Repositorio Institucional Académico. Universidad Andrés Bello. Chile

Examinando por Autor "Soto, Jorge A."

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BCG-Based Vaccines Elicit Antigen-Specific Adaptive and Trained Immunity against SARS-CoV-2 and Andes orthohantavirus
(MDPI, 2022-05) Soto, Jorge A.; Díaz, Fabián E.; Retamal-Díaz, Angello; Gálvez, Nicolás M. S.; Melo-González, Felipe; Piña-Iturbe, Alejandro; Ramírez, Mario A.; Bohmwald, Karen; González, Pablo A.; Bueno, Susan M.; Kalergis, Alexis M.
Background: Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is a live attenuated vaccine mainly administered to newborns and used for over 100 years to prevent the disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb). This vaccine can induce immune response polarization towards a Th1 profile, which is desired for counteracting M. tb, other mycobacteria, and unrelated intracellular pathogens. The vaccine BCG has been used as a vector to express recombinant proteins and has been shown to protect against several diseases, particularly respiratory viruses. Methods: BCG was used to develop recombinant vaccines expressing either the Nucleoprotein from SARS-CoV-2 or Andes orthohantavirus. Mice were immunized with these vaccines with the aim of evaluating the safety and immunogenicity parameters. Results: Immunization with two doses of 1 × 108 CFU or one dose of 1 × 105 CFU of these BCGs was safe in mice. A statistically significant cellular immune response was induced by both formulations, characterized as the activation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Stimulation with unrelated antigens resulted in increased expression of activation markers by T cells and secretion of IL-2 and IFN-γ, while increased secretion of IL-6 was found for both recombinant vaccines; all of these parameters related to a trained immunity profile. The humoral immune response elicited by both vaccines was modest, but further exposure to antigens could increase this response. Conclusions: The BCG vaccine is a promising platform for developing vaccines against different pathogens, inducing a marked antigen-specific immune response. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Characterization of Clostridioides difficile Persister Cells and Their Role in Antibiotic Tolerance
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2024-07) Inostroza, Osvaldo; Fuentes, Juan A.; Yáñez, Paulina; Espinoza, Giovanni; Fica, Omar; Queraltó, Camila; Rodríguez, José; Flores, Isidora; González, Ruth; Soto, Jorge A.; Calderón, Iván L.; Gil, Fernando
Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive pathogen known for its toxin production and spore formation. It is primarily responsible for most cases of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Bacterial persisters are a small subset of the population that exhibits transient tolerance to bactericidal substances, and they are of significant medical concern due to their association with the emergence of antibiotic resistance and difficult-to-treat chronic or recurrent infections. Vancomycin, the predominant antibiotic utilized in the management of C. difficile infection, is extensively applied in the realm of clinical practice. Previous studies have demonstrated a persister-like phenotype with treatments involving this antibiotic. However, the mechanism in C. difficile remains largely unknown, primarily due to the challenge of isolating this small population at any given time. To better characterize C. difficile persister cells, we present a study that enables the enrichment and characterization of persister cells from bacterial cultures in both the exponential and stationary phases. Moreover, we could differentiate between triggered (induced using antibiotics such as vancomycin) and spontaneous (stochastic) persister cells. Additionally, we observed the involvement of toxin-antitoxin systems and Clp proteases in persister cell formation.
