Siglec-targeted liposomes to identify sialoglycans present on fungal pathogensAmbati, Choudhury, Peter
et alAntimicrob Agents Chemother (2025)
Abstract: The sialic acid Ig-like lectins Siglec-3 and Siglec-15 are pathogen receptors that bind sialic acid-modified glycoproteins, best characterized in metastatic cancers. Because fungi produce sialoglycans and sialo-glycoproteins, we wondered if Siglecs had the potential for targeted delivery of antifungal drugs. We purified the extracellular V-region Ig-like C2 ligand-binding domains and stalk regions of SIG3 and SIG15. We floated the two polypeptides on the surface of liposomes loaded with amphotericin B (AmB) and labeled with rhodamine B to prepare SIG3-Ls and SIG15-Ls. Using these two reagents, we explored the sialoglycans of two evolutionarily distant and deadly human fungal pathogens, the Mucormycete Rhizopus delemar and the Ascomycete Aspergillus fumigatus. We found that SIG3-Ls and SIG15-Ls localized in a continuous layer over the cell wall surface of germ tubes and hyphae of both fungal species and to the conidia of A. fumigatus. Binding was Neu5Ac-specific and appeared confined to N-linked sialoglycans on fungal proteins. SIG3 and SIG15 proteins bound to diverse sialo-glycoproteins extracted from the hyphae of both species. SIG3-Ls and SIG15-Ls delivering sub-micromolar concentrations of AmB were moderately more effective at inhibiting and/or killing both species relative to control liposomes. We discuss the roles that sialo-glycoproteins may play in fungal pathogens.
Mediating Role of Blood Metabolites in the Relationship Between Immune Cell Traits and Heart Failure: A Mendelian Randomization and Mediation AnalysisLiu, Shen, Cao
J Am Heart Assoc (2025) 14 (6), e037265
Abstract: Observational studies have shown a significant association between immune cells and heart failure (HF). Nevertheless, the precise biological mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear.To investigate the causative relationships and underlying mechanisms between immune cell traits and adult HF, 3 main methods of Mendelian randomization were used: 2-sample Mendelian randomization, multivariable Mendelian randomization with controlling for several factors affecting HF, and mediation analysis. Results from the inverse variance-weighted model indicated that genetic predispositions for human leukocyte antigen-type DR (HLA DR) on CD33dim HLA DR+ CD11b+ (odds ratio, 0.967 [95% CI, 0.939-0.996]; P=0.028) may be associated with a reduced risk of HF. Although the association between HF and HLA DR on CD33 dim HLA DR+ CD11b+ did not withstand multiple-testing correction, the Mendelian randomization results (PIVW <0.05) decrease the likelihood that the observational results are due to chance.Our 2-step mediation analysis demonstrated that genetic predispositions for HLA DR on CD33dim HLA DR+ CD11b+ (odds ratio,1.085 [95% CI, 1.020-1.155]; P=0.010) was associated with increased levels of the metabolite Octadecanedioate, while genetic predispositions for Octadecanedioate levels (odds ratio, 0.917 [95% CI, 0.849-0.991]; P=0.028) was associated with a reduced risk of HF. Moreover, our results also demonstrated that the association between HLA DR on CD33dim HLA DR+ CD11b+ and HF was possibly mediated by Octadecanedioate levels, with a mediation proportion of 21.4% [95% CI, 43.7 -0.998].These findings underscore the importance of HLA DR on CD33dim HLA DR+ CD11b+ in the development of HF, with Octadecanedioate levels acting as a possible mediator in this pathway.
Structure of the CD33 Receptor and Implications for the Siglec FamilyVu, Situ, Dai
et alBiochemistry (2025) 64 (7), 1450-1462
Abstract: In the innate immune system, the CD33 receptor modulates microglial activity. Its downregulation promises to slow Alzheimer's disease, and it is already targeted in blood cancers. The mechanism underlying CD33 signaling is unresolved. Starting from the available crystal structure of its extracellular IgV-IgC1 domains, we have assembled a model of the human CD33 receptor by characterizing the oligomerization and structure of IgC1, transmembrane, and cytosolic domains in solution. IgC1 homodimerizes via intermolecular β-strand pairing and packing. In contrast, the 21-residue transmembrane helix of CD33 appears monomeric and straight, with a conserved thin neck and thick belly appearance followed by a positively charged cytosolic patch. The cytosolic domain is dynamically unstructured. Sequence alignment and AlphaFold models indicate that IgC domains in the family of human Siglecs, to which CD33 belongs, are surprisingly variable. Only Siglec-6 is identified to analogously dimerize via IgC1. Our CD33 structural model suggests that the receptor is not signaling via a monomer-dimer shift. Rather, we propose that, aided but also constrained by dimerization, multivalent ligands may concentrate the receptor transmembrane and cytosolic domains sufficiently to trigger colocalization with an activating kinase.
HIV-Induced Sialoglycans on Infected Cells Promote Immune Evasion from Myeloid Cell-Mediated KillingSingh, Islam, Liu
et albioRxiv (2025)
Abstract: Sialic acid-containing glycans (sialoglycans) on pathological cells interact with Siglecs, glycol-immune checkpoint receptors expressed on myeloid cells such as monocytes and neutrophils. This interaction suppresses the cytotoxic functions of these immune cells. We show that HIV infection reprograms the glycosylation machinery of infected cells to increase the expression of specific sialoglycan ligands for Siglecs-3, -7, and -9. These ligands engage Siglecs on myeloid cells, impairing their ability to target HIV-infected cells. Selective disruption of these interactions using 10-1074-Sia, an HIV-specific antibody conjugated to sialidase-an enzyme that removes sialic acids-significantly enhances monocyte- and neutrophil-mediated killing of HIV-infected cells in autologous assays. Treatment with 10-1074-Sia in humanized mice infected with HIV reduces viral load and decreases inflammation. These findings reveal a novel immune evasion mechanism exploited by HIV to evade myeloid cell immune surveillance and highlight the potential of targeting sialoglycan-Siglec interactions to improve immune clearance of HIV-infected cells.
膜杰作
Star Staining
