<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<rdf:RDF xmlns:admin="http://webns.net/mvcb/" xmlns="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/" xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#" xmlns:prism="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/prism/" xmlns:taxo="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/taxonomy/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:syn="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/">
<channel rdf:about="https://biorxiv.org">
<admin:errorReportsTo rdf:resource="mailto:biorxiv@cshlpress.edu"/>
<title>bioRxiv Subject Collection: Immunology</title>
<link>https://biorxiv.org</link>
<description>
This feed contains articles for bioRxiv Subject Collection "Immunology"
</description>

<items>
<rdf:Seq>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.732683v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735473v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735433v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735498v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735367v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.734788v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735300v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735442v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.734663v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.02.736074v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.27.734952v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735609v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735200v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735148v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.733140v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.01.735277v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.27.734105v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.28.735075v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.28.735097v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.27.734962v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.28.735092v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.28.735129v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734609v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735262v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734825v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734856v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734836v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734820v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734859v1?rss=1"/>
<rdf:li rdf:resource="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.733622v1?rss=1"/>
</rdf:Seq>
</items>
<prism:eIssn/>
<prism:publicationName>bioRxiv</prism:publicationName>
<prism:issn/>

<image rdf:resource=""/>
</channel>
<image rdf:about="">
<title>bioRxiv</title>
<url>https://www.biorxiv.org/sites/default/files/bioRxiv_article.jpg</url>
<link>https://www.biorxiv.org</link>
</image>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.732683v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Trans-presentation of IL-15 by IL15Rα attenuates tumor immune surveillance and is dispensable for IL-15-dependent tumor growth control 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.732683v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Abstract Introduction: IL-15 is one of the most promising candidate cytokines in cancer immunotherapy due to its ability to promote the activity of different cytotoxic innate immune cell subsets such as NK, ILC1 and gammadelta T cells. During biosynthesis, IL-15 associates with IL-15alpha and is transported to the cell surface where IL-15Ralpha trans-presents IL-15 to target neighboring cells expressing the beta chain (IL-2Rbeta) and the common gamma chain. Our group previously showed that in autoimmune type 1 diabetes and early innate immune responses to infections trans-presentation by IL-15Ralpha is dispensable. Here we addressed the relative roles of IL-15 and trans-presented IL-15 in the control of established tumors and spontaneous tumor development. Methodology: Growth kinetics of tumor cell lines were monitored in WT, Il15-/- and Il15ra-/- mice. Spontaneous fibrosarcoma was induced with Methylcholanthrene (MCA) in WT, Il15-/- and Il15ra-/- mice. Cell lines were established from MCA-induced tumors to characterize their immunogenicity. Results: Growth of established tumor cell lines were comparable in the three genotypes. MCA-induced tumor incidence was reduced in Il15ra-/- mice when compared to WT and Il15-/- mice. In vitro, MCA tumor-derived cell lines expressed MHC-I and PD-L1 and had comparable proliferation rates. In vivo, MCA tumor-derived cell lines established from the 3 genotypes showed comparative growth in WT mice suggesting that IL-15 does not impact immunoediting. Nonetheless, NLRC5 expressing B16-F10 tumors were contained in WT and Il15ra-/- mice but not in Il15-/- mice. Conclusions: Taken together, these results show that in the absence of trans-presentation by IL-15Ralpha, IL-15 can better control spontaneous tumor development and that IL-15 signaling plays a minor role in immunosurveillance in this model. IL-15 signaling, independent of IL-15Ralpha has a significant role in the control of solid tumors.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Rexhepi, F., Ali Akbari, S., Moradzad, M., Khodayari, S., Shukla, A., Demontier, E., Armas Cayarga, A., Allard-Chamard, H., Ilangumaran, S., Ramanathan, S. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-03</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.30.732683</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Trans-presentation of IL-15 by IL15Rα attenuates tumor immune surveillance and is dispensable for IL-15-dependent tumor growth control]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-03</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735473v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Single-cell analysis of an adult IBD INCEPTION cohort reveals Galectin-linked disease mechanisms 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735473v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Background and Aims: The molecular pathogenesis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) remains unclear. We aimed to establish a high-resolution immune landscape of treatment-naive IBD to identify central drivers of disease onset and early pathogenic signalling. Methods: We generated a single-cell atlas using intestinal biopsies from a large adult inception cohort of 137 individuals, including treatment-naive Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC), and symptomatic non-IBD controls. We integrated scRNA-seq (1 million cells) with co-varying neighbourhood analysis (CNA) and unbiased tensor decomposition of cell-cell communication (CCC) networks. Findings were validated in vitro macrophage stimulation model and using serum from patients. Results: The inception cohort exhibited significantly more homogenous compartmental diversity compared to benchmark reference studies (p < 0.001). Inflammation in both CD and UC was characterized by a marked expansion of inflammatory monocytes. Unbiased CCC analysis identified a dominant disease-specific signalling module centred on the Galectin family (LGALS1 and LGALS9). Galectin-9 expression was specifically enriched in inflammatory monocytes, which exhibited distinct. transcriptional programs linked to antigen presentation and microbial sensing. In vitro, Galectin-9 acted as a potent stimulus, driving macrophages toward a pro-inflammatory phenotype. Clinically, serum Galectin-9 levels were significantly elevated in IBD patients and correlated with systemic inflammatory markers and treatment response. Conclusions: Our data identify a galectin-monocyte signalling axis as a unifying inflammatory hallmark of early IBD. Galectin-9 serves as both a functional driver of mucosal inflammation and a dynamic biomarker, offering new opportunities for therapeutic targeting and disease monitoring from diagnosis. Keywords: Inflammatory Bowel Disease; Crohn's Disease; Ulcerative Colitis; Single-cell RNA sequencing; Galectin-9; Inflammatory monocytes.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Leipner, M., Rimmer, P., Tull, S., Paun, A., Sandrin, V., Begum, J., Mansour, A. A., Saviano, A., Sharma, N., Cheesbrough, J., Maione, F., Trenkle, P., Klein, A., Danilin, S., Iqbal, T. H., Iqbal, A. J., Regan-Komito, D. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-03</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.30.735473</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Single-cell analysis of an adult IBD INCEPTION cohort reveals Galectin-linked disease mechanisms]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-03</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735433v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Vitamin D mitigates Inflammatory Bone Loss in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis via modulating the Gut-Immune-Bone axis 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735433v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Osteoporosis is a prevalent skeletal disorder characterized by deterioration of bone microarchitecture and loss of bone mineral density, leading to increased fracture risk and substantial health and economic burdens, particularly among older adults. Bone remodeling is orchestrated by a complex interplay of systemic and local regulators, among which vitamin D plays a central role in maintaining skeletal homeostasis. Although numerous studies have examined the effects of vitamin D on bone metabolism, outcomes have been inconsistent across populations, dosing regimens, and experimental models. To clarify the net skeletal impact of vitamin D, we investigated its effects in postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO). Vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3- active form of vitamin D) supplementation effectively prevented bone loss in ovariectomized mice, at both lower and higher concentrations. Mechanistically, vitamin D promoted osteoclast differentiation in vitro, consistent with its RANKL-dependent pro-osteoclastogenic activity, yet paradoxically conferred bone protection in vivo. This discrepancy was explained by vitamin Ds profound immunomodulatory effects, which reshaped both innate and adaptive immune responses to suppress osteoclast formation and function. Concurrently, vitamin D improved intestinal barrier integrity and restored gut microbial composition, thereby stabilizing the gut-immune-bone axis and reducing pro-resorptive inflammatory signaling. Together, these findings demonstrate that vitamin D prevents bone loss through the coordinated regulation of immune and gut homeostasis, reconciling its apparent pro-resorptive effects in vitro with its overall anti-resorptive outcomes in vivo. This integrated mechanism highlights immune-gut microbial modulation as a key mediator of vitamin D-induced bone preservation and supports the development of vitamin D as an immunotherapeutic adjunct for the prevention and management of PMO. Altogether, our findings for the first time dissect the paradox surrounding the osteoprotective property of vitamin D supplementation.