Characterization of Dendritic Cells and Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells Expressing Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II in Secondary Lymphoid Organs in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus-Prone Mice
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2024-12) Uribe, Felipe R.; González-Martínez, Fabián; Echeverría-Araya, Sebastián A.; Sepúlveda-Pontigo, Alison; Chávez-Villacreses, Karissa; Díaz-Bozo, Andrés; Méndez-Pérez, Isabel; González, Valentina P. I.; Bohmwald, Karen; Kalergis, Alexis M.; Soto, Jorge A.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by self-antibody production and widespread inflammation affecting various body tissues. This disease is driven by the breakdown of immune tolerance, which promotes the activation of autoreactive B and T cells. A key feature of SLE is dysregulation in antigen presentation, where antigen-presenting cells (APCs) play a central role in perpetuating immune responses. Dendritic cells (DCs) are highly specialized for antigen presentation among APCs. At the same time, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) can also express MHC-II molecules, although their role in SLE is less understood. Utilizing the SLE model, MRL/MpJ-Faslpr/J, we determined the presence of different phenotypes of DCs and MDSCs expressing MHC-II in secondary lymphoid organs, along with the gene expression of ICOSL, CD80 and CD86 in the spleen. Our study determined that the most abundant population of APCs in secondary lymphoid organs corresponds to cDC CD103−CD11b+ MHC-II+ throughout SLE development. Additionally, ICOSL expression increased over time, becoming more preponderant in week 16 in the SLE model, which could indicate that it is a crucial pathway for the development and progression of the pathology. In week 16, we observed a positive correlation between M-MDSC MHC-II and IFN-γ-producing CD4+ T cells.
Characterization of the Anti-Inflammatory Capacity of IL-10-Producing Neutrophils in Response to Streptococcus pneumoniae Infection
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2021-04) González, Liliana A.; Melo González, Felipe; Sebastián, Valentina P.; Vallejos, Omar P.; Noguera, Loreani P.; Suazo, Isidora D.; Schultz, Bárbara M.; Manosalva, Andrés H.; Peñaloza, Hernán F.; Soto, Jorge A.; Parker, Dane; Riedel, Claudia A.; González, Pablo A.; Kalergis, Alexis M.; Bueno, Susan M.
Neutrophils are immune cells classically defined as pro-inflammatory effector cells. However, current accumulated evidence indicates that neutrophils have more versatile immune-modulating properties. During acute lung infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae in mice, interleukin-10 (IL-10) production is required to temper an excessive lung injury and to improve survival, yet the cellular source of IL-10 and the immunomodulatory role of neutrophils during S. pneumoniae infection remain unknown. Here we show that neutrophils are the main myeloid cells that produce IL-10 in the lungs during the first 48 h of infection. Importantly, in vitro assays with bone-marrow derived neutrophils confirmed that IL-10 can be induced by these cells by the direct recognition of pneumococcal antigens. In vivo, we identified the recruitment of two neutrophil subpopulations in the lungs following infection, which exhibited clear morphological differences and a distinctive profile of IL-10 production at 48 h post-infection. Furthermore, adoptive transfer of neutrophils from WT mice into IL-10 knockout mice (Il10-/-) fully restored IL-10 production in the lungs and reduced lung histopathology. These results suggest that IL-10 production by neutrophils induced by S. pneumoniae limits lung injury and is important to mediate an effective immune response required for host survival. © Copyright © 2021 González, Melo-González, Sebastián, Vallejos, Noguera, Suazo, Schultz, Manosalva, Peñaloza, Soto, Parker, Riedel, González, Kalergis and Bueno.
Differences in the immune response elicited by two immunization schedules with an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in a randomized phase 3 clinical trial
(eLife Sciences Publications Ltd, 2022) Gálvez, Nicolás M. S.; Pacheco, Gaspar A.; Schultz, Bárbara M.; Melo-González, Felipe; Soto, Jorge A.; Duarte, Luisa F.; González, Liliana A.; Rivera-Pérez, Daniela; Ríos, Mariana; Berrios, Roslye V.; Vázquez, Yaneisi; Moreno-Tapia, Daniela; Vallejos, Omar P.; Andrade, Catalina A.; Hoppe-Elsholz, Guillermo; Iturriaga, Carolina; Urzua, Marcela; Navarrete, María S.; Rojas, Álvaro; Fasce, Rodrigo; Fernández, Jorge; Mora, Judith; Ramírez, Eugenio; Gaete-Argel, Aracelly; Acevedo, Mónica L.; Valiente-Echeverría, Fernando; Soto-Rifo, Ricardo; Weiskopf, Daniela; Grifoni, Alba; Sette, Alessandro; Zeng, Gang; Meng, Weining; González-Aramundiz, José V.; Johnson, Marina; Goldblatt, David; González, Pablo A.; Abarca, Katia; Bueno, Susan M.; Kalergis, Alexis M.
