Research Highlights

Accumulation of inhaled carbon particulates in lung-draining lymph nodes with age impairs respiratory immunity.

The RNA polymerase III subunit TFIIIA transcribes 5S ribosomal RNA pseudogenes that activate RIG-I. Mutations affecting TFIIIA impair antiviral immune responses and are associated with herpes simplex encephalitis.

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are present in the meninges and help to maintain normal neural function by preserving meningeal barrier homeostasis and integrity.

Specialized macrophages that reside near the parenchyma of the central nervous system regulate the flow of cerebrospinal fluid and showed impaired activity in older animals and in the setting of neurodegenerative disease.

Under conditions of endoplasmic reticulum stress, tumour cells release cholesterol-containing extracellular vesicles that promote the immunosuppressive functions of myeloid-derived suppressor cells.

A new genetic model provides insights into the non-redundant functions of type 2 innate lymphoid cells.

An integrated systems approach involving zebrafish can be used to identify environmental factors relevant to inflammatory bowel disease.

Two new studies published in Cell explain how pain-sensing nociceptors regulate commensal composition and support intestinal tissue protection.

Cross-talk between stromal cells and T helper 2 cells in adipose tissue supports anti-parasite immune responses.

Wattrus et al. report a role for embryonic macrophages in zebrafish in promoting the death or proliferation of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which regulates HSC clonality into adulthood.

Disturbance of the cell cytoskeleton is a necessary priming step for activation of the RIG-I-like receptors.

Some T cells elongate their telomeres by acquiring telomeric DNA in extracellular vesicles from antigen-presenting cells, which rescues them from senescence and supports long-term immune memory.

Diurnal rhythmicity of IgA production by intestinal plasma cells is entrained by time of feeding, with effects on composition and metabolic activity of the commensal microbiota.

A bad diet, rich in fats and sugars, not only causes low-grade chronic inflammation but also activates antigen-specific autoreactive B and T cells that promote liver damage in the setting of type 2 diabetes.

Unconventional T cells of different lineages migrate from peripheral tissues to draining lymph nodes, where they operate as a connected functional unit to shape tissue-specific responses.

MYB-dependent precursors of exhausted T cells show stem-like properties and mediate the response to PD1 immune checkpoint blockade.

A fungal virulence factor promotes pathogenic type 2 immunity via Toll-like receptor 4.

Three papers in Nature identify ZBP1 as a key effector of cell death and inflammation downstream of ADAR mutation, as occurs in patients with Aicardi-Goutières syndrome.

IL-17 production by skin-resident γδ T cells is required for optimal HIF1α activation in damaged epithelium, leading to epithelial cell migration and re-epithelialization.

Medullary thymic epithelial cells co-opt lineage-defining transcription factors to mimic numerous peripheral cell types and express their antigens against which maturing T cells can be tolerized.