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Bhardwaj, A., Sapra, L., Sharma, T., Rajput, S., SIngh, A., Yadav, S., Saini, C., Mishra, P. K., Garg, B., Manhas, V., Shukla, P., Barwad, A. W., Srivastava, R. K. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-03</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.29.735433</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Vitamin D mitigates Inflammatory Bone Loss in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis via modulating the Gut-Immune-Bone axis]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-03</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735498v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Characterization of the IGH locus and tissue specific immunoglobulin repertoires in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus). 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735498v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) is an important aquaculture species, but the genomic organization and expressed diversity of its antibody repertoire remain incompletely characterized. In this study, we annotated the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) locus using the haplotype resolved fScoMax1.1 genome assembly, and we used this as a reference to profile the expressed turbot IgM, IgD and IgT repertoires in skin and spleen. The primary IGH locus was located on chromosome 19, spanned approximately 72 kb, and contained 25 IGHV genes, including 24 functional genes and one pseudogene, together with three IGHD, seven IGHJ and three IGHC genes corresponding to IgT, IgM and IgD. Comparison with the alternate fScoMax1.1 haplotype and a second turbot genome assembly showed conserved IGHD, IGHJ and IGHC content, whereas IGHV gene number differed among assemblies. High throughput 5RACE repertoire sequencing revealed isotype and tissue associated differences in expressed IGH diversity. IgM represented the dominant productive repertoire in both skin and spleen and showed the highest clonotypic diversity, particularly in spleen. IgD displayed an intermediate profile, whereas IgT was more enriched in skin and exhibited the strongest clonal restriction. IGHV subgroup usage was dominated by IGHV3 in IgM and IgD, whereas IgT showed a distinct profile characterized by preferential use of IGHV4, especially in skin. Gene level analysis further showed broad IGHV-IGHJ pairing in IgM and IgD, with preferential use IGHJ3 segment, while IgT sequences paired exclusively with IGHJT. Clonotype sharing between skin and spleen was isotype dependent, being strongest for IgT, intermediate for IgM, and negligible for IgD, suggesting that clonal expansion did not necessarily predict inter tissue trafficking. Together, these results provide a curated genomic and expressed repertoire framework for turbot IGH genes and reveal isotype specific organization of antibody diversity, with IgT displaying a particular repertoire pattern.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ TOUCEDO, R., Zhu, Y., Moledo, S., Gambon Deza, F., Boudinot, P., Santos, Y., MAGADAN, S. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-03</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.30.735498</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Characterization of the IGH locus and tissue specific immunoglobulin repertoires in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus).]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-03</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735367v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
A Metabolic Enzyme, Pyruvate Carboxylase, Functions as a Sequence-Selective Small RNA Sensor for Antiviral Immunity 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735367v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Interleukin 27 (IL-27) is an anti-HIV cytokine that induces 14 novel microRNAs (miRNAs) in T cells. We previously reported that transfection of two of these miRNA mimics, miRTC10 and miRTC14, differentially induced interferons (IFN)A2, A8, A13, and L1 expression in human primary macrophages. However, the mechanism underlying this activation remains unclear. Here, we show that miRTC14 does not directly target IFN-regulatory genes but instead engages cytosolic RNA-sensing proteins. Using miRNA pull-down coupled with mass spectrometry and immunoblotting, we identified a metabolic enzyme, pyruvate carboxylase (PC) and laboratory of genetics and physiology 2 (LGP2/DHX58) as direct binding partners of miRTC14. Functional analyses revealed that miRTC14 induces IFN expression by more than100-fold (p < 0.001), whereas PC and LGP2 depletion markedly attenuated this response (50-100 fold reduction, p < 0.01). Reconstitution of PC and LGP2 in deficient HEK293 cells restored miRTC14-driven IFN induction. We found that miRTC14-induced IFN activation depends on sequence features at the duplex termini and is unlikely to arise from canonical miRNA-mediated gene silencing. These findings establish PC as a novel miRNA-binding protein and define a previously unrecognized RNA-sensing mechanism by which miRTC14 drives IFN production, linking metabolic enzymes to RNA sequence-dependent innate immunity.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kariyawasam, U., Goswami, S., Hao, M., Wiscovitch-Russo, R., Chen, Q., Yang, J., Qiu, J., Marquez, M., Sui, H., Chang, W., Imamichi, T. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-03</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.29.735367</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[A Metabolic Enzyme, Pyruvate Carboxylase, Functions as a Sequence-Selective Small RNA Sensor for Antiviral Immunity]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-03</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.734788v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Dual Th1 and tissue-repair Treg cells accumulate in skeletal muscle preserving tissue integrity during infection 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.734788v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Chronic infections require mechanisms that limit tissue damage while preserving pathogen control, yet the contribution of regulatory T (Treg) cells to this balance remains unclear. In this study, we characterized Treg cell responses during a chronic parasitic infection using experimental Trypanosoma cruzi infection as a model of persistent low-level parasitism and chronic tissue inflammation. We found that, although Treg cell numbers decline in the spleen, they accumulate in parasite-affected tissues such as skeletal muscle, where they adopt a combined Th1-associated and tissue-repair program. Systemic Treg cell depletion had limited impact on immune and disease-associated parameters, whereas local depletion in skeletal muscle exacerbated tissue damage and increased parasite burden. Moreover, transient systemic perturbation of Treg cells during the acute phase impaired their long-term accumulation in skeletal muscle, resulting in increased tissue damage and parasite burden during chronic infection. Additionally, accumulation of reparative Treg cells in skeletal muscle was impaired in the absence of ST2. Together, these findings identify a tissue-adapted Treg cell population that integrates inflammatory and reparative programs to preserve skeletal muscle integrity during chronic parasitic infection.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Araujo Furlan, C. L., Boccardo, S., Gimenez, C. M., Gazzoni, Y. N., Gareca, J., Rodriguez, C., Mukdsi, J. H., Amezcua Vesely, M. C., Gruppi, A., Montes, C. L., Hanna, B. S., Acosta Rodriguez, E. V. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-03</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.29.734788</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Dual Th1 and tissue-repair Treg cells accumulate in skeletal muscle preserving tissue integrity during infection]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-03</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735300v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
