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Specialized mouse DCs exist that can recognize the presence of viral pathogens. New evidence shows that these DCs respond by secreting massive amounts of type I IFNs, which may provoke systemic resistance to such pathogens.
How immature CD4+CD8+ thymocytes become committed to either the CD4 (helper) or CD8 (cytotoxic) lineage is controversial. Genetic ablation of a silencer element in the gene encoding CD4 provides new evidence that CD8 lineage commitment occurs via a stochastic, rather than instructive, mechanism.
A recent workshop was convened under the auspices of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) to examine the relationship of the innate immune system to autoimmune disorders.
Generation of intestinal secretory IgA depends on antigen induction of B cells in organized GALT. A recent paper in Nature reports that in mice the lamina propria provides signals that direct mucosal B cells to undergo Cα class switching and as a basis for SIgA production.
A new family of conserved genes encodes mucin-like glycoproteins. These genes contribute to asthma susceptibility by influencing TH differentiation and cytokine production.