Journal of Cellular Immunology

Review Article Open Access

Review of the COVID-19 Risk in Multiple Sclerosis

Farhan Chaudhry, Cristina Jageka, Phillip D. Levy, Mirela Cerghet, Robert P Lisak

Severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARSCoV- 2) is the virus responsible for the novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) and has resulted in the death of over one million people around the world. COVID- 19’s presentation is highly heterogeneous as cases range from asymptomatic to rapidly progressive resulting in low survival rates. 

Commentary Open Access

Glucose Metabolism is a Better Marker for Predicting Clinical Alzheimer’s Disease than Amyloid or Tau

Tyler C. Hammond, Ai-Ling Lin

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research has long been dominated with communications regarding the amyloid hypothesis and targeting amyloid clearance through pharmacological therapies from the brain [1]. 

Research Article Open Access

Comparison of Gene Editing versus a Neutrophil Elastase Inhibitor as Potential Therapies for ELANE Neutropenia

Vahagn Makaryan, Merideth Kelley, Breanna Fletcher, Isabella Archibald, Tanoya Poulsen, David Dale

Mutations in ELANE, the gene for neutrophil elastase (NE), are the most common cause of cyclic and severe congenital neutropenia

Commentary Open Access

Tenofovir at the Crossroad of the Therapy and Prophylaxis of HIV and HBV Infections

Erik De Clercq

Tenofovir, alias (R)-PMPA, was first divulged as an anti- HIV agent in 1993 [1]. That it would in 2012, become the first antiretroviral agent, approved by the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to prevent HIV infection, could have been predicted from the findings of Tsai et al.

Review Article Open Access

TNFAIP8: Inflammation, Immunity and Human Diseases

Suryakant Niture, John Moore, Deepak Kumar

Inflammation can be caused by various environmental factors, including microbial infection and toxic chemical exposure. In response to inflammation, immune cells like macrophages, B and T lymphocytes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and various stromal cells secrete soluble polypeptide cytokine Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF?)

Commentary Open Access

CAR-T cell Goes on a Mathematical Model

Luciana Rodrigues Carvalho Barros, Brendon de Jesus Rodrigues, Regina C Almeida

Hundreds of new clinical trials were recently launched using chimeric antigen receptor-bearing T cells (CAR-T cell). Concentrated on hematological malignancies, with a 90% overall survival rate for 2 months on acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL-B) in young patients after two or more lines of therapy [1]. The most surprising results were the long-lasting effect of this therapy, resulting in more than 50% overall survival after a year follow-up.

Review Article Open Access

The Role of NETosis in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Ryan Salemme, Lauren N. Peralta, Sri Harika Meka, Nivetha Pushpanathan, Jessy J Alexander

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a devastating autoimmune disease that affects women to men at a ratio of 9:1 and is predominant in those of African ancestry. In SLE, the presence of autoantigens results in aberrant immune activation leading to systemic inflammation that predominantly affects the brain, kidneys, blood, and skin. Current guidelines recommend treatment with immunosuppressive drugs like prednisone, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, and even some antimalarial drugs

Review Article Open Access

Naltrexone as a Novel Therapeutic for Diabetic Corneal Complications

Patricia J. McLaughlin, Joseph W. Sassani, Ian S. Zagon

Diabetes is approaching epidemic proportions worldwide. In the United States, there are more than 30 million individuals having a confirmed diagnosis of diabetes [1,2]. Worldwide, the number of people with diabetes exceeds 400 million [3], and is expected to reach 550 million by 2030. Diabetes is associated with complications that affect nearly all systems, including vision.

Research Article Open Access

Inulin Supplementation Mitigates Gut Dysbiosis and Brain Impairment Induced by Mild Traumatic Brain Injury during Chronic Phase

Lucille M. Yanckello, Brian Fanelli, Scott McCulloch, Xin Xing, McKenna Sun, Tyler C. Hammond, Rita Colwell, Zezong Gu, Aaron C. Ericsson, Ya-Hsuan Chang, Adam D. Bachstetter, Ai-Ling Lin

Approximately 1.6-3.8 million people sustain a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in the US annually. This amounts to the hospitalization of 100-300 per 100,000 young adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that around 5.3 million people live with a permanent disability after mTBI, and there are currently no known restorative therapies.