A Co-culture Cell-Based Reporter Assay for Quantitative Measurement of Integrin αvβ8-Mediated Activation of Latent TGF-β1 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735300v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Integrin v{beta}8 is a major activator of latent transforming growth factor-{beta} (TGF-{beta}) and an emerging therapeutic target in cancer and immune regulation. However, functional assays that directly measure v{beta}8-mediated activation of latent TGF-{beta} in a physiologically relevant context remain limited. Here, we report a co-culture cell-based reporter assay for quantitative measurement of v{beta}8-mediated activation of latent TGF-{beta}1. NIH/3T3 reporter cells were engineered to express a SMAD-responsive NanoLuc reporter, constitutive firefly luciferase for internal normalization, and cell-surface GARP-latent TGF-{beta}1. When co-cultured with v{beta}8-expressing LN-229 cells, reporter cells produced a robust signal that directly reflected localized latent TGF-{beta}1 activation. The assay demonstrated stable expression of the required biological components, reproducible signal-to-background performance, and sensitivity to benchmark v{beta}8-blocking antibodies. Inhibition studies showed potent dose-dependent blockade by an anti-v{beta}8 antibody. In contrast, pan-TGF-{beta} neutralizing antibody displayed markedly weaker apparent potency, suggesting that targeting localized v{beta}8-mediated activation is more effective than neutralizing released TGF-{beta} in this assay context. The assay also enabled screening and ranking of anti-v{beta}8 antibodies, identifying several high-potency clones, and detected v{beta}8-mediated activation of a non-cleavable latent TGF-{beta}1 mutant. This platform provides a sensitive, internally normalized, and scalable approach for mechanistic studies and therapeutic discovery targeting the v{beta}8-TGF-{beta} axis.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Zhang, J., Thai, M., Masureel, M., Chiu, C., Lin, W., Tyagi, T., Castiglioni, A., Seshasayee, D., Loyet, K. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-03</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.29.735300</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[A Co-culture Cell-Based Reporter Assay for Quantitative Measurement of Integrin αvβ8-Mediated Activation of Latent TGF-β1]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-03</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735442v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Selection of potent biologic antagonists of the cannabinoid GPCR CB2R from a constrained peptide library 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735442v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Dysregulated gut homing of leukocytes drives chronic inflammation in Crohns disease (CD). We employed phage display selection campaigns with libraries of stabilized, constrained peptides against endogenous conformation states of the cannabinoid receptor CB2R on human T cells, to discover novel receptor antagonists with potential to inhibit gut homing. Cluster and frequency analysis of 50,000 enriched sequences resulted in expression and functional characterisation of 10 protein candidates using assays of glucose uptake, ERK phosphorylation (pERK) and beta-arrestin recruitment. Each candidate antagonised CB2R activity with recorded IC50 values of between 5-10 nM. Cannabinoid receptor nanodisc binding experiments and SPR confirmed CB2R selectivity. SLKC_09 with an IC50 of 5.4 nM, was studied in a mouse model of chronic ileitis where it significantly inhibited gut homing of CD4+ & CD8+ naive, effector and memory cell types. Our findings highlight an alternative route to therapeutic inhibition of leukocyte trafficking in CD with a biologic inhibitor of CB2R.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ leddy, r., pal, a., plant, j., mcbrien, c., Li, Y., phelan, h., linse, s., Steiner, C., Collins, C., o'connell, d. j. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-03</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.29.735442</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Selection of potent biologic antagonists of the cannabinoid GPCR CB2R from a constrained peptide library]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-03</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.734663v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Gingipain-containing products from Porphyromonas gingivalis promote epithelial CCL20 signaling and γδ T-cell accumulation in COPD-like airways 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.734663v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive inflammatory airway disease in which impaired mucosal barrier function may increase susceptibility to aspirated oral microbial products. Periodontal disease has been associated with COPD development and exacerbation, but the epithelial mechanisms linking periodontal pathogens to pulmonary immune remodeling remain unclear. Here, we investigated whether gingipain-containing Porphyromonas gingivalis culture supernatant (PCS) promotes {gamma}{delta} T-cell-associated inflammation in COPD-like airways. Repeated intratracheal administration of PCS to {beta}ENaC-transgenic mice induced airway-centered immune cell accumulation and increased {gamma}{delta} TCR-positive cell accumulation, together with elevated expression of the {gamma}{delta} T-cell-associated cytokines Ifng and Il17a. PCS also increased pulmonary Ccl20 and Ccr6 expression, whereas epithelial alarmin-related genes and M2 macrophage-associated responses were not induced in parallel. In ENaC-overexpressing human airway epithelial cells, PCS induced CCL20 and F2RL1, the gene encoding protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2), and reduced the N-terminal PAR-2 signal, consistent with proteolytic receptor cleavage. Direct PAR-2 activation reproduced CCL20 induction, whereas pharmacological PAR-2 inhibition suppressed PCS-induced CCL20 expression. In contrast, PAR-1 inhibition or LPS neutralization with polymyxin B did not suppress this response. These findings support a mucosal epithelial protease-sensing model in which gingipain-containing P. gingivalis products activate PAR-2-dependent CCL20 production in airway epithelial cells and are associated with CCR6-linked {gamma}{delta} T-cell accumulation in COPD-like airways.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kawano, K., Takahashi, N., Kishimoto, T., Kariu, T., Fujiwara, Y., Uemura, M., Nakajima, K., Kinjo, N., Ueno-Shuto, K., Nakashima, R., Hayashi, M., Suico, M. A., Shuto, T. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-03</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.29.734663</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Gingipain-containing products from Porphyromonas gingivalis promote epithelial CCL20 signaling and γδ T-cell accumulation in COPD-like airways]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-03</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.02.736074v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Preserved Barrier Integrity and Altered Immune Profiles in Chronic Cannabis Users: Potential Roles of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.02.736074v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Although cannabinoids such as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are generally immunosuppressive in preclinical models, chronic cannabis use in humans is paradoxically associated with increased infection risk and systemic inflammation. In this study, we demonstrate that THC directly strengthens intestinal epithelial barrier function in vitro by increasing trans-epithelial electrical resistance in a concentration-dependent manner in Caco-2 monolayers. In a cross-sectional study of chronic cannabis users via smoking or snorting compared with non-using controls, plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and microbial translocation-driven inflammatory cytokines (IL-23, MCP-1, IL-8) were significantly reduced, while some cytokines (IL-6, IL-1{beta}, TNF-, IL-10) remained unchanged. Concurrently, users exhibited elevated macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC) and homeostatic cytokines IL-15 and IL-21, markedly suppressed IL-7 and IL-4. Plasma IL-15 and MDC levels correlated with consumption intensity, and IL-23, IL-7, and IP-10 correlated with age of first use or during heaviest use. These findings suggest that habitual cannabis use may protect gut barrier integrity and reduce microbial translocation and associated inflammation, while simultaneously disrupting systemic immune homeostasis through selective cytokine dysregulation. This dual, dose-dependent immunomodulatory profile highlights the complex balance between potential benefits and risks in both recreational and therapeutic cannabis use.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ McKinnon, J. E., Zhou, Z., Wagner, A., Luo, Z., Hartley, A., Wan, Z., Fitting, S., Haque, A., McRae-Clark, A., Jiang, W. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-03</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.07.02.736074</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Preserved Barrier Integrity and Altered Immune Profiles in Chronic Cannabis Users: Potential Roles of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-03</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.27.734952v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Analysis of genetic variation in the bovine Mannose Receptor gene (MRC1), its influence on receptor expression, and a potential association with resistance to bovine tuberculosis 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.27.734952v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Naturally occurring variation in the bovine mannose receptor C-type 1 gene (MRC1) may shape macrophage responses to Mycobacterium (M.) bovis, a key driver of bovine tuberculosis (bTB). We identified four coding region SNPs in MRC1 across Bos taurus (Holstein Friesian, Brown Swiss) and Bos indicus (Boran, Sahiwal) cattle breeds, including a non-synonymous variant, rs380943118 (c.2963G>A; Ser988Asn) in C-type lectin-like domain (CTLD) 6, most prevalent in Sahiwal cattle. Structural modelling suggested that the S988N substitution, which is spatially separated from the monosaccharide binding site of CTLD4, might indirectly affect glycan binding, perhaps through a conformational change in the receptor. Monocyte-derived macrophages upregulated MR expression during differentiation, with heterozygous (G/A) animals showing higher MR expression and increased uptake of GFP-M. bovis BCG, although differences were not statistically significant. Anti-CD206 blockade did not inhibit BCG internalization, either indicating that this specific antibody did not bind to a CTLD involved in ligand binding or that MR is not the sole entry receptor. These results highlight naturally occurring MRC1 polymorphisms that may influence MR structure and macrophage function, providing a foundation for future studies to assess their role in bTB susceptibility.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Holder, A., Kolakowski, J. F., Usher, E., Tzelos, T., Connelley, T. k., Shabbir, M. Z., Gibson, A. J., Harris, H., Villarreal-Ramos, B., Werling, D. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-03</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.27.734952</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Analysis of genetic variation in the bovine Mannose Receptor gene (MRC1), its influence on receptor expression, and a potential association with resistance to bovine tuberculosis]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-03</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735609v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
