The Toll/Interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain of the Toll-like receptors (TLRs) plays an important role in innate host defense signaling. The TIR-TIR platform formed by the dimerization of two TLRs promotes homotypic protein-protein interactions with additional cytoplasmic adapter molecules to form an active signaling complex resulting in the expression of pro-and antiinflammatory cytokine genes. To generate a better understanding of the functional domains of TLR2 we performed a random mutagenesis analysis of the human TLR2 TIR domain and screened for TLR2/1 signaling-deficient mutants. Based upon the random mutagenesis results, we performed an alanine scanning mutagenesis of the TLR2 DD loop and part of the ␣D region. This resulted in the identification of four residues crucial for TLR2/1 signaling: Arg-748, Phe-749, Leu-752, and Arg-753. Computer-assisted energy minimization and docking studies indicated three regions of interaction in the TLR2/1 TIR-docked heterodimer. In Region I, residues Arg-748 and Phe-749 in TLR2 DD loop were involved in close contacts with Gly-676 in the TLR1 BB loop. Because this model suggested that steric hindrance would significantly alter the binding interactions between DD loop of TLR2 and BB loop of TLR1, Gly-676 in TLR1 was rationally mutated to Ala and Leu. As expected, in vitro functional studies involving TLR1 G676A and TLR1 G676L resulted in reduced PAM 3 CSK 4 mediated NF-B activation lending support to the computerized predictions. Additionally, mutation of an amino acid residue (TLR2 Asp-730) in Region II also resulted in decreased activity in agreement with our model, providing new insights into the structure-function relationship of TLR2/1 TIR domains.

Mitochondria form a complex, interconnected reticulum that is maintained through coordination among biogenesis, dynamic fission, and fusion and mitophagy, which are initiated in response to various cues to maintain energetic homeostasis. These cellular events, which make up mitochondrial quality control, act with remarkable spatial precision, but what governs such spatial specificity is poorly understood. Herein, we demonstrate that specific isoforms of the cellular bioenergetic sensor, 5′ AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPKα1/α2/β2/γ1), are localized on the outer mitochondrial membrane, referred to as mitoAMPK, in various tissues in mice and humans. Activation of mitoAMPK varies across the reticulum in response to energetic stress, and inhibition of mitoAMPK activity attenuates exercise-induced mitophagy in skeletal muscle in vivo. Discovery of a mitochondrial pool of AMPK and its local importance for mitochondrial quality control underscores the complexity of sensing cellular energetics in vivo that has implications for targeting mitochondrial energetics for disease treatment.

The regulation of secretory interleukin (IL)-1 receptor antagonist (sIL-1Ra) in response to IL-10 is unique. In contrast to most cytokines, the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced expression of the sIL-1Ra gene is enhanced by concomitant treatment with IL-10. Cotreatment of RAW 264.7 cells with IL-10 + LPS resulted in at least a twofold increase in sIL-1Ra promoter activity and mRNA expression compared with LPS alone; IL-10 alone had no effect on promoter activity or mRNA expression. Examination of sIL-1Ra mRNA expression in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) resulted in identical results. Transfection of RAW 264.7 cells with the sIL-1Ra/luc reporter and a dominant-negative signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3 (Y705A) expression plasmid inhibited the enhanced response induced by exogenous IL-10 in the presence of LPS. The presence of a functional STAT3-binding site within the proximal sIL-1Ra promoter was demonstrated. As IL-10 is produced by LPS-stimulated macrophages, a role for endogenously produced IL-10 in the response of the sIL-1Ra gene to LPS was suggested. This was confirmed in IL-10-deficient BMDM, which when compared with normal BMDM, had significantly decreased LPS-induced sIL-1Ra mRNA levels that could be restored by exogenously provided IL-10, which induced a fivefold increase of LPS-induced IL-1Ra mRNA in cells from IL-10-/- BMDM. Western blot analysis of phosphorylated STAT3 from wild-type and IL-10-/- BMDM and IL-10 neutralization experiments demonstrated a role for endogenously produced IL-10 in the LPS-induced STAT3 activity. Together, these results demonstrate that endogenously produced IL-10 plays a significant role in LPS-induced sIL-1Ra gene expression via the activation of STAT3.