Background: The development of vaccines to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic progression is a worldwide priority. CoronaVac is an inactivated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine approved for emergency use with robust efficacy and immunogenicity data reported in trials in China, Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey, and Chile. Methods: This study is a randomized, multicenter, and controlled phase 3 trial in healthy Chilean adults aged ≥18 years. Volunteers received two doses of CoronaVac separated by 2 (0–14 schedule) or 4 weeks (0–28 schedule); 2302 volunteers were enrolled, 440 were part of the immunogenicity arm, and blood samples were obtained at different times. Samples from a single center are reported. Humoral immune responses were evaluated by measuring the neutralizing capacities of circulating antibodies. Cellular immune responses were assessed by ELISPOT and flow cytometry. Correlation matrixes were performed to evaluate correlations in the data measured. Results: Both schedules exhibited robust neutralizing capacities with the response induced by the 0–28 schedule being better. No differences were found in the concentration of antibodies against the virus and different variants of concern (VOCs) between schedules. Stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with Mega pools of Peptides (MPs) induced the secretion of interferon (IFN)-γ and the expression of activation induced markers in CD4+ T cells for both schedules. Correlation matrixes showed strong correlations between neutralizing antibodies and IFN-γ secretion. Conclusions: Immunization with CoronaVac in Chilean adults promotes robust cellular and humoral immune responses. The 0–28 schedule induced a stronger humoral immune response than the 0–14 schedule. © Gálvez, Pacheco, Schultz et al.
Different Safety Pattern of an Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (CoronaVac®) According to Age Group in a Pediatric Population from 3 to 17 Years Old, in an Open-Label Study in Chile
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2023-10) Le Corre, Nicole; Abarca, Katia; Astudillo, Patricio; Potin, Marcela; López, Sofía; Goldsack, Macarena; Valenzuela, Vania; Schilling, Andrea; Gaete, Victoria; Rubio, Lilian; Calvo, Mario; Twele, Loreto; González, Marcela; Fuentes, Daniela; Gutiérrez, Valentina; Reyes, Felipe; Tapia, Lorena I.; Villena, Rodolfo; Retamal-Díaz, Angello; Cárdenas, Antonio; Alarcón-Bustamante, Eduardo; Meng, Xing; Xin, Qianqian; González-Aramundiz, José V.; Álvarez-Figueroa, María Javiera; González, Pablo A.; Bueno, Susan M.; Soto, Jorge A.; Perret, Cecilia; Kalergis, Alexis M.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of vaccinating children against SARS-CoV-2 was rapidly established. This study describes the safety of CoronaVac® in children and adolescents between 3- and 17-years-old in a multicenter study in Chile with two vaccine doses in a 4-week interval. For all participants, immediate adverse events (AEs), serious AEs (SAEs), and AEs of special interest (AESIs) were registered throughout the study. In the safety subgroup, AEs were recorded 28 days after each dose. COVID-19 surveillance was performed throughout the study. A total of 1139 individuals received the first and 1102 the second dose of CoronaVac®; 835 were in the safety subgroup. The first dose showed the highest number of AEs: up to 22.2% of participants reported any local and 17.1% systemic AE. AEs were more frequent in adolescents after the first dose, were transient, and mainly mild. Pain at the inoculation site was the most frequent AE for all ages. Fever was the most frequent systemic AE for 3–5 years old and headache in 6–17 years old. No SAEs or AESIs related to vaccination occurred. Most of the COVID-19 cases were mild and managed as outpatients. CoronaVac® was safe and well tolerated in children and adolescents, with different safety patterns according to age. © 2023 by the authors.
Female offspring gestated in hypothyroxinemia and infected with human Metapneumovirus (hMPV) suffer a more severe infection and have a higher number of activated CD8+ T lymphocytes
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2022-09) Funes, Samanta C.; Ríos, Mariana; Fernández Fierro, Ayleen; Rivera Pérez, Daniela; Soto, Jorge A.; Valbuena, José R.; Altamirano Lagos, María J; Gómez Santander, Felipe; Jara, Evelyn L.; Zoroquiain, Pablo; Roa, Juan C.; Kalergis, Alexis M.; Riedel, Claudia A.
