Reviews & Analysis

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  • Increasingly advanced microscopy techniques are now being widely used to gain a better understanding of lymphocyte activation. This Review provides a guide to the latest imaging technologies, highlighting the advantages and limitations that should be considered when choosing which approach to use.

    • Lakshmi Balagopalan
    • Eilon Sherman
    • Lawrence E. Samelson
    Review Article
  • Recent evidence indicates that the intestinal microbiota has important functions in maintaining intestinal homeostasis through crosstalk with the innate immune system. However, changes in the intestinal microbiota or breakdown of this crosstalk can result in colitis and colitis-associated colorectal cancer.

    • Maya Saleh
    • Giorgio Trinchieri
    Review Article
  • Three main types of mechanism have been proposed to explain T cell receptor (TCR) triggering: aggregation, conformation change and segregation. The most recent data on these mechanisms are discussed here, and the authors propose an integrated model for TCR triggering.

    • P. Anton van der Merwe
    • Omer Dushek
    Review Article
  • Our understanding of the triggers and mediators of sterile inflammation has advanced greatly in recent years. Here, Chen and Nuñez provide us with an up-to-date overview of these advances and discuss their therapeutic implications.

    • Grace Y. Chen
    • Gabriel Nuñez
    Review Article
  • Asthma is a complex disease that is typically associated with T helper 2 (TH2)-type inflammation, but it is becoming increasingly clear that other T cell populations can contribute to the disease. Here, the authors describe the functions of distinct T cell subsets in the allergic lung and discuss the implications for future therapies for asthma.

    • Clare M. Lloyd
    • Edith M. Hessel
    Review Article
  • The ITN was founded in 1999 with the goal of achieving “... a robust state of immune tolerance in the absence of ongoing immunotherapy while maintaining a competent immune system”. What are the challenges that have been met along the way and the lessons learnt for future translational research?

    • Jeffrey A. Bluestone
    • Hugh Auchincloss
    • Laurence A. Turka
    Timeline
  • The mechanisms by which local antigen-presenting cells, such as myeloid and plasmacytoid dendritic cells, liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, Kupffer cells and hepatocytes, mediate tolerance to antigens metabolized in the liver are described here. These insights into hepatic tolerance may be harnessed in the clinic for the treatment of various diseases.

    • Angus W. Thomson
    • Percy A. Knolle
    Review Article
  • Natural IgM has many roles in the immune system, from protection against infection to regulating autoimmunity. The authors discuss the pleiotropic properties of natural IgM, and the implications for B cell-targeted therapy.

    • Michael R. Ehrenstein
    • Clare A. Notley
    Review Article
  • This Perspective article describes the ways in which the intestinal microbiota can interact with the host immune system to promote both pro- and anti-inflammatory immune responses. The authors discuss the important implications of this for not only intestinal, but also for systemic inflammatory diseases.

    • Nadine Cerf-Bensussan
    • Valérie Gaboriau-Routhiau
    Opinion
  • The extracellular matrix (ECM) has crucial, though often overlooked, roles during the development of an inflammatory response. Lydia Sorokin describes the interactions that occur between leukocytes and the ECM and discusses how aberrant regulation of ECM components may promote chronic inflammation.

    • Lydia Sorokin
    Review Article
  • Interleukin-9 (IL-9) has recently entered the limelight owing to the discovery that it can be produced by multiple T helper cell subsets. This Progress article updates us on the cellular sources, targets and immune functions of IL-9.

    • Randolph J. Noelle
    • Elizabeth C. Nowak
    Progress
  • Recent research has uncovered new roles for the NOD-like receptors (NLRs) and three types of inflammasome in the inflammatory response to viral infection, the importance of which is highlighted by the viral inhibitors that target these pathways.

    • Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti
    Review Article
  • Immune responses in the genital tract are different to those at other mucosal surfaces. In this Review, Akiko Iwasaki explains how the anatomy of the genital mucosa affects the immune response to viral infection and describes the challenges that are faced in the development of vaccines against sexually transmitted viruses.

    • Akiko Iwasaki
    Review Article
  • This article discusses the current models of how ligation of inhibitory receptors on NK cells by host MHC class I molecules can result in 'educated' NK cells and the recent insights into the signalling pathways that are involved. How MHC class I molecules can regulate receptor repertoire formation in NK cells is also discussed.

    • Petter Höglund
    • Petter Brodin
    Review Article