DPP9-mediated inflammasome repression protects against checkpoint inhibitor lung toxicity 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735609v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Over one million patients receive cancer immunotherapy annually, yet the mechanisms underlying life-threatening immune-mediated toxicities remain poorly understood. Checkpoint inhibitor pneumonitis (CIP) is the leading cause of immunotherapy-related mortality, with a case fatality rate approaching 10%, and no genetic risk factors have been described to date. We identified Dipeptidyl-peptidase 9 (DPP9) as the first genetic susceptibility gene for CIP in a clinico-genomics cohort of 4,397 patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Mechanistically, DPP9 suppresses CARD8 inflammasome activation and IL-18 secretion in human monocytes, a pathway which is engaged prior to CIP onset, with IL-18 selectively elevated in the plasma of patients who subsequently develop CIP. Myeloid-restricted ablation of Dpp8 and Dpp9 in mice recapitulated the pulmonary histopathological and immunological hallmarks of CIP, including granuloma formation, accumulation of IFN{gamma}-producing T cells and monocyte-derived macrophages. Each of these phenotypes were driven by excessive IL-18 secretion. Together, these findings establish DPP9 as a genetic determinant of CIP and nominate IL-18 blockade as a mechanistically rational therapeutic strategy.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Brewer, J. R., Han, A., Nassar, A. H., Farhat, E. B., Blackburn, H. N., Xiao, T., Mirza, H., Mowel, W. K., Sefik, E., Hartner, S., Chiorazzi, M., Itoh, T., Oh, M.-H., Madden, M. Z., Rangavajhula, A., Adib, E., Saleh, M. J., Machaalani, M., Rakaee, M., Tafavvoghi, M., Quattropani, C., Gazetos, N., Gerber, D., Fattah, F., SoRelle, J. A., Choo, D., von Itzstein, M. S., Bevans-Fonti, S., Ghanbar, M., Suresh, K., Mazumder, T., Ye, C. J., Choueiri, T. K., Gusev, A., Flavell, R. A. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-03</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.30.735609</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[DPP9-mediated inflammasome repression protects against checkpoint inhibitor lung toxicity]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-03</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735200v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Mapping the immune landscape in small cell lung cancer unveils a distinct tumor-reactive CD8+ T cell molecular signature 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735200v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly aggressive malignancy with limited therapeutic advances. Unlike many other cancers, its immune landscape, particularly immune competence and T cell recognition, remains poorly characterized. Here, we generate a single-cell transcriptome atlas of the SCLC immune microenvironment with paired T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing. By linking T cell states with clonality and a multilayered functional screening, we identify 6 tumor-reactive TCRs that recognize and eradicate autologous SCLC cell lines. We delineate a novel SCLC-reactive CD8+ T cell signature (SCLC_TR), enabling the identification of 47 further SCLC-reactive TCRs. The SCLC_TR signature performs extremely well in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), another immune-cold tumor indication, and, most strikingly, patients with elevated SCLC_TR signature scores exhibited significantly improved survival, underlining its prognostic potential. Comparative cell-cell interaction analyses implicate several immunosuppressive mechanisms, with myeloid cells and CD4+ regulatory T cells possibly acting as counterbalances to effector T cell activity in SCLC. In summary, our study challenges the prevailing notion of SCLC as an immune-cold tumor type by providing direct evidence of tumor-reactive T cell responses and introduces the SCLC_TR signature as a tool to identify tumor-specific T cells and their microenvironmental restraints and escape mechanisms, ultimately shaping next-generation immunotherapeutic strategies.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Khinvasara, K., Diken, E., Gerbracht, J. V., Huduti, E., D'Rozario, J., Omokoko, T., Newrzela, S., Akilli, O., Lang, F., Schroers, B., Hoepker, K., Stanganello, E., Schork, M., Gargano, A., Al Alwash, A., Weber, J.-P., George, J., Thomas, R. K., Kuebler, A., Diken, M., Sahin, U., Kolb, L. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-03</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.29.735200</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Mapping the immune landscape in small cell lung cancer unveils a distinct tumor-reactive CD8+ T cell molecular signature]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-03</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735148v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
The lack of macrophage fragment adhesion is a benchmark of dormant hematopoietic stem cells throughout the lifespan 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735148v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) play a pivotal role in the lifelong maintenance of hematopoiesis. However, heterogeneity and age-related alterations in HSC populations hinders accurate HSC analysis. Here, we show that bone marrow (BM) macrophage fragments that preferentially express F4/80 adhere to proliferative rather than dormant HSCs. The adhesion of macrophage fragments to proliferative HSCs occurred throughout the process of BM cell preparation in vitro. Consistently, proliferative HSCs express genes involved in the adhesion of macrophage fragments at higher levels than dormant HSCs. Notably, by using that as a benchmark, dormant HSCs can be easily identified as F4/80lowHSCs throughout their lifespan, thereby revealing that they retain considerable stemness and remain functional with aging. Collectively, we propose a novel and straightforward method for the rapid identification, isolation, and analysis of distinct HSC subpopulations, which will be helpful for a wide range of hematological studies and will provide insights into HSC biology.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kanayama, M., Izumi, Y., Yamada, Y., Arakawa, S., Iwama, A., Ohteki, T. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-02</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.29.735148</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[The lack of macrophage fragment adhesion is a benchmark of dormant hematopoietic stem cells throughout the lifespan]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-02</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.733140v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Synovitis in systemic sclerosis is an interferon-driven stromal condition distinct from rheumatoid arthritis 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.733140v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Joint involvement is a major driver of disability in systemic sclerosis (SSc), yet its pathophysiology remains poorly understood. In the absence of specific evidence, SSc synovitis is treated by analogy with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Here, we present the first comprehensive molecular characterization of SSc synovitis, integrating histology, single-cell RNA sequencing, and spatial multi-omics of synovial biopsies from SSc patients, RA patients, and non-inflammatory controls with in vitro validation. We show that SSc synovitis is characterized by distinct pathomechanisms from RA. Histologically, most SSc biopsies displayed a pauci-immune pathotype with sparse immune infiltrates and predominant stromal cells. At molecular level, synovial fibroblasts in SSc were characterized by a disease-specific type I interferon (IFN) response program, in contrast to the TNF-dominant profile of RA, accompanied by dysregulation of the complement cascade. This IFN program extended across multiple synovial cell types, including monocyte-derived macrophages and endothelial cells, and was spatially organized into focal myeloid niches and a diffuse stromal program. Systemically, elevated serum IFN-2a levels were associated with the presence of clinical synovitis in an independent cohort of SSc patients. We furthermore show that similar IFN-driven programs are shared between skin and synovium in SSc. Genes downregulated by IFNAR1 blockade in SSc skin were enriched in SSc synovium, supporting IFN receptor blockade as a multi-organ target therapeutic strategy. These findings reframe SSc synovitis as a less destructive, IFN-driven stromal condition distinct from RA and provide a mechanistic basis for dedicated clinical trials for joint inflammation in SSc.

