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
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- Aging and End Stage Renal Disease Cause A Decrease in Absolute Circulating Lymphocyte Counts with A Shift to A Memory Profile and Diverge in Treg Population(2019) FREITAS, Geraldo Rubens Ramos; FERNANDES, Maria da Luz; AGENA, Fabiana; JALUUL, Omar; SILVA, Sergio Colenci; LEMOS, Francine Brambate Carvalhinho; COELHO, Veronica; DAVID-NETO, Elias; GALANTE, Nelson ZocolerThere is a growing number of elderly kidney transplant (Ktx) recipients. Elderly recipients present lower acute rejection rates but higher incidence of infection and malignancies. Aging per se seems to result in a shift to memory profile and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in premature immunological aging. Understanding aging and CKD effects on the immune system can improve elderly Ktx immunosuppression. We analyzed the effects of aging and CKD in the immune system, comparing healthy adults (HAd) (n=14, 26 +/- 2y), healthy elderly (HEld) (n=15, 79 +/- 7y), end stage renal disease (ESRD) adults (EnAd) (n=18, 36 +/- 7y) and ESRD elderly (EnEld) (n=31, 65 +/- 3y) prior to Ktx regarding their naive, memory and regulatory T and B peripheral lymphocytes. Aging and ESRD presented additive effect decreasing absolute numbers of B and T-lymphocytes, affecting memory, naive and regulatory subsets without synergic effect. Both resulted in higher percentages of T memory subsets and opposing effects on regulatory T (TREG) subsets, higher percentage in aging and lower in ESRD. Combined effect of aging and ESRD also resulted in higher regulatory B cell percentages. In addition to global lymphopenia and TCD4(+) memory shift in both aging and ESRD, aging shifts to an immunoregulatory profile, inducing a increase in TREG percentages, contrasting with ESRD that decreases TREGs. Differential immunosuppression regimens for elderly Ktx may be required.
- 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.
- HSP60: issues and insights on its therapeutic use as an immunoregulatory agent(2012) COELHO, Veronica; FARIA, Ana M. C.Heat shock proteins 60 (HSP60) is one of the most well studied member of the HSP family. Although found to be a target self antigen in pathological autoimmunity and HSP60-reactive land B cells are part of immune responses in several infectious diseases, there is consistent experimental evidence that HSP60 displays dominant immunoregulatory properties. There are a series of reports on animal models showing that the administration of HSP60 can modulate inflammatory diseases. However, HSP60 has both immune-regulatory and inflammatory properties placing it as an essentially homeostatic antigen, but with potentially harmful effects as well. There have been a series of reports on the successful use of HSP60 and its peptides as immune-modulatory agent for several models of autoimmune diseases and in some clinical trials as well. We believe that the potential risks of HSP60 as a therapeutic agent can be controlled by addressing important factors determining its effects. These factors would be route of administration, appropriate peptides, time point of administration in the course of the disease, and possible association with other modulatory agents.
- Integrated Metabolic and Inflammatory Signatures Associated with Severity of, Fatality of, and Recovery from COVID-19(2023) GARDINASSI, Luiz Gustavo; SERVIAN, Carolina do Prado; LIMA, Gesiane da Silva; ANJOS, Deborah Carolina Carvalho dos; JR, Antonio Roberto Gomes; GUILARDE, Adriana Oliveira; BORGES, Moara Alves Santa Barbara; SANTOS, Gabriel Franco dos; MORAES, Brenda Grazielli Nogueira; SILVA, Joao Marcos Maia; MASSON, Leticia Carrijo; SOUZA, Flavia Pereira de; SILVA, Rodolfo Rodrigues da; ARAUJO, Giovanna Lopes de; RODRIGUES, Marcella Ferreira; SILVA, Lidya Cardozo da; MEIRA, Sueli; FIACCADORI, Fabiola Souza; SOUZA, Menira; ROMAO, Pedro Roosevelt Torres; FERREIRA, Monica Spadafora; COELHO, Veronica; CHAVES, Andrea Rodrigues; SIMAS, Rosineide Costa; VAZ, Boniek Gontijo; FONSECA, Simone GoncalvesCOVID-19 is characterized by diverse clinical outcomes that include asymptomatic to mild manifestations or severe disease and death. Infection by SARS-CoV-2 activates inflammatory and metabolic responses that drive protection or pathology. Severe manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and mortality have been associated with physiological alterations that provide insights into the pathogenesis of the disease. Moreover, factors that drive recovery from COVID-19 can be explored to identify correlates of protection. The cellular metabolism represents a potential target to improve survival upon severe disease, but the associations between the metabolism and the inflammatory response during COVID-19 are not well defined. We analyzed blood laboratorial parameters, cytokines, and metabolomes of 150 individuals with mild to severe disease, of which 33 progressed to a fatal outcome. A subset of 20 individuals was followed up after hospital discharge and recovery from acute disease. We used hierarchical community networks to integrate metabolomics profiles with cytokines and markers of inflammation, coagulation, and tissue damage. Infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) promotes significant alterations in the plasma metabolome, whose activity varies according to disease severity and correlates with oxygen saturation. Differential metabolism underlying death was marked by amino acids and related metabolites, such as glutamate, glutamyl-glutamate, and oxoproline, and lipids, including progesterone, phosphocholine, and lysophosphatidylcholines (lysoPCs). Individuals who recovered from severe disease displayed persistent alterations enriched for metabolism of purines and phosphatidylinositol phosphate and glycolysis. Recovery of mild disease was associated with vitamin E metabolism. Data integration shows that the metabolic response is a hub connecting other biological features during disease and recovery. Infection by SARS-CoV-2 induces concerted activity of metabolic and inflammatory responses that depend on disease severity and collectively predict clinical outcomes of COVID-19.IMPORTANCE COVID-19 is characterized by diverse clinical outcomes that include asymptomatic to mild manifestations or severe disease and death. Infection by SARS-CoV-2 activates inflammatory and metabolic responses that drive protection or pathology. How inflammation and metabolism communicate during COVID-19 is not well defined. We used high-resolution mass spectrometry to investigate small biochemical compounds (<1,500 Da) in plasma of individuals with COVID-19 and controls. Age, sex, and comorbidities have a profound effect on the plasma metabolites of individuals with COVID-19, but we identified significant activity of pathways and metabolites related to amino acids, lipids, nucleotides, and vitamins determined by disease severity, survival outcome, and recovery. Furthermore, we identified metabolites associated with acute-phase proteins and coagulation factors, which collectively identify individuals with severe disease or individuals who died of severe COVID-19. Our study suggests that manipulating specific metabolic pathways can be explored to prevent hyperinflammation, organ dysfunction, and death.