Maternal thyroid hormones (THs) are essential for the appropriate development of the fetus and especially for the brain. Recently, some studies have shown that THs deficiency can also alter the immune system development of the progeny and their ability to mount an appropriate response against infectious agents. In this study, we evaluated whether adult mice gestated under hypothyroxinemia (Hpx) showed an altered immune response against infection with human metapneumovirus (hMPV). We observed that female mice gestated under Hpx showed higher clinical scores after seven days of hMPV infection. Besides, males gestated under Hpx have higher lung viral loads at day seven post-infection. Furthermore, the female offspring gestated in Hpx have already reduced the viral load at day seven and accordingly showed an increased proportion of activated (CD71+ and FasL+) CD8+ T cells in the lungs, which correlated with a trend for a higher histopathological clinical score. These results support that T4 deficiency during gestation might condition the offspring differently in males and females, enhancing their ability to respond to hMPV. Copyright © 2022 Funes, Ríos, Fernández-Fierro, Rivera-Pérez, Soto, Valbuena, Altamirano-Lagos, Gómez-Santander, Jara, Zoroquiain, Roa, Kalergis and Riedel.
Human metapneumovirus respiratory infection affects both innate and adaptive intestinal immunity
(Frontiers Media SA, 2024) Sepúlveda-Alfaro, Javiera; Catalán, Eduardo A.; Vallejos, Omar P.; Ramos-Tapia, Ignacio; Madrid-Muñoz, Cristóbal; Mendoza-León, María J.; Suazo, Isidora D.; Rivera-Asin, Elizabeth; Silva, Pedro H.; Alvarez-Mardones, Oscar; Castillo-Godoy, Daniela P.; Riedel, Claudia A.; Schinnerling, Katina; Ugalde, Juan A.; Soto, Jorge A.; Bueno, Susan M.; Kalergis, Alexis M.; Melo-Gonzalez, Felipe
Introduction: Respiratory infections are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, mainly in children, immunocompromised people, and the elderly. Several respiratory viruses can induce intestinal inflammation and alterations in intestinal microbiota composition. Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is one of the major respiratory viruses contributing to infant mortality in children under 5 years of age worldwide, and the effect of this infection at the gut level has not been studied. Methods: Here, we evaluated the distal effects of HMPV infection on intestinal microbiota and inflammation in a murine model, analyzing several post-infection times (days 1, 3, and 5). Six to eight-week-old C57BL/6 mice were infected intranasally with HMPV, and mice inoculated with a non-infectious supernatant (Mock) were used as a control group. Results: We did not detect HMPV viral load in the intestine, but we observed significant changes in the transcription of IFN-γ in the colon, analyzed by qPCR, at day 1 post-infection as compared to the control group. Furthermore, we analyzed the frequencies of different innate and adaptive immune cells in the colonic lamina propria, using flow cytometry. The frequency of monocyte populations was altered in the colon of HMPV -infected mice at days 1 and 3, with no significant difference from control mice at day 5 post-infection. Moreover, colonic CD8+ T cells and memory precursor effector CD8+ T cells were significantly increased in HMPV-infected mice at day 5, suggesting that HMPV may also alter intestinal adaptive immunity. Additionally, we did not find alterations in antimicrobial peptide expression, the frequency of colonic IgA+ plasma cells, and levels of fecal IgA. Some minor alterations in the fecal microbiota composition of HMPV -infected mice were detected using 16s rRNA sequencing. However, no significant differences were found in β-diversity and relative abundance at the genus level. Discussion: To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the alterations in intestinal immunity following respiratory infection with HMPV infection. These effects do not seem to be mediated by direct viral infection in the intestinal tract. Our results indicate that HMPV can affect colonic innate and adaptive immunity but does not significantly alter the microbiota composition, and further research is required to understand the mechanisms inducing these distal effects in the intestine.
