Skip to main content

Filter Search Results

Publication Year

Animal Models

Topic Area

Methods

Funding Mechanism

Division of Comparative Medicine

Division of Construction and Instruments

Collaborating ICs

Selected Grantee Publications

Responses to Acute Infection with SARS-CoV-2 in the Lungs of Rhesus Macaques, Baboons and Marmosets

Singh et al., Nature Microbiology. 2020.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-020-00841-4

Investigators compared acute SARS-CoV-2 infection in young and old rhesus macaques and baboons. Macaques had clinical signs of viral infection, mild to moderate pneumonitis and extra-pulmonary pathologies; both age groups recovered within 2 weeks. Baboons had prolonged viral RNA shedding and more lung inflammation compared with macaques; inflammation in bronchoalveolar lavage was increased in old versus young baboons. Macaques developed T-cell memory responses and bystander cytokine production. Old macaques had lower titers of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG antibody levels compared with young macaques. The results indicate macaques and baboons experience acute respiratory distress that recapitulates the progression of COVID-19 in humans. Supported by ORIP (P51OD111033 and U42OD010442) and NIAID.

Imbalance of Regulatory and Cytotoxic SARS-CoV-2-Reactive CD4+ T Cells in COVID-19

Meckiff  et al., Cell. 2020.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33096020/

It is not clear why COVID-19 is deadly in some people and mild in others. To understand the underlying mechanism, investigators studied the contribution of CD4+ T cells in immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. They analyzed single-cell transcriptomic data of >100,000 viral antigen-reactive CD4+ T cells from 40 COVID-19 patients. In hospitalized patients compared to non-hospitalized patients, they found increased proportions of cytotoxic follicular helper cells (TFH) and cytotoxic T helper (TH) cells responding to SARS-CoV-2 and reduced proportion of SARS-CoV-2-reactive regulatory T cells (TREG). Importantly, in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, a strong cytotoxic TFH response was observed early in the illness, which correlated negatively with antibody levels to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Polyfunctional TH1 and TH17 cell subsets were underrepresented in the repertoire of SARS-CoV-2-reactive CD4+ T cells compared to influenza-reactive CD4+ T cells. Together, these analyses provided insights into the gene expression patterns of SARS-CoV-2-reactive CD4+ T cells in distinct disease severities. Supported by ORIP (S10RR027366, S10OD025052), NIAID, NHLBI, and NIGMS.

Infant Isoflurane Exposure Affects Social Behaviours, but Does Not Impair Specific Cognitive Domains in Juvenile Non-Human Primates

Neudecker et al., British Journal of Anaesthesia. 2020.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007091220308503

Researchers investigated the impact of extended (5 hours) isoflurane anesthetic exposure (1-3 exposures) of rhesus macaque (RM) infants of both sexes on cognitive testing and behavioral assessments. Cognitive function did not differ among groups; however, compared to controls, RMs exposed three times during infancy exhibited less close social behavior. One isoflurane exposure resulted in increased anxiety-related behaviors and more inhibition towards novel objects. These findings are consistent with behavioral alterations observed in social settings of human clinical studies. Supported by ORIP (P51OD011092).

Estrogen Acts Through Estrogen Receptor 2b to Regulate Hepatobiliary Fate During Vertebrate Development

Chaturantabut et al., Hepatology. 2020.

https://aasldpubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/hep.31184

During liver development, bipotent progenitor cells differentiate into hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells to ensure a functional liver. The developmental cues controlling the differentiation of committed progenitors into these cell types are not completely understood. These authors report an essential role for estrogenic regulation in vertebrate liver development to affect hepatobiliary fate decisions. The studies identify17β-estradiol (E2), nuclear estrogen receptor 2b (esr2b), and downstream bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) activity as important regulators of hepatobiliary fate decisions during vertebrate liver development. These results have significant implications for liver development in infants exposed to abnormal estrogen levels or estrogenic compounds during pregnancy. Supported by ORIP (R24OD017870) and NIDDK.