One Sentence SummarySSc synovitis is a pauci-immune, IFN-driven stromal condition distinct from RA, supporting IFNAR1 blockade as a therapeutic strategy.

Graphical abstract

O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=110 SRC="FIGDIR/small/733140v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1">
View larger version (41K):
org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@59b9f0org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@be5b8aorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@16bfce6org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@a8a05e_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP  M_FIG C_FIG
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Geiss, C., Calvo Cebrian, C., Houtman, M., Ezen, E., Apostopoulou, K., Iperi, C., Toitou, M., Khmelevskaya, A., Lugar, M., Cauvet, A., Djeffal, Y., Frank Bertoncelj, M., Edalat, S. G., Rauer, T., Zachariassen, K., Buerki, K., Bruni, C., Pauli, C., Bonelli, M., Karonitsch, T., Allanore, Y., Micheroli, R., Distler, O., Ospelt, C., Elhai, M. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-02</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.30.733140</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Synovitis in systemic sclerosis is an interferon-driven stromal condition distinct from rheumatoid arthritis]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-02</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.01.735277v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Wobble Vaccines: Cross-Strain Protection Through Epitope Hierarchy Manipulation 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.01.735277v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Vaccination remains the most successful preventative measure against viral infection, but methods to stably deter rapidly-evolving pathogens have remained elusive. Vaccines capable of incorporating and anticipating viral evolution could address current challenges in seasonal vaccination efforts against SARS-CoV-2 and influenza where economic and disease burdens remain high despite decades of combined study. Rare epitope suppression (RES) is an underutilized concept within vaccine design, where humoral epitope targeting can be molded using complex antigen pools. Based in mRNA vaccine technology,  wobble vaccines represent the novel application of RES to human pathogens designed to anticipate and resist viral evolution. To establish this platform, public SARS-CoV-2 sequencing data was compiled from the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic to identify high-diversity sites across the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein. Wobble RBD (WobbRBD) libraries reflecting that entropy were synthesized and incorporated into established self-amplifying (SA) vaccine constructs. Animals immunized with these complex antigen pools showed no obvious adverse effects. By three days-post vaccination, WobbRBD stimulated robust primary immune activation with distinctive characteristics compared to traditional single-strain vaccine modalities. By day 14, germinal centers, class switching, and antibody-secreting cells were induced, creating potent SARS-CoV-2 spike-binding IgG antibodies. Despite similar overall activation profiles, WobbRBD generated significantly increased breadth against SARS-CoV-2 variant spikes in comparison to single-strain controls - even against future-emerging strains. Taken together, wobble vaccines represent a novel method for anticipating and preventing viral escape with promising applications in SARS-CoV-2, influenza, HIV, and beyond.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ McIlroy, P. R., Zinzow-Kramer, W. M., Ellis, M. L., Melief, E., Ali, M., Peck, H. E., Sasser, L. E., Vanover, D., Santangelo, P. J., Suthar, M. S., Voigt, E. A., Woodruff, M. C. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.07.01.735277</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Wobble Vaccines: Cross-Strain Protection Through Epitope Hierarchy Manipulation]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.27.734105v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Targeted depletion of CD38+ autoreactive T cells prevents type 1 diabetes 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.27.734105v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is caused by T cell-mediated autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing islet beta-cells. Treatment with T-cell depleting therapies delays the progression of stage 2 and 3 T1D, but these agents exert broad immunosuppressive effects on T cell populations, including T regulatory cells (Tregs), which are key in promoting immune tolerance. We evaluated non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice and recently diagnosed T1D patients and identified CD38 as a marker for pathogenic T cell populations. Using adoptive T-cell transfer in Recombination Activating Gene 1 knockout NOD mice and in a humanized mouse model of autoimmune diabetes, we demonstrated that CD38-expressing autoreactive T cells drive diabetes pathogenesis. Furthermore, we found that selective depletion of CD38+ cells, using an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody (mAb), prevents insulitis and diabetes onset without depleting CD4+CD25+ Tregs. Administration of anti-CD38 mAb did not adversely affect islet function and may selectively eliminate immunogenic senescent islet beta-cells. These results support the strategy of selectively depleting diabetogenic T cells using an anti-CD38 mAb to treat T1D and restore immune tolerance. Therefore, transient depletion of autoreactive T cells using anti-CD38 mAb may provide a novel strategy to prevent or abrogate autoimmunity in T1D.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Pathak, S., Ahmed, R., Nagy, N., Lee, S., Bader, C., Regmi, S., Iliopoulou, B., Chen, P., Gupta, B., Villar-Prados, A., Kim, Y. B., Hussein, N., Soohoo, E., Twoy, A., Thakor, A., Jensen, K., Utz, P., Davis, M. M., Annes, J., Meyer, E. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.27.734105</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Targeted depletion of CD38+ autoreactive T cells prevents type 1 diabetes]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.28.735075v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation and Complement Activation Pathways Dominate Microbiota-dependent disease bias in lupus-prone female NZM2328 mice 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.28.735075v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Women are predisposed to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with a prevalence ratio of up to 9:1 over men. Multiple mouse strains including NZM2328 exhibit strong female dominance in developing spontaneous lupus as in humans with SLE. While lupus-prone mice can develop disease under germ free (GF) condition, the role of gut microbiota in female bias for lupus nephritis is not investigated systematically. Here, using specific pathogen free (SPF) and GF NZM2328 mice, and employing microbiota-depletion and microbial-association strategies, we show that microbiota influences lupus-like disease outcomes differently in males and females. Female NZM2328 mice with intact microbiota presents higher inflammation factor expression, including X-chromosome linked TLRs, in the distal gut and systemic compartments, and higher activation of genes and biological pathways such as neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation and complement and coagulation cascade (CCC) pathways, associating with their higher disease susceptibility. Gut microbiota-depletion as well as GF derivation eliminated not only the modest differences in the serum and fecal antibody levels and nAg reactivity, but also the gender bias in the timing of clinical stage disease onset as well as systemic NET and CCC pathway activation. Reciprocally, conventionalization of GF NZM2328 mice at juvenile age restored the female bias in intestinal and systemic autoantibody levels, pro-inflammatory immune pathway activation, and the timing of clinical stage disease onset. Overall, our observations show that, while genetic susceptibility appears to be the cause of lupus-like disease in NZM2328 mice, differential activation of NET and CCC pathways in males and females upon exposure to gut microbes, in combination with host-factors, causes gender bias in disease outcomes. We conclude that microbiota exposure-dependent protection of males and overactivation of NET and CCC pathways in females could be contributing to the female bias in lupus-like disease in NZM2328 mice.