Immune evasion articles from across Nature Portfolio

Viruses and bacteria are known to subvert the immune system using mimic or inhibitory proteins. Here the authors show that the protein Ank5 from the bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi inhibits nuclear translocation and promotes proteasomal degradation of the MHC class I gene transactivator NLRC5.

Hao, Shen and colleagues identify and characterize two distinct types of myeloid–B cell interaction that may signal solid tumour-induced immunosuppression and can correlate with complete responses to immunotherapy in patients with breast cancer.

Fibrous capsule formation limits the lifetime of implanted devices. Here, the authors report on an elastomer designed to reduce the immune response which shows enhanced device utility in both mice and non-human primate models, including in an insulin infusion catheter model.

Resistance of cancers to immune checkpoint blockades is frequently observed. Pancreatic cancer cells are now shown to create a tumor microenvironment that protects them from immunotherapy by overexpression of cytidine deaminase. This leads to increased production of uridine diphosphate that attracts immunosuppressive macrophages.

Methionine restriction modulates tumour growth and ageing processes through its influence on diverse metabolic processes. Ji et al. demonstrate that methionine restriction compromises production of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), which impairs H₂S-mediated immune signalling and results in increased cancer progression in immunocompetent mice.

Two independent studies published in Nature have collectively addressed the long-standing question of sex bias in cancer and implicated non-hormonal genes of the Y chromosome in aggressive features of colorectal and bladder cancers in men.