The persistence of CD4+ T cells carrying latent human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) proviruses is the main barrier to a cure. New therapeutics to enhance HIV-1-specific immune responses and clear infected cells will probably be necessary to achieve reduction of the latent reservoir. In the present study, we report two single-chain diabodies (scDbs) that target the HIV-1 envelope protein (Env)…

The steady flow of lactic acid (LA) from tumor cells to the extracellular space via the monocarboxylate transporter symport system suppresses antitumor T cell immunity. However, LA is a natural energy metabolite that can be oxidized in the mitochondria and could potentially stimulate T cells. Here we show that the lactate-lowering mood stabilizer lithium carbonate (LC) can inhibit LA-mediated…

Antigen-experienced CD8+ T cells form effector and central memory T cells (TEM and TCM cells, respectively); however, the mechanism(s) controlling their lineage plasticity remains incompletely understood. Here we show that the transcription cofactor Tle3 critically regulates TEM and TCM cell fates and lineage stability through dynamic redistribution in antigen-responding CD8+ T cell genome….

After a century of using the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine, our understanding of its ability to provide protection against homologous (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) or heterologous (for example, influenza virus) infections remains limited. Here we show that systemic (intravenous) BCG vaccination provides significant protection against subsequent influenza A virus infection in mice. We…

Long COVID (LC) occurs after at least 10% of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections, yet its etiology remains poorly understood. We used ‘omic” assays and serology to deeply characterize the global and SARS-CoV-2-specific immunity in the blood of individuals with clear LC and non-LC clinical trajectories, 8 months postinfection. We found that LC individuals…

Memory B cells (MBCs) are phenotypically and functionally diverse, but their developmental origins remain undefined. Murine MBCs can be divided into subsets by expression of CD80 and PD-L2. Upon re-immunization, CD80/PD-L2 double-negative (DN) MBCs spawn germinal center B cells (GCBCs), whereas CD80/PD-L2 double-positive (DP) MBCs generate plasmablasts but not GCBCs. Using multiple approaches,…