Volume 21 Issue 9, September 2021

The type 2 cytokine TSLP acts on T cells to promote sebum secretion and uses up lipids in this process, leading to loss of white adipose tissue.

A new study describes the extensive transcriptional remodelling that occurs in neutrophils during inflammation, detailing the transcription factors that control neutrophil maturation and effector functions.

Intestinal IgA responses to commensal fungi are mutualistic, selecting for fungi that are less pathogenic and more fit.

The cGAS–STING pathway drives innate immune activation in response to cytosolic DNA. This is important for immunity to bacteria and viruses, but aberrant cGAS–STING activity is also linked to inflammatory disease. Here, Ablasser and colleagues discuss how cGAS–STING signalling contributes to various autoimmune, inflammatory and degenerative diseases and describe the novel therapeutics targeting this pathway.

Although many healthy newborns carry preleukaemic clones, only a small minority of infants will develop overt B cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Here, the authors explore the idea that infections can serve as immune stressors that drive the progression of B cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

In this Review, Deborah Fowell and Minsoo Kim highlight the complexity of the biochemical and mechanical cues that facilitate T cell migration. They explain how effector T cells are able to use these cues to navigate through complex tissue environments to respond to pathogens and other immunological challenges.

Regulatory T cells present in non-lymphoid tissues such as the skin, fat and muscle are distinct from their counterparts in lymphoid tissues. Their functions extend beyond immune surveillance to the control of local metabolism, tissue repair and tissue cell progenitors, as discussed in this Review.