This study identi®ed 17 matching serogroups of Vibrio cholerae belonging to serogroups other than O1 and O139 isolated from human cases and from the environment during a concurrent clinical and environmental study conducted in Calcutta, a cholera endemic area. Isolates within these matching serogroups were compared by various phenotypic and genotypic traits to determine if the environment was the source of the organisms associated with the disease. Clinical strains of V. cholerae were resistant to a greater number of drugs and exhibited multi-drug resistance compared with their environmental counterparts. Except for the presence of the genes for the El Tor haemolysin and the regulatory element ToxR in most of the strains of V. cholerae examined, non-O1, non-O139 V. cholerae strains lacked most of the other known virulence traits associated with toxigenic V. cholerae O1 or O139. Restriction fragment-length polymorphism of virulence-associated genes, ribotypes and DNA ®ngerprints of strains of matched serogroups showed considerable diversity, although some gene polymorphisms and ribotypes of a few strains of different serogroups were similar. It is concluded that despite sharing the same serogroup, environmental and clinical isolates were genetically heterogeneous and were of different lineages.

Background and Aims Dialysis patients are extremely vulnerable to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection with high rates of hospitalization and mortality rates. In January 2021, the University of Virginia Dialysis Program initiated a program‐wide vaccination campaign to administer the Pfizer BioNTech messenger RNA SARS‐CoV‐2 (BNT162b2) vaccine. The aim of this study was to characterize the long‐term time‐dependent decline in humoral immunity in hemodialysis patients. Methods A prospective cohort study measuring serial monthly semiquantitative IgG antibody levels to the SARS‐CoV‐2 spike protein receptor binding domain in fully vaccinated in‐center hemodialysis patients. Samples were collected monthly and tested for anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies against the anti‐spike S1 domain for 2–6 months post full vaccination. Results were presented as internationally harmonized binding antibody units (BAU/ml). To analyze the change in antibody levels over time, a linear mixed model with random intercept and random slope was used for longitudinal antibody levels. A multivariable model was used to estimate the slope of antibody levels by adjusting for selected patient characteristics. Based on the estimated intercepts and slopes for each subject from the unadjusted model, 10‐month antibody levels were projected. Results The mean baseline antibody level was 647.59 BAU/ml and 87.88% (29/33) of patients were considered qualitatively positive. Two patients were negative at baseline and an additional two had borderline results. Patient antibody levels declined at an adjusted average rate of 31% per month. At 6 months postvaccination, 40% of patients remaining in the cohort possessed either negative or borderline IgG antibody levels. Projecting future antibody levels suggests that 65% of the cohort will progress to borderline or negative antibody levels at 10 months post full vaccination. Conclusion The long‐term vaccine response following vaccination with the BNT162b2 in hemodialysis patients was characterized. Our data add to the limited pool of data in this patient population and emphasize the critical need for vaccine boosters.

For protection against cholera, it is important to develop efficient vaccine capable of inducing anti-toxin as well as anti-colonizing immunity against Vibrio cholerae infections. Earlier, expression of cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) in tomato was reported by us. In the present investigation, toxin co-regulated pilus subunit A (TCPA), earlier reported to be an antigen capable of providing anti-colonization immunity, has been expressed in tomato. Further, to generate more potent combinatorial antigens, nucleotides encoding P4 or P6 epitope of TCPA were fused to cholera toxin B subunit gene (ctxB) and expressed in tomato. Presence of transgenes in the tomato genome was confirmed by PCR and expression of genes was confirmed at transcript and protein level. TCPA, chimeric CTB-P4 and CTB-P6 proteins were also expressed in E. coli. TCPA protein expressed in E. coli was purified to generate anti-TCPA antibodies in rabbit. Immunoblot and G(M1)-ELISA verified the synthesis and assembly of pentameric chimeric proteins in fruit tissue of transgenic tomato plants. The chimeric protein CTB-P4 and CTB-P6 accumulated up to 0.17 and 0.096% of total soluble protein (TSP), respectively, in tomato fruits. Whereas expression of TCPA, CTB-P4 and CTB-P6 in E. coli can be utilized for development of conventional vaccine, expression of these antigens which can provide both anti-toxin as well as anti-colonization immunity, has been demonstrated in plants, in a form which is potentially capable of inducing immune response against cholera infection.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common clinical syndrome characterized by rapid impairment of kidney function. The incidence of AKI and its severe form AKI requiring dialysis (AKI-D) has been increasing over the years. AKI etiology may be multifactorial and is substantially associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The outcome of AKI-D can vary from partial or complete recovery to transitioning to chronic kidney disease, end stage kidney disease, or even death. Predicting outcomes of patients with AKI is crucial as it may allow clinicians to guide policy regarding adequate management of this problem and offer the best long-term options to their patients in advance. In this manuscript, we will review the current evidence regarding the determinants of AKI outcomes, focusing on AKI-D.

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