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In this Opinion article, the authors discuss our current understanding of the roles of immunoproteasomes and thymoproteasomes in T cell receptor repertoire formation and propose that immunoproteasomes have additional roles in cytokine production and T helper cell differentiation.
These authors propose that the T helper 17 cell and induced regulatory T cell lineages were the first T cells of the adaptive immune system to evolve in vertebrates as a means to counter-regulate immune responses in the gut to foster a large, diverse commensal microbiota for the benefit of the host.
Here, Michael Cancro proposes a model to explain how B cell fate is determined by balancing signals that select B cells of suitable reactivity with signals that support survival. This balance is said to be mediated by crosstalk between the mediators downstream of the B cell receptor (BCR) and receptor for B cell-activating factor (BAFFR).
In this Opinion article, Betty Diamond and colleagues propose that common serum antibodies that crossreact with brain antigens might be responsible for many acquired changes or congenital impairments in cognition and behaviour in the absence of overt brain inflammation.
Recent studies indicate that haematopoietic progenitor cells have more plasticity with regard to lineage choice than previously appreciated. To account for this developmental plasticity, Rhodri Ceredig and colleagues propose a new model of haematopoiesis.
How the T-cell receptor translates ligand affinity to an appropriate cellular response has puzzled immunologists for decades. In this Opinion article, the authors propose a new model to explain this, which is based on the duration of receptor–ligand binding and on a 'zipper' mechanism that mediates receptor–co-receptor interactions.
Here, Harvey Cantor and Mari Shinohara propose that the secreted and intracellular isoforms of osteopontin differentially regulate the development of distinct T-helper-cell subsets and, consequently, adaptive immune responses to foreign and self antigens.
In this Opinion article, the effector function of annexin A1 in the anti-inflammatory action of glucocorticoids is discussed, and a model to address the opposing effects of glucocorticoids on the expression of annexin A1 by different immune cells is proposed.
