Review Articles in 2007

The neonatal immune system faces a number of unique immunological challenges as the newborn moves from the sterile intra–uterine environment to a world rich in foreign antigens. How does the innate immune system deal with these challenges and what are the clinical correlations?

Through binding ubiquitous sialic-acid residues on cell surfaces, the Siglec family of lectins promote cell–cell interactions and regulate the functions of numerous immune-cell types. This Review describes the emerging roles of Siglecs in pathogen recognition and endocytosis.

Osteoimmunology encompasses the many interactions that are now known to occur between the immune and skeletal systems. This Review examines the delicate network of interactions between immune and bone cells, how their molecular mechanisms compare and contrast, and the crosstalk between the two systems.

Natural killer (NK)-cell activation by most pathogens seems to occur indirectly, and is dependent on signals from accessory cells, such as monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells. This Review examines how the interactions between NK cells, accessory cells and a diverse range of pathogens occur.

The pandemic threat posed by avian influenza viruses highlights the need for new safe and efficient vaccines. However, several unique obstacles are faced by researchers in the development of these vaccines against avian influenza viruses. What are these obstacles and how can we overcome them?

B-1 cells are a minor population of B cells that function as effectors of innate immune responses in serous cavities. But where and when do they first emerge in the developing embryo? And do they originate from a distinct progenitor?

Regulation of the immune response is crucial for avoiding an excessive inflammatory response. Here, recent advances in our understanding of the regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphatases and their emergence as key regulators of both innate and adaptive immunity are discussed.

Individuals infected with parasitic helminths can show a reduction in the development of allergic disorders. Here evidence for a possible role for worms in suppressing allergic responses is examined, with a view to therapeutic strategies for the treatment of allergic diseases.

Emerging evidence indicates that the induction of an effective immune response involves the cooperation of multiple Toll-like receptors and other pattern-recognition receptors. Here, the role of this cooperation in host defence against various pathogens and the therapeutic implications are discussed.

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) isoforms PI3Kδ and PI3Kγ generate lipid second messengers that control an array of signalling pathways for numerous immune-cell functions. Recent studies indicate that specific targeting of these PI3K isoforms could be beneficial for treating inflammatory diseases.

The development of humanized mice over the past few decades has enabled the examination of human haematopoiesis, immunity to infectious diseases, cancer and autoantibodies in mice. But are these mice the key to translational research or is more work required?

The T-cell cytoskeleton is a complex intracellular network of structural, adaptor and signalling molecules. This Review discusses recent advances in our understanding of its role in the initiation and maintenance of T-cell activation during antigen-presenting-cell recognition.

Interleukin-7 is important at many stages in the life of a T cell. Expression of its receptor not only regulates how a T cell responds, but also seems to determine how much interleukin-7 is present in the niche, as explained in this Review.

This Review emphasizes the functional differences between human and murine mast cells, which have often been overlooked in the past, and their implications for studying the role of mast cells in human health and disease.

Transcription factors are key coordinators of cell fate and therefore they must be tightly regulated to ensure proper differentiation. As described in this Review, dysregulation of myeloid-specific transcription factors causes the block in myeloid differentiation seen in many myeloid leukaemias.

The involvement of STAT3 in both oncogenic and immunosuppressive signalling pathways provides a molecular mechanism for the bidirectional communication between malignant cells and immune cells, and makes STAT3 an important target for tumour immunotherapy.

The inflammasome is a cytosolic, multiprotein platform that regulates post-translational cytokine processing and is essential for innate immune defence. What lessons can be learned from the most recent studies on inflammasome activation in response to bacterial pathogens and tissue damage?

Some neuropeptides have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and to participate in maintaining immune tolerance. Here the most recent developments in this field are examined, and the effectiveness of using neuropeptides in treating several inflammatory and autoimmune disorders is highlighted.