BTLA mRNA and protein expression. In the TCGA dataset, low methylation at these sites predicted longer overall survival and was validated in an independent cohort of 50 stage III/IV melanoma patients, with an area under the curve of 0.94 for predicting 5-year survival. Furthermore, BTLA promoter hypomethylation correlated with higher infiltration of immune cells, such as CD8+T cells, CD4+T cells, B cells, and macrophages. Additionally, low methylation at cg24157392 and cg03995631, as quantified by the qMSP assay, was significantly associated with better progression-free survival in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. These findings were further validated using GEO datasets.BTLA promoter hypomethylation serves as a significant biomarker for favorable prognosis and enhanced response to ICB therapy in melanoma. The developed qMSP assays for cg24157392 and cg03995631 accurately quantified methylation levels and demonstrated their potential for clinical application in patient stratification and personalized immunotherapy.© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group.
Quantitative detection of the HVEM-BTLA checkpoint receptor cis-complex in human lymphocytesAtwell, Cheung, Conner
et alJ Immunol (2025)
Abstract: The herpesvirus entry mediator (HVEM) (TNFRSF14) engagement of the checkpoint inhibitory receptor B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) limits immune responses of T and B lymphocytes. HVEM and BTLA form signaling complexes in trans and when coexpressed, complexes in cis, creating a unique immune checkpoint. The function of the HVEM-BTLA cis-complex is not well understood primarily due to a lack of reagents that specifically measure the HVEM-BTLA cis-complex. We describe here a method to generate antibodies to receptor-ligand complexes using fusion immunogens, in this case, a BTLA-HVEM fusion protein. We identified 2 closely related antibodies that specifically recognize the HVEM-BTLA complex on the cell surface. In experiments utilizing the anti-HVEM-BTLA complex-specific antibody together with subunit-specific BTLA monoclonal antibodies, we were able to determine the precise ratio of free to cis-complexed BTLA on subpopulations of human lymphocytes. This is the first direct quantification of the HVEM-BTLA cis-complex. The method described here should apply to the detection of other receptor-ligand complexes.© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The American Association of Immunologists.
Soluble immune checkpoints are dysregulated in patients with sickle cell disease and correlate with inflammatory mediators, autoantibodies, immune cell profiles, and clinical outcomesLi, Pucka, Houran
et almedRxiv (2025)
Abstract: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a chronic condition characterized by inflammation, immune dysregulation, and debilitating pain.This study investigates soluble immune checkpoints (sICPs) and their associations with inflammatory mediators, immune cell profiles, autoantibodies, and clinical outcomes in SCD.Peripheral blood samples from 50 SCD patients and 40 demographic-matched healthy controls (HCs) were analyzed for 37 sICPs, 80 inflammatory mediators, and 18 autoantibodies using multiplex assays, alongside immune cell profiles via flow cytometry. Pain and quality of life (QoL) were assessed through patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).Twenty-three sICPs, including arginase-1, BTLA, CD27, CD28, CD47, CD80, CD96, CD134, CD137, CD152, GITR, HVEM, IDO, LAG-3, MICA, MICB, Nectin-2, PD-1, Siglec-7, Siglec-9, TIM-3, TIMD-4, and VISTA, were significantly elevated in SCD patients compared to HCs. These sICPs correlated with multiple proinflammatory mediators (e.g., IL-18), autoantibodies (e.g., MPO), and immune cell activation markers (e.g., CD38/HLA-DR on CD8 T cells). Notably, CD28, CD152, HVEM, and VISTA were strongly associated with systemic inflammation and immune cell activation, while BTLA, LAG-3, PD-1, and CD80 correlated with pain and anxiety scores and QoL.This study highlights complex interactions between sICPs, immune activation, inflammation, and clinical outcomes in SCD, underscoring their potential as biomarkers or therapeutic targets to alleviate inflammation and improve QoL in this challenging clinical population.
膜杰作
Star Staining
