Mucosal immunology articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Interleukin-17 (IL-17)-secreting CD4 T cells (Th17) are induced by the master transcription factor RORγt, and are important for anti-fungal immunity and inflammatory responses. Here the authors show that Ubc9-mediated SUMOylation of RORγt induces HDAC2 binding to IL-17 promoter for suppressing IL-17 production in Th17 cells.

    • Amir Kumar Singh
    • , Prashant Khare
    •  & K. Venuprasad

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Regulatory T (Treg) cells suppress immune cell activation to maintain immune homeostasis, and have their lineage enforced by the master transcription factor Foxp3. Here the authors show that Foxp3 expression is promoted and maintained by a related family member, Foxp1, specifically in peripherally induced Treg but not in Treg cells of thymic origin.

    • Sayantani Ghosh
    • , Sinchita Roy-Chowdhuri
    •  & Dipayan Rudra

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The inflammasomes are important for activating the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-β (IL-1β) for protection against pathogens. Here the authors show that a deubiquitinase, POH1, reduces the conversion of pro-IL-1β into its active form, with in vivo data further implicating a role of POH1 for maintaining immune homeostasis.

    • Li Zhang
    • , Yun Liu
    •  & Yongzhong Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Induction of tolerance in the gut relies on immunomodulatory functions of mesenteric lymph nodes (mLN). Here the authors show that mLN stromal cells receive early microbiota imprinting in the neonatal phase to exhibit long-term, location-specific transcriptional programs for the induction of regulatory T cells and peripheral tolerance.

    • Joern Pezoldt
    • , Maria Pasztoi
    •  & Jochen Huehn

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Eosinophils are important mediators of allergic responses, but how they are recruited to the inflamed site is still unclear. Here the authors show that CD103+ cDC1 cells secrete CCL17 and CCL22 for eosinophil recruitment, with this process promoted by CD24−CD11b+ DC2s in the early phase but suppressed by CD24+ cDC2s in the late phase.

    • Shuying Yi
    • , Jing Zhai
    •  & Hua Tang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells have been implicated in antibacterial responses. Here the authors show MAIT cells confer IFN-γ-mediated protection from lethal infection in a mouse model of Legionella infection, which can be enhanced by synthetic MR1 ligands.

    • Huimeng Wang
    • , Criselle D’Souza
    •  & Zhenjun Chen

  • Review Article
    | Open Access

    Gut microbial metabolites are known to impact many physiological processes of the host and play a critical role in immune-homeostasis. Here the authors review our current understanding and appreciation of the importance of microbially derived tryptophan catabolites during both health and disease.

    • Henrik M. Roager
    •  & Tine R. Licht

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease of which the etiology is still unclear. Here the authors show that elevation of intraocular pressure induces T cell infiltration in the eyes. Furthermore, they show that T cell cross-reactivity between endogenous and commensal antigens contributes to disease onset in mice.

    • Huihui Chen
    • , Kin-Sang Cho
    •  & Dong F. Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Deficiency in Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) has been associated with autoimmune colitis, but the underlying mechanism is still unclear. Here the authors show that WASP deficiency is associated with defective WASP/DOCK8 complex formation, altered IL-10 signalling, and impaired anti-inflammatory macrophage functions.

    • Amlan Biswas
    • , Dror S. Shouval
    •  & Scott B. Snapper

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Colony stimulating factor 1 controls the growth and differentiation of macrophages. Here the authors demonstrate that its blockade depletes gut macrophages and indirectly affects gut epithelial cell differentiation as the macrophages help maintain the Paneth and stem cells in intestinal crypts.

    • Anuj Sehgal
    • , David S. Donaldson
    •  & Neil A. Mabbott

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Treg cells can maintain intestinal homeostasis and limit intestinal bowel disease. Here the authors use a mouse model of spontaneous colitis to show that calcineurin-NFAT-induced IL-2 production by dendritic cells regulates the balance between Treg and effector T cells in the gut lamina propria.

