VERONICA PORTO CARREIRO DE VASCONCELLOS COELHO
Projetos de Pesquisa
Unidades Organizacionais
Instituto do Coração, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina - Médico
LIM/19 - Laboratório de Histocompatibilidade e Imunidade Celular, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina - Líder
LIM/19 - Laboratório de Histocompatibilidade e Imunidade Celular, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina - Líder
6 resultados
Resultados de Busca
Agora exibindo 1 - 6 de 6
- Differential microRNA Profile in Operational Tolerance: A Potential Role in Favoring Cell Survival(2019) CABRAL, Amanda; CANDIDO, Daran da Silva; MONTEIRO, Sandra Maria; LEMOS, Francine; SAITOVITCH, David; NORONHA, Irene L.; ALVES, Leticia Ferreira; GERAIDO, Murilo Vieira; KALIL, Jorge; CUNHA-NETO, Edecio; FERREIRA, Ludmila Rodrigues Pinto; COEIHO, VeronicaBackground: Operational tolerance (OT) is a state of graft functional stability that occurs after at least 1 year of immunosuppressant withdrawal. MicroRNAs (microRNA) are small non-coding RNAs that downregulate messenger RNA/protein expression of innumerous molecules and are critical for homeostasis. We investigated whether OT in kidney transplantation displays a differential microRNA profile, which would suggest that microRNAs participate in Operational Tolerance mechanisms, and may reveal potential molecular pathways. Methods: We first compared serum microRNA in OT (n = 8) with chronic rejection (CR) (n = 5) and healthy individuals (HI) (n = 5), using a 768-microRNA qPCR-panel. We used the Thermo Fisher Cloud computing platform to compare the levels of microRNAs in the OT group in relation to the other study groups. We performed validation experiments for miR-885-5p, by q-PCR, in a larger number of study subjects (OT = 8, CR = 12, HI = 12), as individual samples. Results: We detected a differential microRNA profile in OT vs. its opposing clinical outcome-CR-suggesting that microRNAs may integrate transplantation tolerance mechanisms. Some miRNAs were detected at higher levels in OT: miR-885-5p, miR-331-3p, miR-27a-5p vs. CR; others, we found at lower levels: miR-1233-3p, miR-572, miR-638, miR-1260a. Considering highly predicted/experimentally demonstrated targets of these miRNAs, bioinformatics analysis revealed that the granzyme B, and death receptor pathways are dominant, suggesting that cell death regulation integrates transplantation tolerance mechanisms. We confirmed higher miR-885-5p levels in OT vs. CR, and vs. HI, in a larger number of subjects. Conclusions: We propose that epigenetics mechanisms involving microRNAs may integrate human transplantation tolerance mechanisms, and regulate key members of the cell death/survival signaling. miR-885-5p could favor cell survival in OT by diminishing the levels of CRADD/RAIDD and CASP3. Nonetheless, given the nature of any complex phenomenon in humans, only cumulative data will help to determine whether this microRNA differential profile may be related to the cause or consequence of operational tolerance.
- Immunodominant antibody responses directed to SARS-CoV-2 hotspot mutation sites and risk of immune escape(2023) OLIVEIRA, Jamille Ramos; RUIZ, Cesar Manuel Remuzgo; MACHADO, Rafael Rahal Guaragna; MAGAWA, Jhosiene Yukari; DAHER, Isabela Pazotti; URBANSKI, Alysson Henrique; SCHMITZ, Gabriela Justamante Haendel; ARCURI, Helen Andrade; FERREIRA, Marcelo Alves; SASAHARA, Greyce Luri; MEDEIROS, Giuliana Xavier de; JR, Roberto Carlos Vieira Silva; DURIGON, Edison Luiz; BOSCARDIN, Silvia Beatriz; ROSA, Daniela Santoro; SCHECHTMAN, Deborah; NAKAYA, Helder. I. I.; CUNHA-NETO, Edecio; GADERMAIER, Gabriele; KALIL, Jorge; COELHO, Veronica; SANTOS, Keity SouzaIntroductionConsidering the likely need for the development of novel effective vaccines adapted to emerging relevant CoV-2 variants, the increasing knowledge of epitope recognition profile among convalescents and afterwards vaccinated with identification of immunodominant regions may provide important information. MethodsWe used an RBD peptide microarray to identify IgG and IgA binding regions in serum of 71 COVID-19 convalescents and 18 vaccinated individuals. ResultsWe found a set of immunodominant RBD antibody epitopes, each recognized by more than 30% of the tested cohort, that differ among the two different groups and are within conserved regions among betacoronavirus. Of those, only one peptide, P44 (S415-429), recognized by 68% of convalescents, presented IgG and IgA antibody reactivity that positively correlated with nAb titers, suggesting that this is a relevant RBD region and a potential target of IgG/IgA neutralizing activity. DiscussionThis peptide is localized within the area of contact with ACE-2 and harbors the mutation hotspot site K417 present in gamma (K417T), beta (K417N), and omicron (K417N) variants of concern. The epitope profile of vaccinated individuals differed from convalescents, with a more diverse repertoire of immunodominant peptides, recognized by more than 30% of the cohort. Noteworthy, immunodominant regions of recognition by vaccinated coincide with mutation sites at Omicron BA.1, an important variant emerging after massive vaccination. Together, our data show that immune pressure induced by dominant antibody responses may favor hotspot mutation sites and the selection of variants capable of evading humoral response.
