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The short-chain fatty acid butyrate, derived from commensal bacteria in the gut, is shown to be a specific inducer of intestinal macrophage microbicidal functions.
Ricardo Gazzinelli describes studies from the late 1980s and early 1990s that looked at the polarization of the recently described TH1 cell and TH2 cell subsets in the context of parasite infection.
A new study in Science identifies nemuri (nur) as encoding a secreted factor in Drosophila that has both antimicrobial and sleep-inducing properties, thus providing a direct link between sleep homeostasis and the response to infection.
Having a fever helps T cells reach the site of infection, thanks to thermal sensing by heat shock proteins and induction of integrin-mediated T cell migration.
This Review explains how innate sensors of DNA activate different types of programmed cell death. The authors consider the relevance of these cell death pathways during infection and in inflammatory diseases.
Regulated calcium signalling, in particular downstream of the T cell receptor, is crucial for many T cell effector functions. This Review provides an overview of the numerous membrane and organellar calcium-permeable channels that are coordinated to fine-tune T cell immunity.
This Review discusses the importance of autophagy in controlling immune cell differentiation and homeostasis. The authors consider the diverse mechanisms through which autophagy functions to shape the immune system, highlighting its role in the dynamic regulation of metabolism.
By sensing environmental, dietary, microbial and metabolic cues, the ligand-activated transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor controls complex transcriptional programmes that are relevant to autoimmune, neoplastic, metabolic and degenerative diseases.
