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In this Review, the authors discuss the emerging roles for members of the transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) superfamily in regulating immune responses. In particular, they focus on how activin A and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) regulate innate and adaptive immune cells in inflammatory diseases and cancer.
Alan Sher describes a 2002 paper by Martien Kapsenberg and Pawel Kalinski that provided evidence for the conditioning of DCs by microbial compounds to promote TH1 or TH2 cell responses.
Immunologists appreciate the need for creative approaches to tackle complex scientific questions, which can involve not only the use of novel technologies but also the experience of scientists from diverse backgrounds. Here, we highlight measures to prime for the inclusion of women and underrepresented individuals in science to boost immunology research.
A hypothesis is presented proposing that antibodies raised against commensal microorganisms shape the composition of the microbiota — through a process the authors call antibody-mediated immunoselection — and influence the overall health of the host.
Research into the immune mechanisms associated with healthy tolerance to common foods, the inflammatory response underlying food allergies, and immunotherapy-induced desensitization promises new approaches to the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of food allergy.
T follicular regulatory cells suppress antibody production through the induction of a unique suppressive state in T follicular helper cells and B cells.
Tumour-derived lactic acid dampens the activation and cytokine production of infiltrating T cells and natural killer cells, allowing tumours to escape immune detection and promoting tumour growth.
Initiation of an adaptive immune response depends on the detection of both antigenic epitopes and adjuvant signals. Infectious pathogens and cancer cells often avoid immune detection by limiting the release of danger signals from dying cells. When is cell death immunogenic and what are the pathophysiological implications of this process?
This Review describes the major lipid species found in the plasma membrane of mammalian cells and highlights the importance of these lipids for regulating T cell signalling. Recent studies have shown that drugs modulating the membrane lipid composition in T cells can alter their immune functions — the authors discuss the potential for such lipid-based immunotherapies in autoimmunity and cancer.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the general functions of autophagy in immunity, the interactions between autophagy and immune signalling pathways and the role of autophagy–immune crosstalk in multicellular immune responses and disease.
Fasting metabolism has opposing roles in maintaining tissue tolerance; anorexia improves survival during bacterial infection whereas it has detrimental effects during viral infection.
The tumour suppressor p53 has well-known functions in cell repair and cell death that have led to its title as the 'guardian of the genome'. Here, the authors discuss the less-well appreciated roles of p53 and other tumour suppressor genes in shaping immune responses; they propose that these genes could also be considered to be 'guardians of immune integrity'.
There are no obvious clinical symptoms of long-term deficiency of innate lymphoid cells in humans, which suggests that their postulated functions might be redundant.
