Volume 18 Issue 2, February 2018

Group 2 innate lymphoid cells present endogenous lipids via CD1a to skin-resident T cells

ER adaptor protein identified as key sensor of the bacterial cyclic dinucleotide c-di-AMP.

HLA class I homozgosity and loss of heterozygosity are associated with poor response to checkpoint blockade therapy.

Shane Crotty discusses a 2013 study by Barton Haynes and colleagues that beautifully illustrates the extreme capacity of a B cell response to evolve in real time to a viral infection.

In 2017, studies of cellular metabolism broadly permeated immunological research. Accumulating data support the view that understanding how metabolism regulates immune cell function could provide new therapeutic opportunities for the many diseases associated with immune system dysregulation.

Over the past few years, interest in the field of neuroimmunology has expanded dramatically, thanks largely to new technologies that have advanced our understanding of the intimate connections between the nervous and immune systems¹. Here, we highlight key advances in 2017 that have defined new roles for microglia in brain maintenance, for cytokines as neuromodulators and for the immune system in peripheral nerve activity.

Monocytes and tissue macrophages represent two main branches of the mononuclear phagocyte system, and they have complementary roles during immunological challenges. Several studies published in 2017 highlighted the distinct properties of these two cell types and furthered our understanding of their development and cellular functions.

In 2017, epidemiological studies in humans and experiments in mouse models showed that the intestinal microbiota determines the effectiveness of anticancer immunotherapies. As such the microbiota offers new prognostic biomarkers and shows promise as a target for future antineoplastic treatments.

Over the past 2 years, Zika virus (ZIKV) has emerged as a pathogen capable of causing devastating congenital malformations in the developing fetus and significant neurological disease in adults. In 2017, substantial progress has been made towards the development, immunological analysis and preclinical evaluation of vaccine platforms to prevent the pathologies associated with ZIKV infection.

Recent clinical trials have shown that blocking immune checkpoint molecules can boost antitumour immune responses. In this Review, the authors consider whether targeting these pathways could also be used to combat a range of infectious diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis and chronic viral infections.

The hygiene hypothesis postulates that an increased frequency of infections contributes to a decrease in autoimmune and allergic diseases. Here, Bach summarizes the epidemiological and experimental evidence supporting this hypothesis and discusses the importance of innate immune receptors in mediating the protective effect of pathogens and commensals on autoimmunity.

This Review describes our current understanding of the mechanisms regulating T helper 2 (T_H2) cell development and function. The authors discuss how our increasing comprehension of these pathways is leading to the development of novel therapies for T_H2 cell-mediated diseases, such as asthma and allergy.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) protect against infection, but they are also implicated in the pathology associated with various immune-mediated conditions. This Review describes when and how they are formed, how they function and how they are regulated.