University of Palermo

About: University of Palermo is a education organization based out in Palermo, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 15621 authors who have published 40250 publications receiving 964384 citations. The organization is also known as: Università degli Studi di Palermo & Universita degli Studi di Palermo.

Brief Report: Intestinal Dysbiosis in Ankylosing Spondylitis

Abstract: Objective Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a common, highly heritable immune-mediated arthropathy that occurs in genetically susceptible individuals exposed to an unknown but likely ubiquitous environmental trigger There is a close relationship between the gut and spondyloarthritis, as exemplified in patients with reactive arthritis, in whom a typically self-limiting arthropathy follows either a gastrointestinal or urogenital infection Microbial involvement in AS has been suggested; however, no definitive link has been established The aim of this study was to determine whether the gut in patients with AS carries a distinct microbial signature compared with that in the gut of healthy control subjects Methods Microbial profiles for terminal ileum biopsy specimens obtained from patients with recent-onset tumor necrosis factor antagonist-naive AS and from healthy control subjects were generated using culture-independent 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing and analysis techniques Results Our results showed that the terminal ileum microbial communities in patients with AS differ significantly (P < 0001) from those in healthy control subjects, driven by a higher abundance of 5 families of bacteria (Lachnospiraceae [P = 0001], Ruminococcaceae [P = 0012], Rikenellaceae [P = 0004], Porphyromonadaceae [P = 0001], and Bacteroidaceae [P = 0001]) and a decrease in the abundance of 2 families of bacteria (Veillonellaceae [P = 001] and Prevotellaceae [P = 0004]) Conclusion We show evidence for a discrete microbial signature in the terminal ileum of patients with AS compared with healthy control subjects The microbial composition was demonstrated to correlate with disease status, and greater differences were observed between disease groups than within disease groups These results are consistent with the hypothesis that genes associated with AS act, at least in part, through effects on the gut microbiome

Differentiation of Effector/Memory Vδ2 T Cells and Migratory Routes in Lymph Nodes or Inflammatory Sites

Abstract: Vδ2 T lymphocytes recognize nonpeptidic antigens without presentation by MHC molecules and mount both immediate effector functions and memory responses after microbial infection. However, how Vδ2 T cells mediate different facets of a memory response remains unknown. Here, we show that the expression of CD45RA and CD27 antigens defines four subsets of human Vδ2 T cells with distinctive compartmentalization routes. Naive CD45RA+CD27+ and memory CD45RA−CD27+ cells express lymph node homing receptors, abound in lymph nodes, and lack immediate effector functions. Conversely, memory CD45RA−CD27− and terminally differentiated CD45RA+CD27− cells, which express receptors for homing to inflamed tissues, are poorly represented in the lymph nodes while abounding at sites of inflammation, and display immediate effector functions. These observations and additional in vitro experiments indicate a lineage differentiation pattern for human Vδ2 T cells that generates naive cells circulating in lymph nodes, effector/memory cells patrolling the blood, and terminally differentiated effector cells residing in inflamed tissues.