- Acute Zika Virus Infection in an Endemic Area Shows Modest Proinflammatory Systemic Immunoactivation and Cytokine-Symptom Associations(2018) BARROS, Jessica Barletto de Sousa; SILVA, Paulo Alex Neves da; KOGA, Rosemary de Carvalho Rocha; GONZALEZ-DIAS, Patricia; CARMO FILHO, Jose Rodrigues; NAGIB, Patricia Resende Alo; COELHO, Veronica; NAKAYA, Helder I.; FONSECA, Simone Goncalves; PFRIMER, Irmtraut Araci HoffmannAn early immune response to Zika virus (ZIKV) infection may determine its clinical manifestation and outcome, including neurological effects. However, low-grade and transient viremia limits the prompt diagnosis of acute ZIKV infection. We have investigated the plasma cytokine, chemokine, and growth factor profiles of 36 individuals from an endemic area displaying different symptoms such as exanthema, headache, myalgia, arthralgia, fever, hyperemia, swelling, itching, and nausea during early-phase infection. These profiles were then associated with symptoms, revealing important aspects of the immunopathophysiology of ZIKV infection. The levels of some cytokines/chemokines were significantly higher in acute ZIKV-infected individuals compared to healthy donors, including interferon (IFN) gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10), regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), IFN-gamma interleukin (IL)-9, IL-7, IL-5, and IL-1ra, including some with predominantly immunoregulatory activity. Of note, we found that higher levels of IP-10 and IL-5 in ZIKV-infected individuals were strongly associated with exanthema and headache, respectively. Also, higher levels of IL-1ra were associated with subjects with arthralgia, whereas those with fever showed lower levels of granulocytecolony stimulating factor (G-CSF). No correlation was observed between the number of symptoms and ZIKV viral load. Interestingly, only IP-10 showed significantly decreased levels in the recovery phase. In conclusion, our results indicate that acute ZIKV infection in a larger cohort resident to an endemic area displays a modest systemic immune activation profile, involving both proinflammatory and immunoregulatory cytokines and chemokines that could participate of virus control. In addition, we showed that differential cytokine/chemokine levels are related to specific clinical symptoms, suggesting their participation in underlying mechanisms.
- 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.
conferenceObject Low-volume direct strip multiplex PCR of intraocular fluid in uveitis(2023) YAMAMOTO, Joyce H.; ODA, Eduardo Ferracioli; TANAKA, Tatiana; GOUVEA, Michele Soares Gomes; PINHO, Joao Renato Rebello; COELHO, Veronica; BISPO, Paulo J. M.; HIRATA, Carlos EduardoconferenceObject Cytokines profile in ocular fluid of individuals with uveitis: preliminary result(2023) ODA, Eduardo Ferracioli; COELHO, Veronica; ANTONANGELO, Leila; HIRATA, Carlos Eduardo; YAMAMOTO, Joyce H.- Soluble MICA in endometriosis pathophysiology: Impairs NK cell degranulation and effector functions(2024) MARIN, Maria Lucia Carnevale; RACHED, Marici Rached; MONTEIRO, Sandra Maria; KALIL, Jorge; ABRAO, Mauricio Simoes; COELHO, VeronicaProblem: Endometriosis exhibits several immune dysfunctions, including deficient natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity. MICA (MHC class I chain-related molecule A) is induced by biological stress and soluble MICA (sMICA) negatively modulates the expression of the activating receptor, NKG2D, reducing NK cells activities. We investigated the involvement of soluble MICA in NK cell-deficient activity in endometriosis. Methods of study: sMICA levels (serum and peritoneal fluid-PF) were evaluated by ELISA. Circulating NK cell subsets quantification and its NKG2D receptor expression, NK cell cytotoxicity and CD107a, IFN-gamma and IL-10 expressions by NK cells stimulated with K562 cells were determined by flow cytometry. Results: We found higher sMICA levels (serum and PF) in endometriosis, especially in advanced and deep endometriosis. Endometriosis presented lower percentages of CD56(dim)CD16+ cytotoxic cells and impaired NK cell responses upon stimulation, resulting in lower CD107a and IFN-gamma expressions, and deficient NK cell cytotoxicity. NK cell stimulation in the MICA-blocked condition (mimicking the effect of sMICA) showed decreased cytotoxicity in initial endometriosis stages and the emergence of a negative correlation between CD107a expression and sMICA levels. Conclusions: We suggest that soluble MICA is a potential player in endometriosis pathophysiology with involvement in disease progression and severity, contributing to NK cell impaired IFN-gamma response and degranulation. NK cell compartment exhibits multiple perturbations, including quantitative deficiency and impaired cytotoxicity, contributing to inadequate elimination of ectopic endometrial tissue.