Immune tolerance articles from across Nature Portfolio

In this study, we use a transcriptomic approach as a starting point to explore the heterogeneity of human GATA3-expressing lymphocytes across different tissues and disease contexts. We identify, characterize and functionally validate an abundant progenitor-like memory T cell population with the potential to sustain pathogenic T_H2 cell inflammation.

Studies in mice show that effector T regulatory cells in the gut are most functional in the lamina propria, but this homeostatic niche is disrupted in inflammation, suggesting a spatial mechanism of tolerance to commensal microorganisms.

In this Perspective article, Ley and colleagues explain the association between atherosclerosis and the loss of tolerance to self-proteins. They discuss why re-establishing immune tolerance could improve outcomes for patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Il-10-expressing B cells play a pivotal role in immune homeostasis, but little is known about the factors and pathways that affect the development of this heterologous population of regulatory B cells. Here authors show in a mouse model that in embryonic life, soluble IgM restrains the expansion of Il-10-positive B cells, via utilizing FcµR and other putative receptors.

The induction of antigen-specific immune tolerance is considered the 'holy grail' of disease management for autoimmunity and organ transplantation. Are we getting any closer to this goal? Here, the authors update us on the current progress and challenges to the therapeutic induction of antigen-specific immune tolerance.

Environmental factors such as diet have been shown to be involved with the development of colitis. Here the authors show that L-tryptophan promotes the development of GPR15⁺ Treg cells via the host IDO1/2 pathway and that tryptophan consumption in mice reduces severity of colitis in a C. rodentium mouse model.

Increasing evidence suggests that antigen presentation by B cells is critical to the initiation of autoimmunity. Here, the authors demonstrate that tolerance breakdown is initiated outside of germinal centres and that B cells can directly instruct T cells to break tolerance and propagate autoimmune responses.

In this study, we use a transcriptomic approach as a starting point to explore the heterogeneity of human GATA3-expressing lymphocytes across different tissues and disease contexts. We identify, characterize and functionally validate an abundant progenitor-like memory T cell population with the potential to sustain pathogenic T_H2 cell inflammation.

A paper in Nature reports a ‘Z-DNA-anchored’ model for the target specificity of the transcription factor AIRE, involving promoter poising at double-strand breaks.

A preprint by Dhariwala et al. reports that monocytes in the skin of newborn mice suppress microbiota-driven inflammatory responses by sequestering IL-1 to prevent T cell activation.

Interleukin-27 (IL-27) is a pleiotropic cytokine known for its diverse immune regulatory properties. Although innate immune cells are considered the major cellular sources of IL-27, we found that gut regulatory T cells (T_reg cells) secrete IL-27 under inflammatory conditions, allowing them to selectively limit intestinal helper T17 cell (T_H17 cell) responses in various disease settings.