Articles in 2011

IL-4–STAT6 signalling regulates insulin sensitivity.

IRF5 is identified as a subset-defining transcription factor for M1 macrophages.

Here the authors describe how multiple pattern recognition receptors, at the host cell surface, in endosomes and in the cytoplasm, are involved in detecting herpesviruses. How do they each contribute to immune defence against the virus, and how does the virus evade this detection and persist in the host?

There is currently a lack of consensus as to whether defects in natural killer T (NKT) cells contribute to human diseases. Here, the authors explain how contrasting results may have arisen and suggest more stringent methods to improve NKT cell analysis and therapeutic prospects.

This Review describes the recent progress we have made in understanding how regulatory T cell responses are tailored according to the particular nature of the immune environment. The authors discuss the implications for developing new therapies that harness the functions of regulatory T cells.

Fetal T cells are biased towards immune tolerance.

MicroRNA-124 expression ensures a resting phenotype in microglial cells.

Adipose tissues and infiltrating immune cells produce numerous bioactive factors that have pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory activities. Here, the authors describe how dysregulated production of these so-called adipokines can contribute to the pathogenesis of obesity-linked metabolic disease.

Mesenteric lymph node macrophages are protected from the pro-inflammatory effects of saturated fat.

Dynamic energy sensing through the mTOR pathway controls regulatory T cell proliferation.

An introduction to immunometabolism: the scope and future opportunities in this emerging field.

The cellular stresses that are proposed to underlie impaired insulin secretion and sensitivity in type 2 diabetes can also trigger inflammation. Here, the authors explain how inflammatory mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and how this knowledge is directing immunomodulatory strategies for treating the disease.

In this Opinion article, David Finlay and Doreen Cantrell explore the molecular pathways that may link CD8⁺ T cell metabolism with effector versus memory CD8⁺T cell differentiation through the control of T cell migration.