Volume 10 Issue 4, April 2010

Macrophages caught on camera activating iNKT cells in the lymph nodes and liver

A new role for death receptor in leukocyte migration

Injury-induced release of mitochondrial DAMPs results in neutrophil-mediated organ damage

Analysing the relationship between intestinal commensals and human disease.

T_Regcells inhibit antitumour immunity by killing lymph node DCs.

HLA-DO mediates subtle changes in the MHC class II-restricted self-peptide repertoire

Influenza virus-induced glucocorticoids suppress immunity to a secondary bacterial infection.

IL-25 expands populations of lineage-negative cells that promote mucosal T_H2 responses.

T helper 2 (T_H2) cells have a central role in protection against helminth infections but are also responsible for the development of asthma and other allergic inflammatory diseases. This Review provides a comprehensive overview of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the initiation and amplification of T_H2-type immune responses in vivo.

B cells are best known for their ability to produce antibody, but they also contribute to immunity by other mechanisms. Here, the authors argue for the existence of distinct populations of effector and regulatory B cells and discuss how these can modify CD4⁺T cell responses.

A lot of recent research has focused on T helper 17 (T_H17) cells, but their function in the tumour microenvironment has remained controversial. This Review examines the roles of T_H17 cells in tumour immunity and discusses the potential of targeting this subset for cancer therapy.

This Review discusses recent studies that have identified inositol-1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate as a soluble messenger molecule that is essential for the development and function of T cells, B cells and neutrophils through regulating phosphoinositide 3-kinase function and Ca²⁺mobilization.

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are thought to be autoreactive by 'design'. Here, Laurent Gapin describes how iNKT cell autoreactivity might be triggered and proposes that several self lipids are probably involved in the positive selection of iNKT cells and the autoreactivity of these cells in peripheral tissues.

This article outlines how helminth-derived immunomodulators can subvert pro-inflammatory responses by using host innate immune receptors to trigger divergent signalling pathways in antigen-presenting cells and proposes that these immunomodulators can be used as tools to dissect the pathways required to promote anti-inflammatory responses.