Table of contents
August 2009, Volume 10 No 8 pp795-926
About the coverEditorial
Hyping research - p795
doi:10.1038/ni0809-795
Reporting of scientific research is sometimes exaggerated or at worse inaccurate. Researchers need to change this and have the power to do so.
Full Text - Hyping research | PDF (162 KB) - Hyping research
Obituary
Jean Dausset 1916–2009 - p797
Edgardo D Carosella
doi:10.1038/ni0809-797
Full Text - Jean Dausset 1916–2009 | PDF (88 KB) - Jean Dausset 1916–2009
Commentary
RNAi screening: tips and techniques - pp799 - 804
Sonia Sharma & Anjana Rao
doi:10.1038/ni0809-799
By identifying gene products whose knockdown is associated with phenotypic changes, large-scale RNA-mediated interference screens have demonstrated previously unknown components of biological pathways. This commentary provides general guidelines for using such screens to answer questions of immunological interest.
Full Text - RNAi screening: tips and techniques | PDF (548 KB) - RNAi screening: tips and techniques
News and Views
Themis imposes new law and order on positive selection - pp805 - 806
Paul M Allen
doi:10.1038/ni0809-805
The molecular mechanism by which thymocytes are positively selected remains incompletely understood. Three studies add a new piece to the positive selection puzzle.
Full Text - Themis imposes new law and order on positive selection | PDF (180 KB) - Themis imposes new law and order on positive selection
See also: Article by Johnson et al. | Article by Lesourne et al. | Article by Fu et al.
TH2 bias: Mina tips the balance - pp806 - 808
Saskia Hemmers & Kerri A Mowen
doi:10.1038/ni0809-806
Tipping the balance of early cytokine production can lead to lineage bias and, potentially, immune-mediated pathology. Mapping of a leishmania-susceptibility region has identified a gene that may determine the extent of T helper type 2 bias in naive helper T cells.
Full Text - TH2 bias: Mina tips the balance | PDF (908 KB) - TH2 bias: Mina tips the balance
See also: Article by Okamoto et al.
New insight into the everlasting host-pathogen arms race - pp808 - 809
Coenraad Kuijl & Jacques Neefjes
doi:10.1038/ni0809-808
New work explains how the interferon-
-regulated GTPase Irgm1 on phagosomes responds to intracellular signaling and recruits the 'machinery' for fusion with lysosomes. This pathway overlaps a signaling route controlled by bacteria to prevent the fusion of phagosomes with lysosomes.
Full Text - New insight into the everlasting host-pathogen arms race | PDF (629 KB) - New insight into the everlasting host-pathogen arms race
See also: Article by Tiwari et al.
Dead man walking: how thymocytes scan the medulla - pp809 - 811
Ludger Klein
doi:10.1038/ni0809-809
The thymic medulla provides a unique milieu for the induction of T cell tolerance. New work now provides a first glimpse of how thymocytes scan this microenvironment and thus maximize their chances of encountering self antigen.
Full Text - Dead man walking: how thymocytes scan the medulla | PDF (968 KB) - Dead man walking: how thymocytes scan the medulla
See also: Article by Le Borgne et al.
One problem, two solutions - pp811 - 813
Thomas Boehm
doi:10.1038/ni0809-811
Jawless fishes, the 'sister' group of jawed vertebrates, use leucine-rich repeat–containing proteins as antigen receptors. New work shows that the two isotypes of variable lymphocyte receptors are expressed in distinct lymphocyte lineages, which indicates that lymphocytes resembling T cells and B cells are an ancient feature of all vertebrates.
Full Text - One problem, two solutions | PDF (200 KB) - One problem, two solutions
Research Highlights
Research Highlights - p815
doi:10.1038/ni0809-815
Full Text - Research Highlights | PDF (115 KB) - Research Highlights
Perspective
RAG: a recombinase diversified - pp817 - 821
Adam G W Matthews & Marjorie A Oettinger
doi:10.1038/ni.1776
Abstract - | Full Text - RAG: a recombinase diversified | PDF (778 KB) - RAG: a recombinase diversified
Articles
The impact of negative selection on thymocyte migration in the medulla - pp823 - 830
Marie Le Borgne, Ena Ladi, Ivan Dzhagalov, Paul Herzmark, Ying Fang Liao, Arup K Chakraborty & Ellen A Robey
doi:10.1038/ni.1761
Self-reactive thymocytes are eliminated through negative selection in the thymic medulla. Robey and colleagues find that autoreactive thymocytes show slower and more confined migration than that of polyclonal thymocytes in the medulla.
