Craig Wilen

HKU5 bat merbecoviruses engage bat and mink ACE2 as entry receptors - Nature Communications Alfajaro et al identify that a bat MERS-like coronavirus HKU5 uses ACE2 as a receptor from its natural bat reservoir Pipistrellus abramus and American mink. Structural analyses demonstrate a unique in...

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Excited to share our paper identifying that bat coronavirus HKU5 uses ACE2 from its native bat host and American mink as a receptor. This highlights farmed mink has a high risk intermediate host for HKU5-like viruses.https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-61583-7 Great collab. with the NIH VRC

The diversity of CD8+ T cell dysfunction in cancer and viral infection - Nature Reviews Immunology Beyond exhaustion, CD8+ T cells can adopt various dysfunctional states, including tolerant, anergic, senescent, ignorant and dying states, that compromise their ability to eradicate viruses or tumours...

Our @natrevimmunol.bsky.social review with @abhishekgarglab.bsky.social, @deadoc80.bsky.social and Kellie Smith is out!

We attempt to integrate the data on CD8 T cell dysfunction into a new framework of hypofunctionality in cancer and chronic infections!

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

'Here, we developed a probe that can fluorogenically label mouse gut microbiota in situ after gavage, and the use of two-photon microscopy enabled us to directly visualize the bacteria translocated into blood vessels and liver in real-time.'
#Immunology #Immunosky
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Enteric neuronal Piezo1 maintains mechanical and immunological homeostasis by sensing force Expression and functional analysis define how Piezo1-dependent cholinergic responses by enteric neurons directly sense luminal pressure to orchestrate digestion and inflammation in mice.

'However, how the ∼500 million enteric neurons that reside in the GI tract sense and respond to force remains unknown. Herein, we establish that the mechanosensor Piezo1 is functionally expressed in cholinergic enteric neurons.'
#Immunology
www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...

University of Minnesota Genomics Center Model Organism Sequencing Service Flyer. $25 for a 30x Drosophila genome.

Hey fellow Drosophila researchers - if you haven't heard, the UMGC is offering ultra low-cost genome sequencing! See here to learn more: z.umn.edu/UMGC-MOSS #Dros25

First authors Madeline Churchill and Ankit Pandeya @nkeet50.bsky.social from @rauchlab.bsky.social show that tuft cells, known for their role in anti-parasite defenses, can also contribute to anti-bacterial responses in the small intestine. rupress.org/jem/article/...

#InfectiousDisease

RNA-binding proteins and glycoRNAs form domains on the cell surface for cell-penetrating peptide entry Mammalian cells present RNA-binding proteins on the cell surface that form clustered domains containing glycoRNAs.

Excited to share the work of Jonathan Perr where he uncovered a surprisingly common feature of cell surfaces - the presentation and clustering of RNA binding proteins with #glycoRNA.

Critically support by #NIH @cp-cell.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...

A tour de force review of the connections between between the nervous and immune systems
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

YES. Need to say this loudly and often! This 2.46x is also the short-term ROI. Long-term ROI (more difficult to estimate) may ~10x. Highest for any gov't spending. And the source of discoveries necessary for all new drugs (industry important too but without NIH funded science there's no foundation)

If anyone has had an NIH grant cancelled and is willing to talk to a science journalist, please DM me and I will connect you.

Bacterial and host fucosylation maintain IgA homeostasis to limit intestinal inflammation in mice - Nature Microbiology Bacterial and host fucosylation protect against colitis by maintaining the IgA B cell response in the mouse gut.

“Host-derived and dietary fucose mediate IgA recognition of gut microbiota, and this interaction facilitates the translocation of commensals to PPs and alters the immune landscape of PPs with increased germinal centre B cells and IgA-secreting antigen-specific B cells”
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Kazachstania pintolopesii, a fungal symbiont transmitted by free-living mice, induces type 2 immunity to enhance resistance to helminth infections or aggravate gastrointestinal allergy
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Cancer cells impair monocyte-mediated T cell stimulation to evade immunity - Nature Inflammatory monocytes are identified as important players in T cell restimulation in the tumour microenvironment.

#InterferonPower! Elewaut, @obenaufa.bsky.social &co show @ Nature that inflammatory monocytes can acquire MHC-class I from tumor cells & locally activate CD8 T cells, given that the capacity of the tumor to shut down type I #IFNs & upreg PGE2 is reverted! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Prenatal antibiotics reduce breast milk IgA and induce dysbiosis in mouse offspring, increasing neonatal susceptibility to bacterial sepsis Up to one-third of women receive antibiotics during pregnancy. Pietrasanta et al. show that antibiotic treatment of pregnant mice reduces the amount of breast milk antibodies (SIgA) and alters the neo...

Antibiotic treatment of pregnant mice reduces the amount of breast milk antibodies (SIgA) and alters the neonatal fecal microbiota, making neonatal mice more susceptible to sepsis
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...