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Roy, S., Irudhayaraj, J. V., Jalandra, R., Lu, P., Boucher, D.-C., Gudi, R. R., Carter, L., Westwater, C., Vasu, C. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.28.735075</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation and Complement Activation Pathways Dominate Microbiota-dependent disease bias in lupus-prone female NZM2328 mice]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.28.735097v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Uncertainty-aware quantitative analysis of the structure and dynamics of T cell receptor repertoires 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.28.735097v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Diversity and dynamics of immune cell receptor repertoires (IRRs) are two factors at the functional heart of adaptive immunity that together make IRRs difficult to grasp. Moreover, measurements are compounded by various sources of experimental noise. Here we propose a computational framework (ClustIRR) for uncertainty-aware quantitative analysis of IRR structure and dynamics. ClustIRR maps multiple IRRs across replicates, time points, or conditions onto a joint graph induced by immune receptor sequence similarity. It then detects communities on the joint graph (CJs). Based on CJs as reference structures across IRRs, ClustIRR then performs quantitative Bayesian analyses of differential CJ occupancy. Additionally, ClustIRR integrates single-cell gene expression data to link community expansion with transcriptional activation signatures. We demonstrate the capabilities of ClustIRR with the joint analysis of multiple T cell receptor repertoires in several example applications: (1) quantitative changes due to antigen challenge, (2) longitudinal dynamics during cancer immunotherapy, (3) V(D)J recombination biases in human vs murine repertoires that pre-adapt IRRs for pathogen responses. ClustIRR is freely available as open source software from the bioconductor repository.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kitanovski, S., Wollek, K., Hoffmann, D. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.28.735097</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Uncertainty-aware quantitative analysis of the structure and dynamics of T cell receptor repertoires]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.27.734962v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Schistosoma mansoni Granulin binds the human neutrophil receptor CD177 and modulates neutrophil activation 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.27.734962v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
To establish chronic infection in the vasculature of their infected host, schistosomes have developed multifaceted strategies of immune subversion. Extracellular parasite proteins are believed to play immunomodulatory functions, but their mode of action remains largely elusive. To investigate whether proteins secreted by the Schistosoma mansoni parasite have the potential to directly interact with host immune receptors, we performed a large-scale protein:protein interaction study between selected parasite proteins sharing structural similarities with known host immune effectors and a protein array of over 750 full-length human ectodomains mostly expressed by immune cells. We identified CD177 as a neutrophil receptor for S. mansoni Granulin (SmGrn). SmGrn exclusively bound the surface of CD177+ human neutrophils and led to cellular hyporesponsiveness following stimulation with LPS as evidenced by decreases in surface markers of activation, delayed reactive oxygen species production and reduced IL-8 release. In addition, human neutrophils exposed to SmGrn showed delayed apoptosis and morphological changes compatible with a more quiescent state as well as transcriptional upregulation of negative regulators of interferon signalling. These data suggest that SmGrn dampens human neutrophil response to stimulation and may lead to suboptimal function during schistosome infection.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Majer, M., Lee, K., Müller-Sienerth, N., Crosnier, C. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.27.734962</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Schistosoma mansoni Granulin binds the human neutrophil receptor CD177 and modulates neutrophil activation]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.28.735092v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Thymic Treg-derived T follicular regulatory cells prevent catastrophic humoral autoimmunity in response to TLR7-driven inflammation 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.28.735092v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
T follicular regulatory cells (TFR) are a follicle-resident subset of regulatory T cells (TREG) that limit germinal center (GC) responses and enforce humoral tolerance. Although TFR are known to focus antibody responses to foreign antigens, how GC-specific regulation is maintained during inflammation remains unclear. Here, TLR7-driven inflammation unmasked a critical, non-redundant role for TFR in preserving immune tolerance. Selective loss of TFR caused severe autoimmunity and increased mortality, driven by inflammation-induced expansion of autoreactive B and T cell clones and epitope spreading. Autoreactivity resolved upon cessation of inflammation in TFR-sucicient mice but persisted in their absence. Mechanistically, TFR limited the establishment and expansion of spontaneous GCs in response to inflammation, and responding TFR displayed transcriptional, phenotypic, and clonal features of thymic TREG. This suggests that whereas TFH upregulate FoxP3 to shut down end-stage GCs, it is thymic TREG-derived TFR that safeguard GC integrity under inflammatory stress to prevent lethal autoimmunity.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Pohl, L., Voss, L. F., Winther, G., Jensen, S. S., Green, K., Weber, Y. C. L., Demtroder, J. K., Fahlquist-Hagert, C., Wittenborn, T. R., Sirinian, C., Pedersen, M. K., Vium-Heinesen, J., Kastberg, K. S., Fonager, S. V., Skraep, J., Shahrokhtash, A., Howarth, A. J., Jensen, L., Pulfer, A., Luo, Y., Sutherland, D. S., Papanastasiou, A. D., Gonzalez, S. F., Troldborg, A., Palmfeldt, J., Lin, L., Degn, S. E. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.28.735092</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Thymic Treg-derived T follicular regulatory cells prevent catastrophic humoral autoimmunity in response to TLR7-driven inflammation]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.28.735129v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
B cell-intrinsic IRF8 transcriptionally reprograms antigen presentation to sustain CD8⁺ T cell antitumor immunity 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.28.735129v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) is a master transcription factor of myeloid differentiation, but whether IRF8 intrinsically controls B cell function in tumors remains unknown. Using paired single-cell transcriptomic and chromatin accessibility profiling of tumors from wild-type and Irf8-deficient mice, we identify a B cell-intrinsic IRF8 axis regulating antigen presentation and sustaining anti-tumor CD8 T cell immunity. IRF8 establishes conserved chromatin accessibility programs across myeloid cells and plasmablasts centered on antigen processing and MHC class I presentation, but engages distinct motifs by lineage: myeloid cells preferentially utilize ISRE and ETS-composite elements, whereas plasmablasts are selectively enriched for EICE elements, reflecting B lineage-specific IRF8-IRF4 cooperation. Loss of IRF8 disrupts these programs, skews B cells toward plasmablast differentiation and reduces antigen presentation machinery. B cell depletion accelerated tumor growth, while CD40 agonism activated B cells, expanded T cells, and enhanced anti-tumor immunity. B cell-specific IRF8 deletion alone accelerated tumor growth, establishing a cell-intrinsic requirement independent of myeloid IRF8 function. The IRF8-regulated B cell signature was enriched in PD-1 blockade cancer patient responders, and plasmablast abundance correlated with response in pembrolizumab-treated cancer patients. These findings establish IRF8 as a lineage-adapted regulator of antigen presentation and define the IRF8-B cell axis as a determinant of anti-tumor immunity.