Short Communication Open Access

Targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/NFkB Axis in Ovarian Cancer

Alia Ghoneum, Ammar Yasser Abdulfattah, Neveen Said

Phosphoinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) defines a class of lipid kinases that have the ability to phosphorylate the inositol ring 3?-OH group in inositol phospholipids and therefore produce phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PIP3) [1]. PI3K encompasses a family of enzymes divided into: Class IA PI3K which includes three isomers (?, ?, ?) and Class IB which include the group (?).

Review Article Open Access

Breast Implant-associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma: A Review with Emphasis on the Role of Brentuximab Vedotin

Anthony Stack, Nadia Ali, Nadia Khan

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) represents a heterogeneous group of T-cell lymphomas, which characteristically express CD30 and are associated with translocations involving the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene on chromosome 2p23 [1]. Systemic ALCL, which may be subclassified by the presence or absence of

Commentary Open Access

M1 Macrophages are More Susceptible to Necroptosis

Qin Hao, Steven Idell, Hua Tang

Macrophages are important cells of the innate immune system and play a crucial role in host immune defense against infection and injury [1-3]. Macrophages form the first line of defense against airborne particles and microbes through multiple functions including phagocytosis, production of cytokines and chemokines, and antigen presentation.

Commentary Open Access

Structural Consequences of Variation in SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7

David A. Ostrov

New globally circulating SARS-CoV-2 strains are causing concern about evolution of virus transmissibility, fitness and immune evasion mechanisms. A variant emerging from the United Kingdom called SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01, or B.1.1.7, is thought to exhibit increased transmissibility that results from replication 4-10 times faster than the original Wuhan virus (Wuhan-Hu-1). 

Short Communication Open Access

M₁ and M₂ Macrophages Polarization via mTORC₁ Influences Innate Immunity and Outcome of Ehrlichia Infection

Ibrahim Ahmed, Nahed Ismail

Macrophages are innate immune cells that play a key role in regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses against infections with several pathogens as they respond to pathogens and tissue injury, serve as antigen presenting cells priming the adaptive immune response, drive inflammation and host defense as well as repairing

Review Article Open Access

Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent Protein Kinases in Leukemia Development

Changhao Cui, Chen Wang, Min Cao, Xunlei Kang

Calcium (Ca²⁺) is an intracellular universal second messenger that regulates a variety of cellular processes. Many biological processes, including gene transcription, cell cycle, migration, and apoptosis, are affected by changes in intracellular Ca²⁺ signaling. Disruption of normal Ca²⁺ signaling can cause tumorigenic phenotypes.

Commentary Open Access

Lung-targeted SERCA_2a Gene Therapy: From Discovery to Therapeutic Application in Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis

Malik Bisserier, Lahouaria Hadri

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, devastating, and rare lung disease. IPF is characterized by usual interstitial pneumonia and represents the most common idiopathic interstitial lung disease.

Short Communication Open Access

Allicin as an Adjunct Immunotherapy against Tuberculosis

Samreen Fatima, Ved Prakash Dwivedi

Allicin (diallylthiosulfinate) is a volatile, oxygenated, sulphur-containing compound, extracted from garlic (Allium sativum). It is responsible for the characteristic odor of garlic. Allicin is known to exert its effects as an antipathogenic agent mainly by targeting the thiol-containing proteins or enzymes in different microorganisms and also by regulating the key genes responsible for the virulence of the microorganism.

Review Article Open Access

Current Advances in CAR T Cell Therapy for Malignant Mesothelioma

Astero Klampatsa, Steven M. Albelda

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an incurable primary tumor of the body’s serosal surfaces: the pleura, peritoneum, pericardium and the tunica vaginalis (in men).

Commentary Open Access

Is Cellular Senescence of Dopaminergic Neurons the Cause of Local Inflammation in the Midbrain Observed in Parkinson’s Disease?

Markus Riessland

Current research investigating the pathomechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders of the central nervous system (CNS), such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Parkinson’s disease (PD), led to the understanding that these diseases have to be seen in the context of immune responses [1]. In other words,

Commentary Open Access

The Importance of miRNA Identification During Respiratory Viral Infections

Ivan Martinez-Espinoza, Ma Del Rocio Banos-Lara, Antonieta Guerrero-Plata

MicroRNA (miRNAs) constitute a large family of highly conserved ~21-nucleotide-long small noncoding RNAs. In mammals it is calculated to control ~50% of proteincoding genes by regulation at the post-transcriptional level affecting mRNA degradation.

