Table of contents
July 2007 Vol 7 No 7
From the editors
p491 | doi:10.1038/nri2128
Research Highlights
Lymphocyte development: LRF and Notch go head to head
p492 | doi:10.1038/nri2117
Regulatory T cells: Adding adenosine to the mix
p493 | doi:10.1038/nri2122
In the news
The power of genomics revealed
p493 | doi:10.1038/nri2127
Gene regulation: Analysis of the Ifng locus
p494 | doi:10.1038/nri2125
T-cell development: Identification of a thymoproteasome
p494 | doi:10.1038/nri2126
Immune regulation: Regulating TLR-induced inflammation
p495 | doi:10.1038/nri2123
Immune regulation: New regulatory role for NK cells
p496 | doi:10.1038/nri2118
Innate immunity: The benefits of a lifelong union
p496 | doi:10.1038/nri2119
Innate immunity: Turning on TLR9
p496 | doi:10.1038/nri2124
In brief
Immunological synapses | T-cell memory | Neonatal immunity
p497 | doi:10.1038/nri2129
Immune evasion: Orthopoxviruses cut to the chase
p498 | doi:10.1038/nri2121
In brief
Signalling | Mast cells | Inflammation
p498 | doi:10.1038/nri2130
Progress
In vivo imaging studies shed light on germinal-centre development
Anja E. Hauser, Mark J. Shlomchik & Ann M. Haberman
p499 | doi:10.1038/nri2120
Owing to recent advances in imaging technology, the behaviour of B cells in germinal centres can now be visualized in three dimensions in vivo. What have we learnt from such studies and how might this change our understanding of antibody affinity maturation?
Reviews
Control points in NKT-cell development
Dale I. Godfrey & Stuart P. Berzins
p505 | doi:10.1038/nri2116
Several diseases are associated with reduced numbers of natural killer T (NKT) cells. The authors of this Review ask what drives NKT-cell development in the thymus and what factors ensure NKT-cell survival, maturation and function in the periphery?
Xenotransplantation: current status and a perspective on the future
Yong-Guang Yang & Megan Sykes
p519 | doi:10.1038/nri2099
Could xenotransplantation using pigs as the transplant source solve the severe shortage of human organ donors? This Review describes the recent advances that are helping to bring this approach closer to the clinic and the obstacles that still need to be overcome.
Life and death in peripheral T cells
Peter H. Krammer, Rüdiger Arnold & Inna N. Lavrik
p532 | doi:10.1038/nri2115
What determines whether a T cell lives or dies? And how are the signals that induce apoptosis regulated? Here, Peter Krammer and colleagues discuss the most recent advances in our understanding of the molecular switches that regulate life and death in T cells.
Intrinsic and cooperative antigen-presenting functions of dendritic-cell subsets in vivo
José A. Villadangos & Petra Schnorrer
p543 | doi:10.1038/nri2103
Distinct dendritic-cell subsets have differing antigen-presenting capabilities. Here, the authors discuss their distinct roles in immunity and maintaining self tolerance, and the unexpected interactions between the subsets that enhance the ability to respond to different modes of infection.
How Ebola and Marburg viruses battle the immune system
Mansour Mohamadzadeh, Lieping Chen & Alan L. Schmaljohn
p556 | doi:10.1038/nri2098
The filoviruses Ebola and Marburg use several different and effective mechanisms to both evade and battle the immune system. This Review explores recent findings in the filovirus–host-defence clash, and highlights the crucial areas in which additional research is necessary.
Perspective
Opinion
Real and artificial immune systems: computing the state of the body
Irun R. Cohen
p569 | doi:10.1038/nri2102
What is immune computing? Can the immune system compute? Does it use a computational strategy to function? In this Opinion article, Irun Cohen proposes that the answer to these questions is yes, and applies these ideas to different types of immunity.