Humoral and cellular response induced by a second booster of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in adults
(Elsevier B.V., 2023-05) Méndez, Constanza; Peñaloza, Hernán F.; Schultz, Bárbara M.; Piña-Iturbe, Alejandro; Ríos, Mariana; Moreno-Tapia, Daniela; Pereira-Sánchez, Patricia; Leighton, Diane; Orellana, Claudia; Covarrubias, Consuelo; Gálvez, Nicolás M.S.; Soto, Jorge A.; Duarte, Luisa F.; Rivera-Pérez, Daniela; Vázquez, Yaneisi; Cabrera, Alex; Bustos, Sergio; Iturriaga, Carolina; Urzua, Marcela; Navarrete, María S.; Rojas, Álvaro; Fasce, Rodrigo A.; Fernández, Jorge; Mora, Judith; Ramírez, Eugenio; Gaete-Argel, Aracelly; Acevedo, Mónica; Valiente-Echeverría, Fernando; Soto-Rifo, Ricardo; Weiskopf, Daniela; Grifoni, Alba; Sette, Alessandro; Zeng, Gang; Meng, Weining; Del Río, Constanza; Del Pino, Dinely; Aguirre, Natalia; Salinas, Grecia; Vega, Franco; Salgado, Acsa; Quinteros, Thomas; Ortiz, Marlene; Puente, Marcela; Muñoz, Alma; Astudillo, Patricio; Le Corre, Nicole; Potin, Marcela; Catalán, Juan; Peralta, Melan; Zamanillo, Consuelo; Keller, Nicole; Fernández, Rocío; Aljaro, Sofía; López, Sofía; González, José Tomás; Weil, Tania; Opazo, Luz; Muñoz, Paula; Estay, Inés; Cantillana, Miguel; Carrera, Liliana; Masalleras, Matías; Guzmán, Paula; Aguirre, Francisca; Cortés, Aarón; Bátiz, Luis Federico; Pérez, Javiera; Apablaza, Karen; Yates, Lorena; Valdés, María de los Ángeles; Hurtado, Bernardita; Venteneul, Veronique; Astorga, Constanza; Muñoz-Venturelli, Paula; Vial, Pablo A.; Schilling, Andrea; Pavez, Daniela; Pérez, Inia; Riviotta, Amy; González, Francisca; Urrutia, Francisca; Del Río, Alejandra; Asenjo, Claudia; Vargas, Bárbara; Castro, Francisca; Acuña, Alejandra; Guzmán, Javiera; Astudillo, Camila; Pérez, Carlos M.; Espinoza, Pilar; Martínez, Andrea; Arancibia, Marcela; Romero, Harold; Bustamante, Cecilia; Pérez, María Loreto; Uribe, Natalia; Silva, Viviana; Morice, Bernardita; Pérez, Marco; González, Marcela; Jensen, Werner; Pasten, Claudia; Aguilera, M. Fernanda; Martínez, Nataly; Molina, Camila; Arrieta, Sebastián; López, Begoña; Ortiz, Claudia; Escobar, Macarena; Bustamante, Camila; Espinoza, Marcia; Pardo, Angela; Carrasco, Alison; Montes, Miguel; Saldías, Macarena; Gutiérrez, Natalia; Sánchez, Juliette; Fuentes, Daniela; Calvo, Yolanda; Cepeda, Mariela; Lemus, Rosario; Suárez, Muriel; Armijo, Mercedes; Monsalves, Shirley; Marucich, Constance; Cornejo, Cecilia; Acosta, Ángela; Prado, Xaviera; Yáñez, Francisca; Barroeta, Marisol; López, Claudia; Donato, Paulina; Lasso, Martin; Iturrieta, María; Giraldo, Juan; Gutiérrez, Francisco; Acuña, María; Cascone, Ada; Rojas, Raymundo; Sepúlveda, Camila; Contreras, Mario; Campisto, Yessica; González, Pablo A.; Quizhpi, Zoila; López, Mariella; Pizzeghello, Vania; Silva, Stephannie; González-Aramundiz, José V.; Abarca, Katia; Melo-González, Felipe; Bueno, Susan M.; Kalergis, Alexis M.
