Review Articles in 2017

Heeding the adage “prevention is better than cure”, Olivera J. Finn proposes that vaccinating individuals who have pre-malignant lesions gives the immune system the upper hand and can prevent progression to cancer.

The development of multiphoton intravital microscopy has enabled detailed studies of humoral responses within lymphoid tissues. Here, Kuka and Iannacone cover recent studies of the viral subversion of B cell responses and discuss how these findings relate to our understanding of B cell activation within secondary lymphoid organs.

Recent studies showing that neoantigens are crucial targets of the antitumour immune response have supported the progression of personalized cancer vaccines to clinical trials.

This Review describes recent advances in our understanding of the ontogeny, development and function of brain-resident macrophages and microglia, including their normal functions during brain development and homeostasis and how disturbance of these functions may precipitate neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases.

In this Review, the authors detail the complex expression patterns and regulation of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1) and its ligands. The authors focus on the importance of understanding these pathways in order to optimize the efficiency and safety of immune checkpoint blockade in patients.

This Review describes our current understanding of the mechanisms regulating T helper 2 (T_H2) cell development and function. The authors discuss how our increasing comprehension of these pathways is leading to the development of novel therapies for T_H2 cell-mediated diseases, such as asthma and allergy.

Antibodies play an essential role in host defence against pathogens by binding to microorganisms and infected cells and exerting various effector functions. In this Review, Lu and colleagues summarize antibody isotypes and subclasses, modifications, receptor binding and signalling and effector functions in the context of infectious diseases.

The hygiene hypothesis postulates that an increased frequency of infections contributes to a decrease in autoimmune and allergic diseases. Here, Bach summarizes the epidemiological and experimental evidence supporting this hypothesis and discusses the importance of innate immune receptors in mediating the protective effect of pathogens and commensals on autoimmunity.

Recent clinical trials have shown that blocking immune checkpoint molecules can boost antitumour immune responses. In this Review, the authors consider whether targeting these pathways could also be used to combat a range of infectious diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis and chronic viral infections.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) protect against infection, but they are also implicated in the pathology associated with various immune-mediated conditions. This Review describes when and how they are formed, how they function and how they are regulated.

Hypoxia is a microenvironmental feature that is associated with physiological and pathological immunological niches. In this Review, Taylor and Colgan summarize the effects of physiological and pathological hypoxia on immune cells and processes and discuss the possibility of therapeutically targeting hypoxia-sensitive pathways.

Here, the authors introduce the idea that a spectrum of metabolic states of immune cells can provide a basis for categorizing human diseases. They explore the metabolic and interlinked signalling requirements of T cells responding to acute infection and how metabolic reprogramming of T cells is linked to disease.

This Review focuses on how the complement cascade can both promote and inhibit antitumour immune responses. The authors discuss the potential of targeting complement components for immunotherapeutic purposes in patients with cancer.

γδ T cells are found mainly in epithelial tissues, where they have crucial roles in tissue homeostasis and repair. Here, the authors describe how γδ T cells are activated and regulated in epithelial tissues, such as the skin and intestine, to mediate host microbial tolerance and provide protection against infection.

Tissue-resident eosinophils selectively secrete cytokines and other mediators that have diverse functions in health and disease.

Here, the authors discuss the role of cellular barriers in establishing immune privilege, both in the intestine and in other organs, such as the brain and the eyes. They compare protective epithelial and vascular barriers in different organs and examine how several pathologies are linked to the disruption of these barriers.

In this Review, the authors describe how type 2 immune responses drive tissue repair and fibrosis. They explain how these responses are crucial for repairing damaged tissue but can also lead to pathological outcomes if not properly regulated.

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) have attracted much attention from the immunology community in recent years. This Review discusses the contribution of ILCs to different inflammatory diseases and the potential for targeting ILCs therapeutically in these settings.

New technologies that enable the profiling of single cells using next-generation sequencing offer an unbiased approach for studying immune cell diversity.

As leukocytes travel in the bloodstream, navigate through tissues and mediate effector functions, their behaviour is influenced by mechanical forces. In this Review, Morgan Huse explains how mechanical force regulates receptor activation, cell migration, intracellular signalling and intercellular communication.