Miwa Sasai
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View article: An <i>in vivo</i> fitness gene of <i>Toxoplasma</i>, MIC11, is essential for PLP1-mediated egress from host cells
An <i>in vivo</i> fitness gene of <i>Toxoplasma</i>, MIC11, is essential for PLP1-mediated egress from host cells Open
Summary After invasion and replication, intracellular pathogens must egress from infected host cells . Toxoplasma gondii facilitates this process by permeabilizing host cells by releasing perforin-like protein 1 (PLP1) through induced micr…
View article: Discrepancies in the Diagnosis of Congenital Toxoplasma gondii Infection Between B1 Gene Semi-Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction and Serological Analyses
Discrepancies in the Diagnosis of Congenital Toxoplasma gondii Infection Between B1 Gene Semi-Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction and Serological Analyses Open
Congenital Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection, which can be caused by a primary T. gondii infection during pregnancy, results in severe neurological sequelae in affected children. We have been conducting a prospective cohort study sin…
View article: Targeted labeling and depletion of alveolar macrophages using VeDTR mouse technology
Targeted labeling and depletion of alveolar macrophages using VeDTR mouse technology Open
Alveolar macrophages (AMs) are essential for maintaining lung homeostasis. However, their roles in respiratory infections have been controversial because the methods of depleting them have often suffered from poor cell selectivity. To reso…
View article: IFN-γ-induced Th1-Treg polarization in inflamed brains limits exacerbation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
IFN-γ-induced Th1-Treg polarization in inflamed brains limits exacerbation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis Open
Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is the most widely used rodent model for multiple sclerosis. Interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and regulatory T cells (Tregs) are individually well known to play beneficial roles in amelioration of EAE. H…
View article: Tff1-expressing Tregs in lung prevent exacerbation of Bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis
Tff1-expressing Tregs in lung prevent exacerbation of Bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis Open
Bleomycin (BLM) induces lung injury, leading to inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) maintain self-tolerance and control host immune responses. However, little is known about their involvement in the pathology of…
View article: Caspase-11 mediated inflammasome activation in macrophages by systemic infection of A. actinomycetemcomitans exacerbates arthritis
Caspase-11 mediated inflammasome activation in macrophages by systemic infection of A. actinomycetemcomitans exacerbates arthritis Open
View article: CRISPR screens identify genes essential for <i>in vivo</i> virulence among proteins of hyperLOPIT-unassigned subcellular localization in <i>Toxoplasma</i>
CRISPR screens identify genes essential for <i>in vivo</i> virulence among proteins of hyperLOPIT-unassigned subcellular localization in <i>Toxoplasma</i> Open
The research field to identify and characterize genes essential for in vivo virulence in Toxoplasma gondii has been dramatically advanced by a series of in vivo clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) screens. Al…
View article: Far-East Asian Toxoplasma isolates share ancestry with North and South/Central American recombinant lineages
Far-East Asian Toxoplasma isolates share ancestry with North and South/Central American recombinant lineages Open
Toxoplasma gondii is a global protozoan pathogen. Clonal lineages predominate in Europe, North America, Africa, and China, whereas highly recombinant parasites are endemic in South/Central America. Far East Asian T. gondii isolates are not…
View article: Individual Atg8 paralogs and a bacterial metabolite sequentially promote hierarchical CASM-xenophagy induction and transition
Individual Atg8 paralogs and a bacterial metabolite sequentially promote hierarchical CASM-xenophagy induction and transition Open
Atg8 paralogs, consisting of LC3A/B/C and GBRP/GBRPL1/GATE16, function in canonical autophagy; however, their function is controversial because of functional redundancy. In innate immunity, xenophagy and non-canonical single membranous aut…
View article: <i>In vivo</i>CRISPR screens identify novel virulence genes among proteins of unassigned subcellular localization in<i>Toxoplasma</i>
<i>In vivo</i>CRISPR screens identify novel virulence genes among proteins of unassigned subcellular localization in<i>Toxoplasma</i> Open
