Volume 13 Issue 8, August 2013

IL-20R signalling inhibits pro-IL-1β expression and underlies susceptibility to infection withStaphylococcus aureus.

Omega 3 fatty acids negatively regulate inflammasome activation through a G protein-coupled receptor pathway.

Ethnic variation shapes inflammatory responses during cholera and tuberculosis infections.

IFNα-induced exosomes transfer antiviral mediators to surrounding cells.

SHP1 negatively regulates IL-4R signalling to control the population expansion of memory-phenotype T cells.

Treatment with a mixture of 17 Clostridia strains or with short-chain fatty acids promotes colonic T_Regcell function.

NKG2D-mediated cytotoxicity of NK cells and CTLs is regulated by intracellular free Mg²⁺concentration.

Harmful B cell responses are eliminated using inhibitory liposomes.

This Review provides a comprehensive overview of very recent progress in our understanding of the role of pattern recognition receptors, including Toll-like receptors, cytosolic nucleic acid receptors and NOD-like receptors that assemble inflammasomes, in the detection of and in the defence against intracellular pathogens.

Dendritic cells (DCs) can promote both tolerogenic and pro-inflammatory immune responses and have been associated with various autoimmune diseases. However, it still remains unclear whether these cells have beneficial or detrimental functions in these settings. In this Review, the authors discuss the current understanding of the roles of distinct DC subsets in autoimmunity.

In this Review, the key signalling pathways that lie downstream of the pre-B cell receptor (BCR) and the BCR are discussed in terms of their contribution to B cell homeostasis and neoplasia, with a focus on the emerging distinctions between tonic and chronic active signalling.

This Review describes the different types of nanotechnologies that can be used to target the immune system. The authors explain how the unique properties of different nanostructures can be used to either enhance or to suppress immune responses, and they discuss the promise of these strategies for developing more effective immunotherapies.

In this Opinion, the authors provide their perspective on how the type 2 immune response may have evolved and how it functions to mediate both resistance and tolerance to tissue-destructive helminths. They propose that the damage induced during helminth migration and the subsequent need for tissue repair have been major factors in driving the evolution of the type 2 response.