    • Andrea Mencarelli
    • , Hanif Javanmard Khameneh
    •  & Alessandra Mortellaro

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Dendritic cells (DC) are important for maintaining immune homeostasis in the gut, but how they promote intestinal inflammation upon bacterial infection is still unclear. Here the authors show that IgA immune complexes induce proinflammatory cytokine production by metabolic reprogramming of otherwise tolerogenic human CD103+ DCs.

    • Ivo S. Hansen
    • , Lisette Krabbendam
    •  & Jeroen den Dunnen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    IL-17-producing T cells are protective against infection, but the authors of this article previously showed that these cells also contribute to inflammatory bone destruction. Here they show in the context of periodontitis that microbiota-driven Th17-mediated bone destruction may actually be a physiological rather than a pathological process, as associated tooth loss prevents dissemination of oral bacteria.

    • Masayuki Tsukasaki
    • , Noriko Komatsu
    •  & Hiroshi Takayanagi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Gut-homing and colonization of T cells are important for maintaining local immune homoeostasis and protective immunity. Here the authors show that the kinase activity of TRPM7 regulates Th17 differentiation and T cell alloreactivity in the gut by modulating SMAD2 activation and CD103 expression in T cells

    • Andrea Romagnani
    • , Valentina Vettore
    •  & Susanna Zierler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hook-related protein family member CCDC88b is encoded by a locus that has been associated with inflammatory bowel disease. Here the authors show that Ccdc88b inactivation in T cells prevents colitis in a transfer model, and detect high colonic levels of CCDC88b in patients with Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis, identifying that expression correlates with disease risk.

    • Nassima Fodil
    • , Neda Moradin
    •  & Philippe Gros

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Developmental cues for the different dendritic cell (DC) subsets in the intestine are yet to be defined. Here the authors show that TGFβR1 signalling is needed for development of CD103+CD11b+ intestinal DCs from CD103−CD11b+ cells and that they contribute to the generation of Th17 and regulatory T cells

    • C. C. Bain
    • , J. Montgomery
    •  & A. McI. Mowat

  • Article
    | Open Access

    M cells are intestinal epithelial cells that are specialized to transcytose antigens and bacteria from the intestinal lumen to antigen presenting cells on the other side. Here the authors show that the actin-binding protein Aif1 is highly expressed by intestinal M cells and regulates this transcytosis.

    • Sari Kishikawa
    • , Shintaro Sato
    •  & Hiroshi Kiyono

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mice deficient in the pro-inflammatory cytokine IFNγ have improved glucose tolerance. Here, the authors show that this effect depends on the gut microbeAkkermansia muciniphila, whose abundance increases in the absence IFNγ, and which is known to have beneficial effects on host metabolism.

    • Renee L. Greer
    • , Xiaoxi Dong
    •  & Natalia Shulzhenko

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Protochordates, including Ciona intestinalis, lack an adaptive immune system but possess innate immune receptors, including the secreted immunoglobulin V-region-containing VCBPs. Here the authors show that VCBP-C of Cionabinds gut bacteria and chitin-rich gut mucosa, influences biofilm formation and likely plays a role in gut homeostasis.

    • Larry J. Dishaw
    • , Brittany Leigh
    •  & Gary W. Litman

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In teleost fish the gills perform—in addition to respiration—functions such as immune defence. Here the authors show that IgT, a teleost specific Ig previously shown to be involved in gut and skin mucosal immunity, is locally induced in the gill, where it plays a key role in immunity in rainbow trout.

    • Zhen Xu
    • , Fumio Takizawa
    •  & J. Oriol Sunyer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Macrophages and dendritic cells residing in the lamina propria are involved in controlling mucosal immune balance. Here, the authors identify CD169+macrophages as contributors to the inflammation of DSS colitis through their role in mediating the recruitment of monocytes by secreting the cytokine CCL8.

    • Kenichi Asano
    • , Naomichi Takahashi
    •  & Masato Tanaka

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Intraepithelial lymphocytes in the gut eliminate dysfunctional epithelial cells and promote regrowth of healthy cells. Here the authors show that, in addition, these lymphocytes protect cells against viral infections by rapidly activating interferon-dependent pathways in intestinal epithelial cells.