The research field to identify and characterize virulence genes in Toxoplasma gondii has been dramatically advanced by a series of in vivo CRISPR screens. Although subcellular localizations of thousands of proteins were predicted by the sp…
View article: Amino acid catabolite markers for early prognostication of pneumonia in patients with COVID-19
Amino acid catabolite markers for early prognostication of pneumonia in patients with COVID-19 Open
Effective early-stage markers for predicting which patients are at risk of developing SARS-CoV-2 infection have not been fully investigated. Here, we performed comprehensive serum metabolome analysis of a total of 83 patients from two coho…
View article: Structural basis of <scp>Irgb6</scp> inactivation by <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> through the phosphorylation of switch <scp>I</scp>
Structural basis of <span>Irgb6</span> inactivation by <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> through the phosphorylation of switch <span>I</span> Open
Irgb6 is a priming immune‐related GTPase (IRG) that counteracts Toxoplasma gondii . It is known to be recruited to the low virulent type II T. gondii parasitophorous vacuole (PV), initiating cell‐autonomous immunity. However, the molecular…
View article: Caspase-11 mediated inflammasome activation in macrophages by systemic infection of A. actinomycetemcomitans exacerbates arthritis.
Caspase-11 mediated inflammasome activation in macrophages by systemic infection of A. actinomycetemcomitans exacerbates arthritis. Open
Clinical studies have shown that Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A. actinomycetemcomitans) is associated with aggressive periodontitis and can potentially trigger or exacerbate rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the mechanism is po…
View article: Amino acid catabolite markers for early prognostication of pneumonia in patients with COVID-19
Amino acid catabolite markers for early prognostication of pneumonia in patients with COVID-19 Open
Effective early-stage markers for predicting which patients are at risk of developing SARS-CoV-2 infection have not been fully investigated. Here, through comprehensive serum metabolome analysis, we identified that the acceleration of amin…
View article: A genetic method specifically delineates Th1-type Treg cells and their roles in tumor immunity
A genetic method specifically delineates Th1-type Treg cells and their roles in tumor immunity Open
Regulatory T (Treg) cells expressing the transcription factor (TF) Foxp3 also express other TFs shared by T helper (Th) subsets under certain conditions. Here, to determine the roles of T-bet-expressing Treg cells, we generate a mouse stra…
View article: Host genetics highlights IFN-γ-dependent Toxoplasma genes encoding secreted and non-secreted virulence factors in in vivo CRISPR screens
Host genetics highlights IFN-γ-dependent Toxoplasma genes encoding secreted and non-secreted virulence factors in in vivo CRISPR screens Open
Secreted virulence factors of Toxoplasma to survive in immune-competent hosts have been extensively explored by classical genetics and in vivo CRISPR screen methods, whereas their requirements in immune-deficient hosts are incompletely und…
View article: <i>Toxoplasma</i> IWS1 Determines Fitness in Interferon-γ-Activated Host Cells and Mice by Indirectly Regulating ROP18 mRNA Expression
<i>Toxoplasma</i> IWS1 Determines Fitness in Interferon-γ-Activated Host Cells and Mice by Indirectly Regulating ROP18 mRNA Expression Open
The parasite Toxoplasma gondii has a counterdefense system against interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-dependent host immunity which relies on the secretion of parasite effector proteins. ROP18 is one of the effector, which is released into host cells to…
View article: TFEB-mediated lysosomal exocytosis alleviates high-fat diet–induced lipotoxicity in the kidney
TFEB-mediated lysosomal exocytosis alleviates high-fat diet–induced lipotoxicity in the kidney Open
Obesity is a major risk factor for end-stage kidney disease. We previously found that lysosomal dysfunction and impaired autophagic flux contribute to lipotoxicity in obesity-related kidney disease, in both humans and experimental animal m…
View article: Modified DNA vaccine confers improved humoral immune response and effective virus protection against SARS-CoV-2 delta variant
Modified DNA vaccine confers improved humoral immune response and effective virus protection against SARS-CoV-2 delta variant Open
View article: Structural basis of Irgb6 inactivation by<i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>through the phosphorylation of switch I