Background: The Omicron variant has challenged the control of the COVID-19 pandemic due to its immuno-evasive properties. The administration of a booster dose of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine showed positive effects in the immunogenicity against SARS-CoV-2, effect that is even enhanced after the administration of a second booster. Methods: During a phase-3 clinical trial, we evaluated the effect of a second booster of CoronaVac®, an inactivated vaccine administered 6 months after the first booster, in the neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 (n = 87). In parallel, cellular immunity (n = 45) was analyzed in stimulated peripheral mononuclear cells by flow cytometry and ELISPOT. Findings: Although a 2.5-fold increase in neutralization of the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 was observed after the second booster when compared with prior its administration (Geometric mean units p < 0.0001; Geometric mean titer p = 0.0002), a poor neutralization against the Omicron variant was detected. Additionally, the activation of specific CD4+ T lymphocytes remained stable after the second booster and, importantly, equivalent activation of CD4+ T lymphocytes against the Omicron variant and the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 were found. Interpretation: Although the neutralizing response against the Omicron variant after the second booster of CoronaVac® was slightly increased, these levels are far from those observed against the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 and could most likely fail to neutralize the virus. In contrast, a robust CD4+T cell response may confer protection against the Omicron variant. Funding: The Ministry of Health, Government of Chile, the Confederation of Production and Commerce, Chile and SINOVAC Biotech. NIH NIAID. The Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy. © 2023 The Author(s)
Immune responses during COVID-19 breakthrough cases in vaccinated children and adolescents
(Frontiers Media SA, 2024) Rivera-Pérez, Daniela; Méndez, Constanza; Diethelm-Varela, Benjamín; Melo-González, Felipe; Vázquez, Yaneisi; Meng, Xing; Xin, Qianqian; Fasce, Rodrigo A.; Fernández, Jorge; Mora, Judith; Ramirez, Eugenio; Acevedo, Mónica L.; Valiente-Echeverría, Fernando; Soto-Rifo, Ricardo; Grifoni, Alba; Weiskopf, Daniela; Sette, Alessandro; Astudillo, Patricio; Le Corre, Nicole; Abarca, Katia; Perret, Cecilia; González, Pablo A.; Soto, Jorge A.; Bueno, Susan M.; Kalergis, Alexis M.
Background: Vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 infection has been somewhat limited due to the widespread dissemination of the Omicron variant, its subvariants, and the immune response dynamics of the naturally infected with the virus. Methods: Twelve subjects between 3-17 years old (yo), vaccinated with two doses of CoronaVac®, were followed and diagnosed as breakthrough cases starting 14 days after receiving the second dose. Total IgGs against different SARS-CoV-2 proteins and the neutralizing capacity of these antibodies after infection were measured in plasma. The activation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with peptides derived from the proteins from the wild-type (WT) virus and Omicron subvariants by flow cytometry, as well as different cytokines secretion by a Multiplex assay. Results: 2 to 8 weeks post-infection, compared to 4 weeks after 2nd dose of vaccine, there was a 146.5-fold increase in neutralizing antibody titers against Omicron and a 38.7-fold increase against WT SARS-CoV-2. Subjects showed an increase in total IgG levels against the S1, N, M, and NSP8 proteins of the WT virus. Activated CD4+ T cells showed a significant increase in response to the BA.2 subvariant (p<0.001). Finally, the secretion of IL-2 and IFN-γ cytokines showed a discreet decrease trend after infection in some subjects. Conclusion: SARS-CoV-2 infection in the pediatric population vaccinated with an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine produced an increase in neutralizing antibodies against Omicron and increased specific IgG antibodies for different SARS-CoV-2 proteins. CD4+ T cell activation was also increased, suggesting a conserved cellular response against the Omicron subvariants, whereas Th1-type cytokine secretion tended to decrease.