    • Mahima Swamy
    • , Lucie Abeler-Dörner
    •  & Adrian C. Hayday

  • Article |

    The nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) of terrestrial mammals serves as a first line of defence against pathogens. Here the authors show that fish also have NALT, characterized by the presence of diffuse lymphoid cells including IgT+B cells, and demonstrate successful intranasal immunization.

    • Luca Tacchi
    • , Rami Musharrafieh
    •  & Irene Salinas

  • Article |

    The protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolyticainvades the colon and remodels the extracellular matrix, and the parasite-derived proteinase A5 (CP-A5) is known to be involved. Here, the authors show that CP-A5 activates metalloproteinases in the host, changing colon architecture and aiding tissue invasion.

    • Roman Thibeaux
    • , Patrick Avé
    •  & Elisabeth Labruyère

  • Article |

    Aetiology of colitis is highly complex and incompletely understood. Here the authors show in mouse models that A20 deubiquitinase limits pro-inflammatory cytokine production in myeloid cells while inhibiting proapoptotic response to these cytokines in enterocytes, and that only upon losing both functions intestinal pathologies develop.

    • Lars Vereecke
    • , Sara Vieira-Silva
    •  & Geert van Loo

  • Article |

    T follicular helper cells are lymph node residents, but whether other CD4+ T cells also reside in lymph nodes is not clear. Here, the authors use photoconversion to examine T cell migration in lymph nodes and Peyer’s patches and identify a population of antigen-experienced CD4+T cells retained in lymphoid tissue.

    • Milas Ugur
    • , Olga Schulz
    •  & Oliver Pabst

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Coeliac disease is characterized by an inappropriate immune response to dietary gluten proteins, involving the production of antibodies reactive to gluten. Here, the authors study the intestinal antibody response against gluten and show that gluten-specific antibodies have a low degree of somatic hypermutations.

    • Øyvind Steinsbø
    • , Carole J. Henry Dunand
    •  & Ludvig M. Sollid

  • Article |

    Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are a subset of innate-like T cells, abundant in mucosal tissues, blood and liver. Here, using T-cell cloning and deep sequencing, Lepore et al. analyse the T-cell receptorβ repertoire of MAIT cells and further characterize function and tissue distribution of two semi-invariant subsets of these cells.

    • Marco Lepore
    • , Artem Kalinichenko
    •  & Lucia Mori

  • Article |

    Gut-associated Peyer’s patches are lymphoid tissues that generate IgA-secreting cells, however less is known about related caecal patches. Here, Masahata et al.show that caecal patches produce IgA-positive B cells that migrate to the intestines to maintain faecal microbiota homeostasis.

    • Kazunori Masahata
    • , Eiji Umemoto
    •  & Kiyoshi Takeda

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mucosa-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are a recently described subset of unconventional, innate-like T cells and their development is not well understood. Here, the authors analyse MAIT cells in fetal human tissues and show that, unlike in mice, the commensal microflora is not necessary for their maturation in humans.

    • Edwin Leeansyah
    • , Liyen Loh
    •  & Johan K. Sandberg

  • Article |

    T-cell receptors expressed on mucosal-associated invariant T cells function in a similar manner to innate immune receptors by recognizing small molecules such as microbial metabolites. Here, the authors report structures of this receptor in complex with vitamin B metabolites presented by the MHC-like protein MR1.

    • Onisha Patel
    • , Lars Kjer-Nielsen
    •  & Jamie Rossjohn

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Intestinal plasma cells contribute to the delicate balance between immunity against pathogens and tolerance of intestinal microflora. Kunisawa et al. identify a subpopulation of plasma cells whose proliferation depends on stimulation by microbes and IL-10, and which mediate early-phase responses to oral antigens.

    • Jun Kunisawa
    • , Masashi Gohda
    •  & Hiroshi Kiyono

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