Is normal hematopoiesis maintained solely by long-term multipotent stem cells?

The understanding of the hierarchical organization of the human hematopoietic system is of major biologic and clinical significance. The validity of the conventional model in which hematopoiesis is solely maintained by a pool of multipotent long-term hematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSCs) has been recently challenged by several mouse studies. These new data point to the existence of a heterogeneous stem cell population that consists of distinct subsets of LT-HSCs, which include stem cells biased toward lineage-specific differentiation programs. This review attempts to discuss the balanced versus biased patterns of lineage output of human LT-HSCs gathered in 3 different gene therapy trials on the basis of vector integration site analysis by deep sequencing. The distribution of integration sites observed tends to support the validity of the revised model.     

A statistical method for comparing viral growth curves

Viral replication is often analyzed by growth curves, in which viral multiplication in the presence of host cells is measured as a function of time. Comparing growth curves is one of the most sensitive ways of comparing viral growth under different conditions or for comparing replication of different viral mutants. However, such experiments are rarely analyzed in a statistically rigorous fashion. Here a statistical method is described for comparing curves, using replication of HIV in the presence of an integrase inhibitor as an example. A complication in the analysis arises due to the fact that sequential measurements of virus accumulation are not independent, which constrains the choice of statistical method. In the recommended approach, the values for virus accumulation over time are fitted to an exponential equation, then the means of the extracted growth rates compared using a nonparametric test, either the Mann-Whitney U-test for two samples or the Kruskal-Wallis test for multiple samples. A web-based tutorial for implementing this method is available at http://microb230.med.upenn.edu/tutorials/wangTutorial.     

Cxcr2 and Cxcl5 regulate the IL-17/G-CSF axis and neutrophil homeostasis in mice

Neutrophils are essential for maintaining innate immune surveillance under normal conditions, but also represent a major contributor to tissue damage during inflammation. Neutrophil homeostasis is therefore tightly regulated. Cxcr2 plays a critical role in neutrophil homeostasis, as Cxcr2(-/-) mice demonstrate mild neutrophilia and severe neutrophil hyperplasia in the bone marrow. The mechanisms underlying these phenotypes, however, are unclear. We report here that Cxcr2 on murine neutrophils inhibits the IL-17A/G-CSF axis that regulates neutrophil homeostasis. Furthermore, enterocyte-derived Cxcl5 in the gut regulates IL-17/G-CSF levels and contributes to Cxcr2-dependent neutrophil homeostasis. Conversely, G-CSF was required for Cxcl5-dependent regulation of neutrophil homeostasis, and inhibition of IL-17A reduced plasma G-CSF concentrations and marrow neutrophil numbers in both Cxcl5(-/-) and Cxcr2(-/-) mice. Cxcr2(-/-) mice constitutively expressed IL-17A and showed increased numbers of IL-17A-producing cells in the lung, terminal ileum, and spleen. Most IL-17-producing splenocytes were responsive to IL-1β plus IL-23 in vitro. Depletion of commensal microbes by antibiotic treatment in Cxcr2(-/-) mice markedly decreased IL-17A and G-CSF expression, neutrophilia, and marrow myeloid hyperplasia. These data suggest a critical role for Cxcr2, Cxcl5, and commensal bacteria in regulation of the IL-17/G-CSF axis and neutrophil homeostasis at mucosal sites and have implications for the development of treatments for pathologies resulting from either excessive or ineffective neutrophil responses.     

The Perioperative Lung Transplant Virome: Torque Teno Viruses Are Elevated in Donor Lungs and Show Divergent Dynamics in Primary Graft Dysfunction

Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) is a principal cause of early morbidity and mortality after lung transplantation, but its pathogenic mechanisms are not fully clarified. To date, studies using standard clinical assays have not linked microbial factors to PGD. We previously used comprehensive metagenomic methods to characterize viruses in lung allografts >1 mo after transplant and found that levels of Anellovirus, mainly torque teno viruses (TTVs), were significantly higher than in nontransplanted healthy controls. We used quantitative polymerase chain reaction to analyze TTV and shotgun metagenomics to characterize full viral communities in acellular bronchoalveolar lavage from donor organs and postreperfusion allografts in PGD and non‐PGD lung transplant recipient pairs. Unexpectedly, TTV DNA levels were elevated 100‐fold in donor lungs compared with healthy adults (p = 0.0026). Although absolute TTV levels did not differ by PGD status, PGD cases showed a smaller increase in TTV levels from before to after transplant than did control recipients (p = 0.041). Metagenomic sequencing revealed mainly TTV and bacteriophages of respiratory tract bacteria, but no viral taxa distinguished PGD cases from controls. These findings suggest that conditions associated with brain death promote TTV replication and that greater immune activation or tissue injury associated with PGD may restrict TTV abundance in the lung.     

Interventions to Disrupt Coronavirus Disease Transmission at a University,Wisconsin, USA,August–October 2020

University settings have demonstrated potential for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks; they combine congregate living, substantial social activity, and a young population predisposed to mild illness. Using genomic and epidemiologic data, we describe a COVID-19 outbreak at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. During August–October 2020, a total of 3,485 students, including 856/6,162 students living in dormitories, tested positive. Case counts began rising during move-in week, August 25–31, 2020, then rose rapidly during September 1–11, 2020. The university initiated multiple prevention efforts, including quarantining 2 dormitories; a subsequent decline in cases was observed. Genomic surveillance of cases from Dane County, in which the university is located, did not find evidence of transmission from a large cluster of cases in the 2 quarantined dorms during the outbreak. Coordinated implementation of prevention measures can reduce COVID-19 spread in university settings and may limit spillover to the surrounding community.