Review Article Open Access

Updates of Recent Vinpocetine Research in Treating Cardiovascular Diseases

Chongyang Zhang, Chen Yan

Vinpocetine was originally discovered and marketed under the trade name Cavinton around 1978. Vinpocetine is a synthetic derivative of the vincamine molecule which is an alkaloid extracted from the periwinkle plant, Vinca minor [1]. It has been clinically used in many Asian and Europe countries for preventing and treating neurological

Review Article Open Access

Immunotherapy for Dogs: Still Running Behind Humans

Hans Klingemann

Back in 2017, I published a review on the immunotherapy options for dogs with cancer. Somewhat provocatively the paper was entitled: Immunotherapy for dogs: Running behind humans. 

Review Article Open Access

Cyclosporine Broadens the Therapeutic Potential of Lenalidomide in Myeloid Malignancies

Aixia Dou, Jing Fang

Thalidomide, lenalidomide and pomalidomide are synthetic immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) that have recently drawn attention in both clinics and basic research. Thalidomide was synthesized from glutamic acid and was banned due to its teratogenicity in pregnant women.

Commentary Open Access

Emerging Functions of ICAM-1 in Macrophage Efferocytosis and Wound Healing

Prarthana J. Dalal, Ronen Sumagin

ICAM-1 is a transmembrane, cell surface glycoprotein expressed by a variety of cells, but has been best-studied in vascular endothelium. Structurally, ICAM-1 is composed of five extracellular IgG- like domains to help facilitate cell-cell interactions and has a short cytoplasmic tail anchored to the cytoskeleton to facilitate intracellular signal

Commentary Open Access

Short and Sweet: Viral 5`-UTR as a Canonical and Non-Canonical Translation Initiation Switch

Brandon M. Trainor, Natalia Shcherbik

The conventional view of gene expression regulation is based on transcription control. However, a growing number of recent studies has revealed the important additional impact of translational regulation.

Review Article Open Access

Maternal Diet Alters Trained Immunity in the Pathogenesis of Pediatric NAFLD

Karen R. Jonscher, Jesse Abrams, Jacob E. Friedman

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a spectrum of pathologies ranging from simple steatosis to fibrosis and cirrhosis, is the most common cause of chronic liver disease, affecting over 80% of adults with obesity, one third of obese children ages 3-18 in North America [2] and ~10% of the general pediatric population.

Review Article Open Access

Potentials of Interferons and Hydroxychloroquine for the Prophylaxis and Early Treatment of COVID-19

Alexander Yang, Lakshmi S. Guduguntla, Bing Yang

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) causes a mild respiratory infection in most individuals. However, a portion of patients develop a severe infection resulting in the need for mechanical ventilation and ultimately death. Currently, the median infection fatality rate of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is estimated to be 0.27% .

Commentary Open Access

Newly Identified Function of Caspase-6 in ZBP₁-mediated Innate Immune Responses, NLRP₃ Inflammasome Activation, PANoptosis, and Host Defense

Min Zheng, Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti

Caspases are critical for regulating cell death, immune responses, and homeostasis. These cysteine-dependent endoproteases cleave their substrates after certain aspartic acid residues. 

Review Article Open Access

Megalin-Mediated Trafficking of Mitochondrial Intracrines: Relevance to Signaling and Metabolism

David Sheikh-Hamad, Michael Holliday, Qingtian Li

Low-molecular weight proteins, cofactors, amino acids, metabolites and many bioactive signaling molecules are filtered through the glomeruli. Evolution has yielded highly conserved pathways in proximal tubule epithelium for the reabsorption of filtered molecules;

Research Article Open Access

Human Gray and White Matter Metabolomics to Differentiate APOE and Stage Dependent Changes in Alzheimer’s Disease

Tyler C. Hammond, Xin Xing, Lucy M. Yanckello, Arnold Stromberg, Ya-Hsuan Chang, Peter T. Nelson, Ai-Ling Lin

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a leading cause of death and morbidity in the United States [1]. The hallmarks of AD are β-amyloid (Aβ) and tau. However, studies have indicated that metabolic dysfunction may play a more pivotal role in the progression of AD [2]. Glucose hypometabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction are well-known features of AD [2].