HighlightsIRF8 establishes a conserved chromatin accessibility across tumor-infiltrating myeloid and B cells

Myeloid cells engage ISRE motifs, whereas plasmablasts rely on EICE motifs as IRF8 lineage-specific cis-regulation

IRF8 regulates an antigen presentation in B cells to sustain anti-tumor T cell immunity

B cell-intrinsic IRF8 transcription signature predicts patient response to PD-1 blockade immunotherapy
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Tiamiyu, Z., Poschel, D. B., Rashmi, R., Bombin, S., Fick, K., Czabala, P., Yang, D., Shi, H., Saeki, K., Ozato, K., Liu, K. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.28.735129</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[B cell-intrinsic IRF8 transcriptionally reprograms antigen presentation to sustain CD8⁺ T cell antitumor immunity]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734609v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Antibody Correlates of Resilience to Staphylococcus aureus Disease and Recurrence in Children 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734609v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Staphylococcus aureus remains a major global pathogen with no licensed vaccine and high recurrent infection burden, yet correlates of protection remain undefined. In a prospective pediatric cohort, we profiled 319 children spanning non-carriers, asymptomatic carriers, those with skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI), or invasive disease. We interrogated 182,149 antibody features, generating the most comprehensive S. aureus immune profiling dataset to date. Antibody responses increased with age, marked by expansion of IgG subclasses and Fc-receptor engagement. Asymptomatic carriage was associated with functional antibody profiles targeting conserved surface antigens and select toxins. Multivariate modeling robustly distinguished clinical phenotypes and identified high-value antigens associated with disease resilience. Protection from recurrent disease converged on enhanced Fc{gamma}R binding and antibody effector function. These findings nominate key antigen targets, and highlight anti-Hla neutralizing antibodies and functional antibodies to additional surface antigens that can be recapitulated through Fc engineering, informing next-generation vaccine and monoclonal antibody strategies.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Khan, M. Z., Kao, C. M., Jung, W., Selvam, T., Kliuchnikov, E., Boyle, M. G., Fogel, L., Pingel, J., Wright, J. N., McNeil, J. C., Hulten, K. G., Kaplan, S. L., Fontana, L., Lauffenburger, D., Alter, G., Wardenburg, J. B., Fritz, S. A., Julg, B. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.26.734609</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Antibody Correlates of Resilience to Staphylococcus aureus Disease and Recurrence in Children]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735262v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Cryo-EM reveals alternative modes of dimerization driving activation of IKK 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735262v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
The inhibitor of {kappa}B kinase (IKK) complex integrates diverse cellular inflammatory responses, and induces transcription factor NF-{kappa}B. The molecular mechanism by which IKK becomes catalytically active in response to signaling remains unclear despite structural knowledge of the individual IKK1/, IKK2/{beta}, and NEMO/IKK{gamma} protein components within its hetero-oligomeric assembly. Cryo-EM of the IKK2/{beta} homodimer bound to an associating NEMO/IKK{gamma} protein fragment, reveals multiple conformers. Mutual exclusivity of dimeric conformers, canonical versus alternate, is reflected in and dependent upon order-to-disorder transition of the canonical 6-helical bundle dimerization interface. Correlation of this unusual structural plasticity of IKK2/{beta} with its biochemical and cellular activities suggests mechanistic possibilities for how association with its partner scaffold protein NEMO/IKK{gamma} and polyubiquitin chains might dictate catalytic activation of IKK through distinct IKK2/{beta} conformers.

SignificanceThe inhibitor of {kappa}B kinase (IKK) complex is central to inflammatory signaling via the NF-{kappa}B family transcription factors. Its activation mechanism has remained unclear. Cryo-EM analysis reveals that the constituent kinase IKK2/{beta} adopts structurally distinct, mutually exclusive dimeric conformations controlled by an ordered-to-disordered transition at its canonical dimerization interface. Stabilization of select IKK2/{beta} conformers by the scaffold protein NEMO in association with poly-ubiquitin chains is regulated through modular architecture and structural plasticity of distinctive kinase-associated domains, present only in kinases of this family. This unique regulatory mechanism governing catalytic activation of IKK2/{beta} provides a conceptual framework for targeting dysregulated NF-{kappa}B signaling in human diseases.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Biswas, T., Shahabi, S., Zhong, X.-Y., Ko, M. S., Huxford, T., Ghosh, G. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.29.735262</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Cryo-EM reveals alternative modes of dimerization driving activation of IKK]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734825v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Mitochondrial STAT3-mediated suppression of apoptosis constrains antimycobacterial immunity 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734825v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Maintenance of mitochondrial homeostasis is required to balance the host-pathogen interface during Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection. Here, we identify the non-canonical TRIM family member Trim14 as a critical regulator of mitochondrial integrity in Mtb-infected macrophages. Specifically, we demonstrate that Trim14 preserves mitochondrial membrane polarization and limits macrophage apoptosis by controlling phosphorylation and mitochondrial targeting of Stat3. When targeted to mitochondria, Stat3 restricts opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, which raises the macrophage threshold for apoptotic commitment. In vivo, loss of Trim14 enhances apoptosis of macrophages and dendritic cells, leading to augmented antimycobacterial immunity marked by increased CD8+ T cell activation and effector function. Together, these findings define a Trim14-mitochondrial Stat3 axis that suppresses host-protective apoptosis during Mtb infection and pinpoint mitochondrial Stat3 as a potential target for therapies aimed at boosting antimycobacterial immunity.

HIGHLIGHTSO_LITrim14 raises the apoptotic threshold in Mtb-infected macrophages.
C_LIO_LITrim14 controls phosphorylation and mitochondrial targeting of Stat3.
C_LIO_LIReduced mitochondrial Stat3 promotes mPTP opening and apoptotic commitment.
C_LIO_LITrim14 deficiency enhances apoptosis, CD8+ T cell immunity, and Mtb resistance.
C_LI
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Mabry, C. J., Coleman, A. K., Smith, M. H., Hahn, S. L., Newbolt, T. M., Chapman, M. J., Stranahan, L. W., Weindel, C. G., Patrick, K. L., Watson, R. O. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.26.734825</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Mitochondrial STAT3-mediated suppression of apoptosis constrains antimycobacterial immunity]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734856v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Disruption of a CCR5-like immunoglobulin gene is linked to plague susceptibility in black-footed ferrets 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734856v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) are highly susceptible to sylvatic plague caused by Yersinia pestis, but the genetic basis of this vulnerability remains poorly understood. Here, comparative immunogenomic analyses across Carnivora species identified a conserved class of immunoglobulin lambda variable (IGLV) genes with unusually long antigen-binding sites (CDRL1) that are common among Caniformia species but absent in Feliformia species. First discovered in the domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo), these genes encode tyrosine-rich and anionic motifs resembling the chemokine receptor CCR5 and contain experimentally validated sulfotyrosines previously associated with pathogen-interacting interfaces. Evolutionary analyses revealed distinct selective pressures across Caniformia lineages and showed strong purifying selection acting on long-CDRL1 IGLV genes in mustelids and bears. Antibody repertoire sequencing demonstrated that these genes are actively utilized in expressed repertoires and that their usage correlates with evolutionary conservation. Functional analyses of monoclonal antibodies derived from the long-CDRL1 IGLV gene identified an antibody that significantly reduced intracellular Y. pestis survival in macrophages and revealed a positive correlation between anti-plague activity and sulfotyrosine signal. Notably, all analyzed black-footed ferrets carried a frameshifting deletion in the long-CDRL1 IGLV gene resulting in loss of its expression in antibody repertoires. Together, these findings uncover a germline-encoded immunoglobulin feature conserved across dog-like carnivores and suggest a potential link between antibody germline variation and immune responses to plague.