Abstract - | Full Text - The impact of negative selection on thymocyte migration in the medulla | PDF (798 KB) - The impact of negative selection on thymocyte migration in the medulla | Supplementary information
See also: News and Views by Klein
Themis is a member of a new metazoan gene family and is required for the completion of thymocyte positive selection - pp831 - 839
Andy L Johnson, L Aravind, Natalia Shulzhenko, Andre Morgun, See-Young Choi, Tanya L Crockford, Teresa Lambe, Heather Domaschenz, Edyta M Kucharska, Lixin Zheng, Carola G Vinuesa, Michael J Lenardo, Christopher C Goodnow, Richard J Cornall & Ronald H Schwartz
doi:10.1038/ni.1769
The molecular mechanisms that underpin thymocyte selection remain incompletely defined. Groups led by Love, Gascoigne and Schwartz independently identify Themis, a signaling protein essential for the positive selection of thymocytes.
Abstract - | Full Text - Themis is a member of a new metazoan gene family and is required for the completion of thymocyte positive selection | PDF (918 KB) - Themis is a member of a new metazoan gene family and is required for the completion of thymocyte positive selection | Supplementary information
See also: News and Views by Allen | Article by Lesourne et al. | Article by Fu et al.
Themis, a T cell–specific protein important for late thymocyte development - pp840 - 847
Renaud Lesourne, Shoji Uehara, Jan Lee, Ki-Duk Song, LiQi Li, Julia Pinkhasov, Yongqing Zhang, Nan-Ping Weng, Kathryn F Wildt, Lie Wang, Remy Bosselut & Paul E Love
doi:10.1038/ni.1768
The molecular mechanisms that underpin thymocyte selection remain incompletely defined. Groups led by Love, Gascoigne and Schwartz independently identify Themis, a signaling protein essential for the positive selection of thymocytes.
Abstract - | Full Text - Themis, a T cell–specific protein important for late thymocyte development | PDF (1,055 KB) - Themis, a T cell–specific protein important for late thymocyte development | Supplementary information
See also: News and Views by Allen | Article by Johnson et al. | Article by Fu et al.
Themis controls thymocyte selection through regulation of T cell antigen receptor–mediated signaling - pp848 - 856
Guo Fu, Sébastien Vallée, Vasily Rybakin, Marielena V McGuire, Jeanette Ampudia, Claudia Brockmeyer, Mogjiborahman Salek, Paul R Fallen, John A H Hoerter, Anil Munshi, Yina H Huang, Jianfang Hu, Howard S Fox, Karsten Sauer, Oreste Acuto & Nicholas R J Gascoigne
doi:10.1038/ni.1766
The molecular mechanisms that underpin thymocyte selection remain incompletely defined. Groups led by Love, Gascoigne and Schwartz independently identify Themis, a signaling protein essential for the positive selection of thymocytes.
Abstract - | Full Text - Themis controls thymocyte selection through regulation of T cell antigen receptor–mediated signaling | PDF (1,126 KB) - Themis controls thymocyte selection through regulation of T cell antigen receptor–mediated signaling | Supplementary information
See also: News and Views by Allen | Article by Johnson et al. | Article by Lesourne et al.
Production of interleukin 22 but not interleukin 17 by a subset of human skin-homing memory T cells - pp857 - 863
Thomas Duhen, Rebekka Geiger, David Jarrossay, Antonio Lanzavecchia & Federica Sallusto
doi:10.1038/ni.1767
Helper T cells become polarized to effect a 'division of labor'. Sallusto and Spits and colleagues identify a new subset of skin-homing helper T cells, TH-22 cells, that secrete interleukin 22.
Abstract - | Full Text - Production of interleukin 22 but not interleukin 17 by a subset of human skin-homing memory T cells | PDF (634 KB) - Production of interleukin 22 but not interleukin 17 by a subset of human skin-homing memory T cells | Supplementary information
Identification of a human helper T cell population that has abundant production of interleukin 22 and is distinct from TH-17, TH1 and TH2 cells - pp864 - 871
Sara Trifari, Charles D Kaplan, Elise H Tran, Natasha K Crellin & Hergen Spits
doi:10.1038/ni.1770
Helper T cells become polarized to effect a 'division of labor'. Sallusto and Spits and colleagues identify a new subset of skin-homing helper T cells, TH-22 cells, that secrete interleukin 22.
Abstract - | Full Text - Identification of a human helper T cell population that has abundant production of interleukin 22 and is distinct from TH-17, TH1 and TH2 cells | PDF (939 KB) - Identification of a human helper T cell population that has abundant production of interleukin 22 and is distinct from TH-17, TH1 and TH2 cells | Supplementary information
Mina, an Il4 repressor, controls T helper type 2 bias - pp872 - 879
Mariko Okamoto, Melanie Van Stry, Linda Chung, Madoka Koyanagi, Xizhang Sun, Yoshie Suzuki, Osamu Ohara, Hiroshi Kitamura, Atsushi Hijikata, Masato Kubo & Mark Bix
doi:10.1038/ni.1747
Mouse strains show varying inherent biases to T helper type 2 (TH2) responses. Bix and colleagues identify Mina, a jumonji C protein, as a negative regulator of the gene encoding interleukin 4 whose expression inversely correlates with TH2 bias.
