Research Highlights in 2017

Activation of TGFβ by platelets limits the efficacy of anti-tumour T cell responses.

Multiscale immune profiling strategies facilitate unprecedented insights into the subtypes and composition of immune cells in the tumour microenvironment.

Macrophages in brown adipose tissue support sympathetic innervation to ensure proper homeostatic energy expenditure.

Astrocyte-shed extracellular vesicles provide long-distance messages to promote peripheral immune responses following brain injury.

Oncostatin M promotes intestinal inflammation and can predict responsiveness to anti-TNF therapy in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.

Haemocytes inDrosophila melanogasterfacilitate antiviral immunity by amplifying and systemically disseminating RNA interference-mediated responses via exosome-like vesicles. Moreover, they allow for immune memory, akin to adaptive immune responses in mammals.

Microbial metabolites can protect mice from diabetes by decreasing the frequency of autoreactive T cells and promoting the frequency of regulatory T cells.

Activation of the IRE1α-mediated stress response pathway in adipose tissue macrophages suppresses M2 polarization.

High-resolution proteomics analysis of human immune cells reveals new social networks and establishes a framework for future study of intercellular communication.

CD32a is a cell surface marker for HIV-infected latent CD4⁺T cells.

Pregnant mice show weaker immune responses to pandemic strains of influenza virus than non-pregnant mice, and this leads to the emergence of more virulent strains of influenza.

PD1 inhibits T cell activation by suppressing co-stimulation through CD28, and anti-PD1 therapy requires CD28 stimulation for therapeutic efficacy.

James Di Santo and colleagues identify a circulating multipotent precursor for human innate lymphoid cells.

B-lymphoid transcription factors can protect against leukaemic transformation by restricting glucose and energy usage in pre-B cells.

MTORC1-dependent macrophage proliferation and glycolysis drive granuloma formation in sarcoidosis.

Pseudogenization of a singleSalmonellaeffector protein gene facilitates pathogen hijacking of dendritic cells to spread systemically.

During systemic infection interleukin-22 can limit the availability of iron by promoting increased production of haem scavengers.

CYP1 enzymes expressed by intestinal epithelial cells metabolise AHR ligands in the gut to regulate intestinal immune responses.