O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=200 SRC="FIGDIR/small/734856v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1">
View larger version (60K):
org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@ae4a80org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@9d19d9org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@c0f84org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1ced879_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP  M_FIG C_FIG
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Safonova, Y., Pursell, T., Whitley, C. S., Sheneman, K. R., Mikhailova, A., Pattar, V., Pospelova, M., Rubio, A. A., Voss, K. A., Welker, J. M., Zamyatin, A., Bankevich, A., Boeke, J. D., Haraguchi, E., Hudson, E., Kline, E., Lama, T. M., Lauer, W., Le Sage, V., Thomas, M., Watson, C. T., Zheng, S., Barnes, C. O., Lakdawala, S. S., Pennell, M., Smith, M. L., Boyd, S., Lawrenz, M. B., Koepfli, K.-P. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.26.734856</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Disruption of a CCR5-like immunoglobulin gene is linked to plague susceptibility in black-footed ferrets]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734836v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Sequential infection reprograms the immune landscape to shape future responses 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734836v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Mouse models have been instrumental in defining immune mechanisms but often fail to capture the complexity of human immunity, limiting clinical translation. A major limitation is the immunological immaturity of specific pathogen-free (SPF) mice relative to pathogen-experienced adult humans. Here, we use a sequential infection (SI) model that recapitulates cumulative pathogen exposure and define its impact on immune composition and function. Beyond the previously reported expansion of memory T cells, SI induced durable, system-wide remodeling across lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues, reshaping innate and adaptive immune populations, tissue-resident immunity, and hematopoietic output. Single-cell transcriptomic analyses revealed inflammatory imprinting of naive CD4 and CD8 T cells, whereas memory T cells acquired enhanced effector programs coupled with reduced biosynthetic activity, transcriptional states that more closely resemble those of pathogen-experienced adult humans. Functionally, SI mice recapitulated the human response to anti-CD28 super-agonist and exhibited altered magnitude and differentiation of acute and chronic antiviral T cell responses, demonstrating that cumulative pathogen exposure reshapes both existing immunity and the generation of future immune responses. Thus, cumulative pathogen exposure coordinately remodels hematopoiesis and naive and memory lymphocyte states, establishing a durable inflammation-experienced immune landscape that reshapes both immune memory and future immune responses, with broad implications for the translational fidelity of preclinical mouse models.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Guo, M., Bouzaher, Y., Abd Rabbo, D., Quevedo, R., Elsaesser, H., Xu, W., Liu, M., Izzati, F., Ciudad, T., Bianca, M., Liu, K., Oliveira, J., Mortha, A., Edgar, L. J., McGaha, T. L., Reese, T. A., Brooks, D. G. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.26.734836</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Sequential infection reprograms the immune landscape to shape future responses]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734820v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
CD56dimCD16dim NK cells are the dominant effector cells against HIV-infected primary T-cells 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734820v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Despite being rare among circulating natural killer (NK) cells and expressing 10-fold less CD16 than the predominant CD56dimCD16bright population, CD56dimCD16dim NK cells are expanded in HIV long-term elite controllers, yet their capacity to kill HIV-infected cells remained untested. Here, we show that these rare cells are the dominant effectors against HIV-infected T-cells, mediating approximately 4-fold higher direct cytotoxicity and 3-4-fold higher antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) than CD56dimCD16bright cells, and serially engaging multiple targets. This advantage is intrinsic, unexplained by cytotoxic granule content or inhibitory receptors recognizing MHC class I. Direct killing depends on NKG2D recognition of Vpr-induced ligands, with NKG2D elevated on CD56dimCD16dim cells; ADCC requires both NKG2D and ADAM17-mediated CD16 turnover for serial engagement. These findings explain the elite-controller reorganization, reveal that NK effector dominance is target-tuned rather than fixed (CD56dimCD16negative cells dominate against K562 cells), and identify high-NKG2D CD56dimCD16dim cells as the effector population HIV therapies should reproduce.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Howell, W., Branch, C., Ward, J., Davis, Z., Geatches, E., Barker, E. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.26.734820</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[CD56dimCD16dim NK cells are the dominant effector cells against HIV-infected primary T-cells]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734859v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Viral capsid delivery of cGAMP enhances STING-dependent antitumor immune response 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734859v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Therapies to activate the STING immune response pathway represent promising potential anticancer treatments. However, the native STING activating molecule, 2,3-cGAMP, is a poor drug candidate due to its susceptibility to nuclease degradation and its relatively poor cell uptake. In this study, we present a nanoscale delivery vehicle based on the bacteriophage MS2 virus-like particle that can both protect cGAMP and deliver it into cells to access and bind cytosolic STING. MS2-delivered cGAMP achieved greatly increased STING activation potency relative to both free cGAMP and a nuclease-resistant synthetic cGAMP analog. In an in vivo murine colon carcinoma model, MS2-cGAMP elicited significant and prolonged antitumor activity in a STING-dependent manner at 50-fold lower concentrations relative to free cGAMP and synthetic analogs. These results demonstrate that MS2 delivery of cGAMP can yield a highly potent STING agonist immunotherapy with in vivo anticancer activity.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Huang, P., Jo, Y., Martin, H. S., Luteijn, R. D., Raulet, D. H., Francis, M. B. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.26.734859</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Viral capsid delivery of cGAMP enhances STING-dependent antitumor immune response]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.733622v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
ARL15 promotes inflammatory fibroblast activation and disease severity in rheumatoid arthritis: integrated transcriptomic and collagen-induced arthritis model analyses 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.733622v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
BackgroundADP-ribosylation factor-like protein 15 (ARL15) is a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) susceptibility gene identified through GWAS. Previous studies suggested a role for ARL15 in synovial fibroblast (SF) pathogenicity, but its contribution to inflammatory arthritis remains unclear. We investigated the inflammatory role of ARL15 and its therapeutic potential in RA.

MethodsARL15 was overexpressed in MH7A cells followed by bulk RNA sequencing and pathway enrichment analyses. Therapeutic relevance was evaluated in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model using anti-ARL15 monoclonal antibodies, ARL15-targeting siRNA, or isoquinoline. Arthritis scores, histopathology, micro-CT and serum cytokines were assessed. Publicly available single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets were analyzed to determine ARL15 expression in RASF subsets.

ResultsARL15 overexpression induced a pro-inflammatory transcriptional program characterized by upregulation of IL1A, IL1B, IL6, IL8, CXCL1, CXCL10, and CCL20. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed activation of IL6-JAK-STAT, TNF, interferon-response, and KRAS signaling pathways, with suppression of oxidative phosphorylation, lipid metabolism, and mTORC1 signaling. In CIA mice, ARL15 inhibition significantly reduced arthritis severity, inflammatory infiltrates, and joint destruction while preserving cartilage and bone integrity. Serum TNF-, IL-6, and IL-1{beta} levels were markedly decreased following ARL15 blockade. Combination monoclonal antibody treatment demonstrated the greatest therapeutic benefit. scRNA-seq analysis showed broad ARL15 expression across RA fibroblast populations, with enrichment in inflammatory lining and SF subsets.

ConclusionsARL15 is a pro-inflammatory regulator of SF activation and arthritis progression. Integrated transcriptomic, single-cell, and in vivo analyses identify ARL15 as a therapeutic target for RA and support further translational development of ARL15 based therapies.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kashyap, S., Pandey, A. k., Saini, M., Vijaya, K., Kunnoth, S., Mahajan, P., Kundu, S., Kumar, U., Thelma, B. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.26.733622</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[ARL15 promotes inflammatory fibroblast activation and disease severity in rheumatoid arthritis: integrated transcriptomic and collagen-induced arthritis model analyses]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
</rdf:RDF>