Inactivated Vaccine-Induced SARS-CoV-2 Variant-Specific Immunity in Children
(American Society for Microbiology, 2022-12) Soto, Jorge A.; Melo González, Felipe; Gutierrez Vera, Cristián; Schultz, Bárbara M.; Berríos Rojas, Roslye V.; Rivera Pérez, Daniela; Piña Iturbe, Alejandro; Hoppe Elsholz, Guillermo; Duarte, Luisa F.; Vázquez, Yaneisi; Moreno Tapia, Daniela; Ríos, Mariana; Palacios, Pablo A.; Garcia Betancourt, Richard; Santibañez, Álvaro; Pacheco, Gaspar A.; Mendez, Constanza; Andrade, Catalina A.; Silva, Pedro H.; Diethelm Varela, Benjamín; Astudillo, Patricio; Calvo, Mario; Cárdenas, Antonio; González, Marcela; Goldsack, Macarena; Gutiérrez, Valentina; Potin, Marcela; Schilling, Andrea; Tapia, Lorena I.; Twele, Loreto; Villena, Rodolfo; Grifoni, Albar; Sette, Alessandro; Weiskopf, Daniela; Fasce, Rodrigo A.; Fernández, Jorge; Mora, Judith; Ramírez, Eugenio; Gaete Argel, Aracelly; Acevedo, Mónica L.; Valiente Echeverría, Fernando; Soto Rifo, Ricardo; Retamal Díaz, Angello; Muñoz Jofré, Nathalia; Meng, Xing; Xin, Qianqian; Alarcón Bustamante, Eduardo; González Aramundiz, José V.; Le Corre, Nicole; Álvarez Figueroa, María Javiera; González, Pablo A.; Abarca, Katia; Perret, Cecilia; Carreño, Leandro J.; Bueno, Susan M.; Kalergis, Alexis M.
Multiple vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been evaluated in clinical trials. However, trials addressing the immune response in the pediatric population are scarce. The inactivated vaccine CoronaVac has been shown to be safe and immunogenic in a phase 1/2 clinical trial in a pediatric cohort in China. Here, we report interim safety and immunogenicity results of a phase 3 clinical trial for CoronaVac in healthy children and adolescents in Chile. Participants 3 to 17 years old received two doses of CoronaVac in a 4-week interval until 31 December 2021. Local and systemic adverse reactions were registered for volunteers who received one or two doses of CoronaVac. Whole-blood samples were collected from a subgroup of 148 participants for humoral and cellular immunity analyses. The main adverse reaction reported after the first and second doses was pain at the injection site. Four weeks after the second dose, an increase in neutralizing antibody titer was observed in subjects relative to their baseline visit. Similar results were found for activation of specific CD41 T cells. Neutralizing antibodies were identified against the Delta and Omicron variants. However, these titers were lower than those for the D614G strain. Importantly, comparable CD41 T cell responses were detected against these variants of concern. Therefore, CoronaVac is safe and immunogenic in subjects 3 to 17 years old, inducing neutralizing antibody secretion and activating CD41 T cells against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials .gov under no. NCT04992260.) IMPORTANCE This work evaluated the immune response induced by two doses of CoronaVac separated by 4 weeks in healthy children and adolescents in Chile. To date, few studies have described the effects of CoronaVac in the pediatric population. Therefore, it is essential to generate knowledge regarding the protection of vaccines in this population. Along these lines, we reported the anti-S humoral response and cellular immune response to several SARS-CoV-2 proteins that have been published and recently studied. Here, we show that a vaccination schedule consisting of two doses separated by 4 weeks induces the secretion of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, CoronaVac induces the activation of CD41 T cells upon stimulation with peptides from the proteome of SARS-CoV-2. These results indicate that, even though the neutralizing antibody response induced by vaccination decreases against the Delta and Omicron variants, the cellular response against these variants is comparable to the response against the ancestral strain D614G, even being significantly higher against Omicron. Copyright © 2022 Soto et al.
Increased Heme Oxygenase 1 Expression upon a Primary Exposure to the Respiratory Syncytial Virus and a Secondary Mycobacterium bovis Infection
(MDPI, 2022-07) Canedo-Marroquín, Gisela; Soto, Jorge A.; Andrade, Catalina A.; Bueno, Susan M.; Kalergis, Alexis M.
