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Gaudenzio, N.

Publications and source records attributed to Gaudenzio, N..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Multi-modal profiling of biostabilized human skin modules reveals a coordinated ecosystem response to injected mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine.

The field of vaccination is witnessing a remarkable surge in the development of innovative strategies. There is a need to develop technological platforms capable of generating human data prior to progressing to clinical trials. Here we introduce VaxSkin, a flexible solution designed for the comprehensive monitoring of the natural human skin ecosystems response to vaccines over time. Based on bioengineering to repurpose surgical resections, it allows a comprehensive analysis of the response to vaccines at both organ and single-cell levels. Upon injection of the mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine, we characterized precise sequential molecular events triggered upon detection of the exogenous substance. We also found that the vaccine consistently targets DC/macrophages and mast cells, regardless of the administration route, while promoting specific cell-cell communications in surrounding immune cell subsets. Given its direct translational relevance, VaxSkin provides a multiscale vision of skin vaccination that could pave the way toward the development of new vaccination development strategies.

bioengineering↗

Mast cell-derived BH4 is a critical mediator of postoperative pain

Postoperative pain affects most patients after major surgery and can transition to chronic pain. Here, we discovered that postoperative pain hypersensitivity correlated with markedly increased local levels of the metabolite BH4. Gene transcription and reporter mouse analyses after skin injury identified neutrophils, macrophages and mast cells as primary postoperative sources of GTP cyclohydrolase-1 (Gch1) expression, the rate-limiting enzyme in BH4 production. While specific Gch1 deficiency in neutrophils or macrophages had no effect, mice deficient in mast cells or mast cell-specific Gch1 showed drastically decreased postoperative pain after surgery. Skin injury induced the nociceptive neuropeptide substance P, which directly triggers the release of BH4-dependent serotonin in mouse and human mast cells. Substance P receptor blockade substantially ameliorated postoperative pain. Our findings underline the unique position of mast cells at the neuro-immune interface and highlight substance P-driven mast cell BH4 production as promising therapeutic targets for the treatment of postoperative pain.

immunology↗

3-D deconvolution of human skin immune architecture with Multiplex Annotated Tissue Imaging System (MANTIS)

Routine clinical assays, such as conventional immunohistochemistry, often fail to resolve the regional heterogeneity of complex inflammatory skin conditions. Here we introduce MANTIS (Multiplexed Annotated Tissue Imaging System), a flexible analytic pipeline compatible with routine practice, specifically-designed for spatially-resolved immune phenotyping of the skin in experimental or clinical samples. Based on phenotype attribution matrices coupled to -shape algorithms, MANTIS projects a representative digital immune landscape, while enabling automated detection of major inflammatory clusters and concomitant single-cell data quantification of biomarkers. We observed that severe pathological lesions from systemic lupus erythematosus, Kawasaki syndrome or COVID-19-associated skin manifestations share common quantitative immune features, while displaying a non-random distribution of cells with the formation of disease-specific dermal immune structures. Given its accuracy and flexibility, MANTIS is designed to solve the spatial organization of complex immune environments to better apprehend the pathophysiology of skin manifestations.

immunology↗

T helper cell-licensed mast cells promote inflammatory Th17 cells

CD4+ T helper cells (Th) infiltrate sites of inflammation and orchestrate the immune response by instructing local leukocytes. Mast cells (MCs) are tissue sentinel cells particularly abundant in skin and mucosa. Here, we analyzed the interplay between human MCs and Th cells and, through the application of RNAseq and functional assays, showed that Th cells induced a specific transcriptomic program in helped MCs (named here MCTH) driving them toward an inflammatory phenotype. The gene signature of MCTH indicated that MCs helped by Th cell acquired in turn the capacity to regulate effector T cell response through wide-range of soluble and membrane ligands. Accordingly, we showed that MCTH promoted Th17 cells and notably an inflammatory subset of Th17, producing both IFN-{gamma} and GM-CSF, through a PGE2 and IL-1{beta} axis. Our findings demonstrate that activated effector/memory CD4+ T cells activate and instruct resting MCs toward a specific differentiated pro-inflammatory phenotype endowed with the capacity to speak back to effector T cells and to mold their functions.

immunology↗