Abstract - | Full Text - Mina, an Il4 repressor, controls T helper type 2 bias | PDF (556 KB) - Mina, an Il4 repressor, controls T helper type 2 bias | Supplementary information
See also: News and Views by Hemmers & Mowen
Essential function for the GTPase TC21 in homeostatic antigen receptor signaling - pp880 - 888
Pilar Delgado, Beatriz Cubelos, Enrique Calleja, Nuria Martínez-Martín, Angel Ciprés, Isabel Mérida, Carmen Bellas, Xosé R Bustelo & Balbino Alarcón
doi:10.1038/ni.1749
Tonic antigen receptor signaling contributes to the homeostasis of naive lymphocytes. Alarcón and colleagues show that resting lymphocytes transmit tonic antigen receptor signals through the GTPase TC21 to trigger the PI(3)K pathway.
Abstract - | Full Text - Essential function for the GTPase TC21 in homeostatic antigen receptor signaling | PDF (877 KB) - Essential function for the GTPase TC21 in homeostatic antigen receptor signaling | Supplementary information
Immunoglobulin D enhances immune surveillance by activating antimicrobial, proinflammatory and B cell–stimulating programs in basophils - pp889 - 898
Kang Chen, Weifeng Xu, Melanie Wilson, Bing He, Norman W Miller, Eva Bengtén, Eva-Stina Edholm, Paul A Santini, Poonam Rath, April Chiu, Marco Cattalini, Jiri Litzman, James B Bussel, Bihui Huang, Antonella Meini, Kristian Riesbeck, Charlotte Cunningham-Rundles, Alessandro Plebani & Andrea Cerutti
doi:10.1038/ni.1748
Mature B cells express immunoglobulin D, but its function is unknown. Cerutti and colleagues show that respiratory mucosal B cells secrete immunoglobulin D, which activates basophils and enhances antimicrobial function.
Abstract - | Full Text - Immunoglobulin D enhances immune surveillance by activating antimicrobial, proinflammatory and B cell–stimulating programs in basophils | PDF (1,292 KB) - Immunoglobulin D enhances immune surveillance by activating antimicrobial, proinflammatory and B cell–stimulating programs in basophils | Supplementary information
Mycobacterium tuberculosis evades macrophage defenses by inhibiting plasma membrane repair - pp899 - 906
Maziar Divangahi, Minjian Chen, Huixian Gan, Danielle Desjardins, Tyler T Hickman, David M Lee, Sarah Fortune, Samuel M Behar & Heinz G Remold
doi:10.1038/ni.1758
Macrophages infected with virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis die by necrosis. Remold and colleagues show that virulent M. tuberculosis promotes necrosis by damaging the plasma membrane and inhibiting its repair.
Abstract - | Full Text - Mycobacterium tuberculosis evades macrophage defenses by inhibiting plasma membrane repair | PDF (658 KB) - Mycobacterium tuberculosis evades macrophage defenses by inhibiting plasma membrane repair | Supplementary information
Targeting of the GTPase Irgm1 to the phagosomal membrane via PtdIns(3,4)P2 and PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 promotes immunity to mycobacteria - pp907 - 917
Sangeeta Tiwari, Han-Pil Choi, Takeshi Matsuzawa, Marc Pypaert & John D MacMicking
doi:10.1038/ni.1759
Immunity-related GTPase 1 (Irgm1) is needed for defense against bacteria that reside in phagosomes of macrophages. MacMicking and colleagues identify molecular mediators that act 'upstream' and 'downstream' of Irgm1 in the phagosomal membrane.
Abstract - | Full Text - Targeting of the GTPase Irgm1 to the phagosomal membrane via PtdIns(3,4)P2 and PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 promotes immunity to mycobacteria | PDF (1,337 KB) - Targeting of the GTPase Irgm1 to the phagosomal membrane via PtdIns(3,4)P2 and PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 promotes immunity to mycobacteria | Supplementary information
See also: News and Views by Kuijl & Neefjes
A TNF- and c-Cbl-dependent FLIPS-degradation pathway and its function in Mycobacterium tuberculosis–induced macrophage apoptosis - pp918 - 926
Manikuntala Kundu, Sushil Kumar Pathak, Kuldeep Kumawat, Sanchita Basu, Gargi Chatterjee, Shresh Pathak, Takuya Noguchi, Kohsuke Takeda, Hidenori Ichijo, Christine B F Thien, Wallace Y Langdon & Joyoti Basu
doi:10.1038/ni.1754
Apoptosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-infected macrophages restricts the spread of infection. Basu and colleagues delineate the signaling pathway needed for death of Mtb-infected cells.
Abstract - | Full Text - A TNF- and c-Cbl-dependent FLIPS-degradation pathway and its function in Mycobacterium tuberculosis–induced macrophage apoptosis | PDF (810 KB) - A TNF- and c-Cbl-dependent FLIPS-degradation pathway and its function in Mycobacterium tuberculosis–induced macrophage apoptosis | Supplementary information