- Recurrence of COVID-19 associated with reduced T-cell responses in a monozygotic twin pair(2022) V, Mateus de Castro; SANTOS, Keity S.; APOSTOLICO, Juliana S.; FERNANDES, Edgar R.; ALMEIDA, Rafael R.; LEVIN, Gabriel; MAGAWA, Jhosiene Y.; NUNES, Joao Paulo S.; BRUNI, Mirian; YAMAMOTO, Marcio M.; LIMA, Ariane C.; SILVA, Monize V. R.; MATOS, Larissa R. B.; CORIA, Vivian R.; CASTELLI, Erick C.; SCLIAR, Marilia O.; KURAMOTO, Andreia; BRUNO, Fernanda R.; JACINTHO, Lucas C.; NUNES, Kelly; WANG, Jaqueline Y. T.; COELHO, Veronica P.; NETO, Miguel Mitne; MACIEL, Rui M. B.; NASLAVSKY, Michel S.; PASSOS-BUENO, Maria Rita; BOSCARDIN, Silvia B.; ROSA, Daniela S.; KALIL, Jorge; ZATZ, Mayana; CUNHA-NETO, EdecioRecurrence of COVID-19 in recovered patients has been increasingly reported. However, the immune mechanisms behind the recurrence have not been thoroughly investigated. The presence of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) in recurrence/reinfection cases suggests that other types of immune response are involved in protection against recurrence. Here, we investigated the innate type I/III interferon (IFN) response, binding and nAb assays and T-cell responses to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with IFN gamma (IFN gamma) enzyme-linked spot assay (ELISPOT) in three pairs of young adult monozygotic (MZ) twins with previous confirmed COVID-19, one of them presenting a severe recurrence four months after the initial infection. Twin studies have been of paramount importance to comprehend the immunogenetics of infectious diseases. Each MZ twin pair was previously exposed to SARS-CoV-2, as seen by clinical reports. The six individuals presented similar overall recovered immune responses except for the recurrence case, who presented a drastically reduced number of recognized SARS-CoV-2 T-cell epitopes on ELISPOT as compared to her twin sister and the other twin pairs. Our results suggest that the lack of a broad T-cell response to initial infection may have led to recurrence, emphasizing that an effective SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell immune response is key for complete viral control and avoidance of clinical recurrence of COVID-19.
- Time-dependent contraction of the SARS-CoV-2–specific T-cell responses in convalescent individuals(2022) FERNANDES, E. R.; APOSTOLICO, J. de Souza; JACINTHO, L. C.; MARIN, M. L. Carnevale; JúNIOR, R. C. Vieira da Silva; RODRIGUES, H.; SANTOS, K. S.; COELHO, V.; BOSCARDIN, S. B.; KALIL, J.; CUNHA-NETO, E.; ROSA, D. S.Background: Adaptive immunity in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is decisive for disease control. Delayed activation of T cells is associated with a worse outcome in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Although convalescent individuals exhibit solid T-cell immunity, to date, long-term immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is still under investigation. Objectives: We aimed to characterize the specific T-cell response on the basis of the in vitro recall of IFN-γ–producing cells to in silico–predicted peptides in samples from SARS-CoV-2 convalescent individuals. Methods: The sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 genome was screened, leading to the identification of specific and promiscuous peptides predicted to be recognized by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Next, we performed an in vitro recall of specific T cells from PBMC samples from the participants. The results were analyzed according to clinical features of the cohort and HLA diversity. Results: Our results indicated heterogeneous T-cell responsiveness among the participants. Compared with patients who exhibited mild symptoms, hospitalized patients had a significantly higher magnitude of response. In addition, male and older patients showed a lower number of IFN-γ–producing cells. Analysis of samples collected after 180 days revealed a reduction in the number of specific circulating IFN-γ–producing T cells, suggesting decreased immunity against viral peptides. Conclusion: Our data are evidence that in silico–predicted peptides are highly recognized by T cells from convalescent individuals, suggesting a possible application for vaccine design. However, the number of specific T cells decreases 180 days after infection, which might be associated with reduced protection against reinfection over time. © 2022 The Authors