Structural basis of Irgb6 inactivation by<i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>through the phosphorylation of switch I Open
Upon infection with Toxoplasma gondii , host cells produce immune-related GTPases (IRGs) to kill the parasite. T. gondii counters this response by releasing ROP18 kinase, which inactivates IRG GTPases and inhibits their recruitment to the …
View article: Author Correction: LC3 lipidation is essential for TFEB activation during the lysosomal damage response to kidney injury
Author Correction: LC3 lipidation is essential for TFEB activation during the lysosomal damage response to kidney injury Open
View article: Immune response induced in rodents by anti-CoVid19 plasmid DNA vaccine via pyro-drive jet injector inoculation
Immune response induced in rodents by anti-CoVid19 plasmid DNA vaccine via pyro-drive jet injector inoculation Open
There is an urgent need to stop the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic through the development of efficient and safe vaccination methods. Over the short term, plasmid DNA vaccines can be developed as they are molecularly stable, …
View article: Anti-Toxoplasma host defense systems and the parasitic counterdefense mechanisms
Anti-Toxoplasma host defense systems and the parasitic counterdefense mechanisms Open
Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite that does not differentiate among hosts and is capable of infecting nearly all warm-blooded vertebrates. Although about 30% of the human population is thought to be infected with T. gondii, it…
View article: SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers paracrine senescence and leads to a sustained senescence-associated inflammatory response
SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers paracrine senescence and leads to a sustained senescence-associated inflammatory response Open
Reports of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, in which the inflammatory response persists even after SARS-CoV-2 has disappeared, are increasing 1 , but the underlying mechanisms of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome remain unknown. Here, we show that…
View article: Caspase-11-Mediated Inflammasome Activation in Macrophages by Systemic Infection of&nbsp; <i>A. actinomycetemcomitans</i>&nbsp;Exacerbates Arthritis
Caspase-11-Mediated Inflammasome Activation in Macrophages by Systemic Infection of <i>A. actinomycetemcomitans</i> Exacerbates Arthritis Open
View article: Structural basis of membrane recognition of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> vacuole by Irgb6
Structural basis of membrane recognition of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> vacuole by Irgb6 Open
The p47 immunity-related GTPase (IRG) Irgb6 plays a pioneering role in host defense against Toxoplasma gondii infection. Irgb6 is recruited to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) formed by T. gondii and disrupts it. Despite the impo…
View article: Structural basis of membrane recognition of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> vacuole by Irgb6
Structural basis of membrane recognition of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> vacuole by Irgb6 Open
The p47 immunity-related GTPase (IRG) Irgb6 plays a pioneering role in host defense against Toxoplasma gondii infection. It is recruited to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) formed by T. gondii and disrupts it. Despite the importa…
View article: Cell-autonomous<i>Toxoplasma</i>killing program requires Irgm2 but not its microbe vacuolar localization
Cell-autonomous<i>Toxoplasma</i>killing program requires Irgm2 but not its microbe vacuolar localization Open
Interferon-inducible GTPases, such as immunity-related GTPases (IRGs) and guanylate-binding proteins (GBPs), are essential for cell-autonomous immunity against a wide variety of intracellular pathogens including Toxoplasma . IRGs comprise …
View article: An infectivity-enhancing site on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein targeted by antibodies
An infectivity-enhancing site on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein targeted by antibodies Open
View article: Uncovering a novel role of PLCβ4 in selectively mediating TCR signaling in CD8+ but not CD4+ T cells
Uncovering a novel role of PLCβ4 in selectively mediating TCR signaling in CD8+ but not CD4+ T cells Open
Because of their common signaling molecules, the main T cell receptor (TCR) signaling cascades in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells are considered qualitatively identical. Herein, we show that TCR signaling in CD8+ T cells is qualitatively different f…