Press releases
Please quote Nature Immunology as the source of these items.
The September 2007 issue of Nature Immunology is available online.
September 2007
Transporting immune cargo
The methods by which immune cells capture and transport proteins from foreign pathogens are revealed in an article online this week in Nature Immunology.
Immune cells need to 'see' foreign antigens before they can mount a counter-attack. Yet delivering such signals in a densely populated lymph node full of immune cells poses a challenge. Foreign antigen decorated with antibody or specialized blood proteins called 'complement' enter lymph nodes, which are the regional hubs in the immune system. Jason Cyster and colleagues show specialized immune cells (subcapsular macrophages) on the lymph node surface capture these complement-coated complexes and route them akin to a conveyer belt to antibody-producing B cells. B cells then race off with the antigen-containing packages to deliver these to antigen-specific cells that lie deeper within the node and become activated, thereby initiating the immune response against the foreign invader.
This intricate system of antigen capture and handoff ensures a fast and efficient handling of potential foreign pathogens to alert the immune system to the presence of invaders.
Subcapsular encounter and complement-dependent transport of immune complexes by lymph node B cells
Tri Giang Phan, Irina Grigorova, Takaharu Okada & Jason G Cyster
Published online: 29 July 2007 | doi 10.1038/ni1494
How inflammatory lymphocytes develop
In the September issue of Nature Immunology three papers describe the development of a unique type of white blood cell and how this development is different in humans and mice. These cells are required for healthy gut biology but also, in other areas of the body such as the brain, are associated with dangerous inflammation.
Two groups, one led by Rene Waal de Malefyt and the other by Federica Sallusto, evaluated how human T cells develop into TH-17 cells, which make several inflammatory immune proteins associated with inflammation and with fighting certain microbial infections. Both groups found that the requirements for TH-17 cell development in humans and mice are different, a surprising finding that has great significance because mice are commonly used to study human disease. A third study led by Michael Lohoff evaluated TH-17 cells in mice only, and found that a specific cellular protein called interferon regulatory factor 4 is absolutely required for their development.
These three studies provide considerable insight into how TH-17 inflammatory cells are produced in both mice and humans. Understanding the unique developmental requirements for these inflammatory T cells may help to explain the cause of inflammatory diseases of the brain and gut in humans.
Development, cytokine profile and function of human interleukin 17-producing helper T cells
Nicholas J Wilson, Katia Boniface, Jason R Chan, Brent S McKenzie, Wendy M Blumenschein, Jeanine D Mattson, Beth Basham, Kathleen Smith, Taiying Chen, Franck Morel, Jean-Claude Lecron, Robert A Kastelein, Daniel J Cua, Terrill K McClanahan, Edward P Bowman & Rene de Waal Malefyt
Published online: 05 August 2007 | doi 10.1038/ni1497
Interleukins 1β and 6 but not transforming growth factor-β are essential for the differentiation of interleukin 17-producing human T helper cells
Eva V Acosta-Rodriguez, Giorgio Napolitani, Antonio Lanzavecchia & Federica Sallusto
Published online: 05 August 2007 | doi 10.1038/ni1496
The development of inflammatory TH-17 cells requires interferon-regulatory factor 4
Anne Brüstle, Sylvia Heink, Magdalena Huber, Christine Rosenplänter, Christine Stadelmann, Philipp Yu, Enrico Arpaia, Tak W Mak, Thomas Kamradt & Michael Lohoff
Published online: 05 August 2007 | doi 10.1038/ni1500