The human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) is the leading cause of severe lower respiratory tract infections in infants. Because recurrent epidemics based on reinfection occur in children and adults, hRSV has gained interest as a potential primary pathogen favoring secondary opportunistic infections. Several infection models have shown different mechanisms by which hRSV promotes immunopathology to prevent the development of adaptive protective immunity. However, little is known about the long-lasting effects of viral infection on pulmonary immune surveillance mechanisms. As a first approach, here we evaluated whether a primary infection by hRSV, once resolved, dampens the host immune response to a secondary infection with an attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis (M. Bovis) strain referred as to Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG). We analyzed leukocyte dynamics and immunomodulatory molecules in the lungs after eleven- and twenty-one-days post-infection with Mycobacterium, using previous hRSV infected mice, by flow cytometry and the expression of critical genes involved in the immune response by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Among the latter, we analyzed the expression of Heme Oxygenase (HO)-1 in an immunization scheme in mice. Our data suggest that a pre-infection with hRSV has a conditioning effect promoting lung pathology during a subsequent mycobacterial challenge, characterized by increased infiltration of innate immune cells, including interstitial and alveolar macrophages. Our data also suggest that hRSV impairs pulmonary immune responses, promoting secondary mycobacterial colonization and lung survival, which could be associated with an increase in the expression of HO-1. Additionally, BCG is a commonly used vaccine that can be used as a platform for the generation of new recombinant vaccines, such as a recombinant BCG strain expressing the nucleoprotein of hRSV (rBCG-N-hRSV). Therefore, we evaluated if the immunization with rBCG-N-hRSV could modulate the expression of HO-1. We found a differential expression pattern for HO-1, where a higher induction of HO-1 was detected on epithelial cells compared to dendritic cells during late infection times. This is the first study to demonstrate that infection with hRSV produces damage in the lung epithelium, promoting subsequent mycobacterial colonization, characterized by an increase in the neutrophils and alveolar macrophages recruitment. Moreover, we determined that immunization with rBCG-N-hRSV modulates differentially the expression of HO-1 on immune and epithelial cells, which could be involved in the repair of pulmonary tissue. © 2022 by the authors.
Modulation of Immune Cells as a Therapy for Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus
(MDPI, 2022-09) Soto, Jorge A.; Melo-González, Felipe; Riedel, Claudia A.; Bueno, Susan M.; Kalergis, Alexis M.
Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) is an autoimmune disorder like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Both SLE and CLE characterize autoantibody secretion and immune cell recruitment. In particular, CLE can be divided into three more frequent types, varying in the severity of the skin lesions they present. The role of type I IFN was shown to be one of the leading causes of the development of this pathology in the skin. Different treatments have been developed and tested against these different variants of CLE to decrease the increasing levels of CLE in humans. In this article, a literature revision discussing the similarities between SLE and CLE is carried out. In addition, new advances in understanding the development of CLE and the leading treatments being evaluated in animal models and clinical trials are reviewed.
Understanding the Neurotrophic Virus Mechanisms and Their Potential Effect on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Development
(MDPI, 2024-01-01) Uribe, Felipe R.; González, Valentina P. I.; Kalergis, Alexis M.; Soto, Jorge A.; Bohmwald, Karen
Central nervous system (CNS) pathologies are a public health concern, with viral infections one of their principal causes. These viruses are known as neurotropic pathogens, characterized by their ability to infiltrate the CNS and thus interact with various cell populations, inducing several diseases. The immune response elicited by neurotropic viruses in the CNS is commanded mainly by microglia, which, together with other local cells, can secrete inflammatory cytokines to fight the infection. The most relevant neurotropic viruses are adenovirus (AdV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), enterovirus (EV), Epstein–Barr Virus (EBV), herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), and the newly discovered SARS-CoV-2. Several studies have associated a viral infection with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and neuropsychiatric lupus (NPSLE) manifestations. This article will review the knowledge about viral infections, CNS pathologies, and the immune response against them. Also, it allows us to understand the relevance of the different viral proteins in developing neuronal pathologies, SLE and NPSLE.

Examinando por Autor "Soto, Jorge A."

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