News & Views in 2002

Two articles in this issue highlight mechanisms that improve the immune system's on-site responsiveness and demonstrate how non-specific factors contribute to specific immunity in transplant settings. (pages 575–581 & 582–587)

The Fanconi anemia D2 protein is vital for cellular resistance to DNA cross-linking. Now, FANCD2 is shown to also be involved in a second, independent function, the arrest of DNA synthesis after ionizing radiation.

Lithium and anticonvulsants such as valproic acid have the same end result: a more stable life for people with bipolar disorder. Now it seems they may also affect the same biochemical pathway in the brain.

Epstein–Barr virus causes infectious mononucleosis, the “kissing disease” and is linked to cancers of both B lymphocytes and epithelial cells. A new study suggests how the virus may exploit its host by switching infection from one cell type to the other. (pages 594–599)

After skin wounding, tissue repair requires the division and growth of skin epithelial cells. A new study in mice shows that specialized T lymphocytes found in skin, epidermal γδ T cells, are induced by wounding to secrete growth factors that accelerate wound healing.

Each year a new flu vaccine is produced, and judging which strains to target is a tricky business. A new study evaluating viral evolution suggests a more systematic approach to predicting next year's virus.

α-synuclein promotes apoptosis of dopaminergic neurons – those most affected in Parkinson disease. New research suggests that in these neurons, α-synuclein may sequester the 14-3-3 protein, freeing up proteins that promote cell death. (pages 600–606)

Transporters for vitamin C keep vitamin concentrations optimal in the body. A new mouse knockout of one transporter reveals previously unknown requirements for the vitamin. (pages 514–517)

Nicotinic receptors are a well known culprit in tobacco addiction. Studies on rats now show that these receptors also enhance the long-term effects of cocaine and amphetamines.

Brain lesions exhibiting inflammation and neuronal damage are an important part of the pathology of multiple sclerosis. Microarray analysis compares gene expression in two forms of these lesions, and points to new therapies for the disease. (pages 500–508)

New findings in mice suggest that corticosteroids mediate nitric oxide production in the endothelium, which in turn protects the heart against damage when deprived of oxygen. The mechanism explains, at least in part, the cardioprotective effects of these anti-inflammatory agents. (pages 473–479)

Do autoimmune diseases develop 'spontaneously' or are they induced by environmental triggers, such as infectious agents? This is a central—and challenging—question in the autoimmunity field. A new study in this issue provides strong evidence for a virus-induced autoimmune process in a human neurological disease. (pages 509–513)

Neurodenerative disorders such as Huntington disease lead to neuronal cell death in discrete regions of brain. A new study implicates the CREB transcription factor family as critical mediators that prevent such neuronal death.

Proteasome inhibitors have served as critical tools to investigate protein degradation in eukaryotic cells. Now, these inhibitors are proving effective in the treatment of cancer and inflammatory disorders, most recently in animal models of psoriasis.

The only targets for clinical treatment of herpes simplex virus infections have been the viral enzymes thymidine kinase and DNA polymerase. Now, animal experiments show the healing benefits of new antiherpes drugs that act on the viral helicase–primase complex and appear superior to the standard treatment, acyclovir.