Table of contents
December 2006 Vol 6 No 12
From The Editors
p875 | doi:10.1038/nri1993
Research Highlights
Viral immunity: RIG-I reveals its perfect partner
p876 | doi:10.1038/nri1979
In brief
Inflammation | Thymocyte development | Technique
p877 | doi:10.1038/nri1982
Asthma and allergy: Targeting lung DCs to treat asthma
p877 | doi:10.1038/nri1987
Regulatory T cells: Another roll of the Dice(r)
p878 | doi:10.1038/nri1985
Host response: Viral persistence: IL-10 is the key
p878 | doi:10.1038/nri1989
In the news
HIV-1 found in gorillas
p878 | doi:10.1038/nri1992
In brief
Immune responses | Regulatory T cells | T-cell signalling
p879 | doi:10.1038/nri1986
Antigen presentation: Bringing the outside in
p880 | doi:10.1038/nri1990
Natural killer cells: Mutual appreciation
p880 | doi:10.1038/nri1991
Antigen processing: Another ingredient to the mix
p881 | doi:10.1038/nri1988
Structure: The movement of activation
p882 | doi:10.1038/nri1981
Reviews
Structural determinants of T-cell receptor bias in immunity
Stephen J. Turner, Peter C. Doherty, James McCluskey & Jamie Rossjohn
p883 | doi:10.1038/nri1977
Antigen-specific T-cell responses are often characterized by the preferred use of certain T-cell receptors (TCRs). This Review describes when and how this might occur, with particular focus on the structural constraints that determine binding of a TCR to its ligand.
Protozoan encounters with Toll-like receptor signalling pathways: implications for host parasitism
Ricardo T. Gazzinelli & Eric Y. Denkers
p895 | doi:10.1038/nri1978
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) have an important role in the initiation of innate immunity following infection with protozoans. Here the activation of TLRs by protozoan components is described and TLR-based strategies to prevent or treat disease are discussed.
Tuning inflammation and immunity by chemokine sequestration: decoys and more
Alberto Mantovani, Raffaella Bonecchi & Massimo Locati
p907 | doi:10.1038/nri1964
Fine tuning of immunity is achieved through numerous mechanisms: chemokine sequestration by non-signalling chemokine 'decoy' receptors is one example. This Review describes the chemokine decoy receptors that have evolved in both humans and viruses to elude chemokine activities and divert leukocyte recruitment.
SNAREing immunity: the role of SNAREs in the immune system
Jennifer L. Stow, Anthony P. Manderson & Rachael Z. Murray
p919 | doi:10.1038/nri1980
Recent studies of the expression patterns and intracellular locations of individual SNARE proteins, which control membrane-fusion events involved in intracellular trafficking, have begun to shed light on their functions in immune responses, including the secretion of immune mediators, phagocytosis and the formation of immunological synapses.
Progress and obstacles in the development of an AIDS vaccine
Norman L. Letvin
p930 | doi:10.1038/nri1959
Generating an effective AIDS vaccine remains a high priority. Are we any closer to reaching this goal? How might we overcome virus variability and generate a vaccine that elicits protective humoral and cellular immune responses at mucosal surfaces as well as systemically?
Perforin-mediated target-cell death and immune homeostasis
Ilia Voskoboinik, Mark J. Smyth & Joseph A. Trapani
p940 | doi:10.1038/nri1983
Perforin is crucial for inducing the death of infected or transformed cells by cytotoxic lymphocytes. Clues to its mechanism of action and role in immune homeostasis have been gained from analysis of patients with a severe immunodeficiency disorder that is due to perforin mutations.
Perspective
Opinion
A role for natural killer T cells in asthma
Dale T. Umetsu & Rosemarie H. DeKruyff
p953 | doi:10.1038/nri1968
The importance of T helper 2 cells in asthma has long been known. Now, new evidence indicates that invariant natural killer T cells might have a distinct and crucial role in the development of asthma.