- A Major Downregulation of Circulating microRNAs in Zika Acutely Infected Patients: Potential Implications in Innate and Adaptive Immune Response Signaling Pathways(2022) CARVALHO-SILVA, Ana Carolina; SILVA JUNIOR, Almir Ribeiro Da; RIGAUD, Vagner Oliveira-Carvalho; MARTINS, Waleska Kerllen; COELHO, Veronica; PFRIMER, Irmtraut Araci Hoffmann; KALIL, Jorge; FONSECA, Simone Goncalves; CUNHA-NETO, Edecio; FERREIRA, Ludmila Rodrigues PintoZika virus (ZIKV) is an arbovirus mainly transmitted by mosquitos of the genus Aedes. The first cases of ZIKV infection in South America occurred in Brazil in 2015. The infection in humans causes diverse symptoms from asymptomatic to a syndrome-like dengue infection with fever, arthralgia, and myalgia. Furthermore, ZIKV infection during pregnancy is associated with fetal microcephaly and neurological disorders. The identification of host molecular mechanisms responsible for the modulation of different signaling pathways in response to ZIKV is the first step to finding potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets and understanding disease outcomes. In the last decade, it has been shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) are important post-transcriptional regulators involved in virtually all cellular processes. miRNAs present in body fluids can not only serve as key biomarkers for diagnostics and prognosis of human disorders but also contribute to cellular signaling offering new insights into pathological mechanisms. Here, we describe for the first time ZIKV-induced changes in miRNA plasma levels in patients during the acute and recovery phases of infection. We observed that during ZIKV acute infection, among the dysregulated miRNAs (DMs), the majority is with decreased levels when compared to convalescent and control patients. We used systems biology tools to build and highlight biological interactions between miRNAs and their multiple direct and indirect target molecules. Among the 24 DMs identified in ZIKV + patients, miR-146, miR-125a-5p, miR-30-5p, and miR-142-3p were related to signaling pathways modulated during infection and immune response. The results presented here are an effort to open new vistas for the key roles of miRNAs during ZIKV infection.
- Reduced T Cell and Antibody Responses to Inactivated Coronavirus Vaccine Among Individuals Above 55 Years Old(2022) MEDEIROS, Giuliana X.; SASAHARA, Greyce Luri; MAGAWA, Jhosiene Y.; NUNES, Joao Paulo S.; BRUNO, Fernanda R.; KURAMOTO, Andreia C.; ALMEIDA, Rafael R.; FERREIRA, Marcelo A.; SCAGION, Guilherme P.; CANDIDO, Erika D.; LEAL, Fabyano B.; OLIVEIRA, Danielle B. L.; DURIGON, Edison L.; SILVA JR., Roberto Carlos V.; ROSA, Daniela S.; BOSCARDIN, Silvia B.; COELHO, Veronica; KALIL, Jorge; SANTOS, Keity S.; CUNHA-NETO, EdecioCoronaVac is an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine that has been rolled out in several low and middle-income countries including Brazil, where it was the mainstay of the first wave of immunization of healthcare workers and the elderly population. We aimed to assess the T cell and antibody responses of vaccinated individuals as compared to convalescent patients. We detected IgG against SARS-CoV-2 antigens, neutralizing antibodies against the reference Wuhan SARS-CoV-2 strain and used SARS-CoV-2 peptides to detect IFN-g and IL-2 specific T cell responses in a group of CoronaVac vaccinated individuals (N = 101) and convalescent (N = 72) individuals. The frequency among vaccinated individuals, of whom 96% displayed T cell and/or antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2, is comparable to 98.5% responses of convalescent individuals. We observed that among vaccinated individuals, men and individuals 55 years or older developed significantly lower anti-RBD, anti-NP and neutralization titers against the Wuhan strain and antigen-induced IL-2 production by T cells. Neutralizing antibody responses for Gamma variant were even lower than for the Wuhan strain. Even though some studies indicated CoronaVac helped reduce mortality among elderly people, considering the appearance of novel variants of concern, CoronaVac vaccinated individuals above 55 years old are likely to benefit from a heterologous third dose/booster vaccine to increase immune response and likely protection.