Immunological disorders articles within Nature

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  • Letter |

    The genetic basis of alopecia areata, one of the most common human autoimmune diseases, is largely unknown. This study reports a genome-wide association for this trait that implies the involvement of acquired and innate immunity. Among significant associations are the cytomegalovirus UL16-binding protein genes, which encode activating ligands for the natural killer cell receptor, NKG2D, here implicated for the first time in any autoimmune disease.

    • Lynn Petukhova
    • , Madeleine Duvic
    •  & Angela M. Christiano

  • Letter |

    Glucocorticoids are widely used to treat patients with autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but many treatment regimens cannot maintain disease control in SLE patients. Here it is shown that the stimulation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells through toll-like receptors TLR7 and TLR9 can account for the reduced activity of glucocorticoids to inhibit the type I interferon pathway in SLE patients. Thus inhibitors of TLR7 and TLR9 signalling might prove to be effective corticosteroid-sparing drugs.

    • Cristiana Guiducci
    • , Mei Gong
    •  & Franck J. Barrat

  • Letter |

    'Elite controllers' are rare people who are infected with HIV but maintain low levels of HIV RNA without being treated, making it unlikely that they will develop AIDS. Certain HLA class I alleles, notably HLA-B57, are enriched in elite controllers. Here a model is proposed to explain how such elite controllers generate an effective immune response against HIV. In this model, HLA-B57 binds to fewer self-peptides, resulting in a T-cell repertoire with enhanced cross-reactivity and leading to a more effective T-cell response to the virus.

    • Andrej Košmrlj
    • , Elizabeth L. Read
    •  & Arup K. Chakraborty

  • Letter |

    The cytokine interleukin (IL)-23 has inflammatory effects on innate immune cells and can drive colitis, but the cellular and molecular pathways involved are poorly characterized. Here it is shown that bacterial-driven innate colitis involves a previously unknown population of IL-23-responsive innate leukocytes that produce IL-17 and interferon-γ. These cells may represent a target in inflammatory bowel disease.

    • Sofia Buonocore
    • , Philip P. Ahern
    •  & Fiona Powrie

  • Letter |

    During atherosclerosis, crystals of cholesterol accumulate in atherosclerotic plaques. But are they a consequence or a cause of the inflammation associated with the disease? Here it is shown that small cholesterol crystals appear early in the development of atherosclerosis, and that they act as an endogenous danger signal, causing inflammation by activating the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. Cholesterol crystals thus seem to be an early cause, rather than a late consequence, of inflammation.

    • Peter Duewell
    • , Hajime Kono
    •  & Eicke Latz

  • News & Views |

    At present, only injectable drugs are available for treating multiple sclerosis. So clinical trials indicating that the drug fingolimod might be a step towards an oral treatment for the disease are exciting indeed.

    • Roland Martin

  • Opinion |

    Translational-research programmes supported by flexible, long-term, large-scale grants are needed to turn advances in basic science into successful vaccines to halt the AIDS epidemic, says Wayne C. Koff.

    • Wayne C. Koff

  • Article |

    Mutations near the ORMDL3 gene have been associated with childhood asthma. Here, in yeast, Orm proteins are shown to function in sphingolipid homeostasis; alterations in this control result in misregulation of sphingolipid production and accumulation of toxic metabolites. This raises the testable hypothesis that misregulation of sphingolipids may directly contribute to the development of asthma.

    • David K. Breslow
    • , Sean R. Collins
    •  & Jonathan S. Weissman

  • News |

    Studies in several nations show that treating people before they fall ill can curb the spread of disease.

    • Erika Check Hayden

  • Opinion |

    HIV research in South Africa is world class. To halt the country's epidemic, scientists need to shift focus from global problems to priorities at home, say Salim Abdool Karim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim.

    • Salim S. Abdool Karim
    •  & Quarraisha Abdool Karim

  • Column |

    Innovation policies are more likely to be successful if they leverage existing capabilities, argues Daniel Sarewitz.

    • Daniel Sarewitz

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