Immunology articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Fas signalling induces apoptosis of activated T cells to maintain immune homeostasis. Here the authors show that Fas also induces PKC-β activation to promote NF-κB-mediated TH9 cell differentiation, while p38 activation by PKC-β antagonizes this effect, thereby supporting a synergy between p38 inhibitor and Fas for TH9 differentiation.

    • Yingying Shen
    • , Zhengbo Song
    •  & Jianli Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A rapid cellular response to interferons (IFNs) is critical for establishing antimicrobial immunity, but how cells switch from from homeostasis to IFN signaling is not fully understood. Here, the authors provide evidence that IFNs induce gene expression by alternating subunits of transcription factor ISGF3.

    • Ekaterini Platanitis
    • , Duygu Demiroz
    •  & Thomas Decker

  • Article
    | Open Access

    CTL responses are critical in protection against pathogens. Here, using mass spectrometry and flow cytometry, the authors characterize the kinetics of influenza A virus class I MHC epitopes cross-presented in professional antigen presenting cells and identify new epitopes that elicit T cell responses in infected mice.

    • Ting Wu
    • , Jing Guan
    •  & Nicole L. La Gruta

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The immune synapse at the interface between T cells and antigen-presenting cells manifests intense vesicular trafficking, but how the vesicles are sorted is still unclear. Here the authors show that, in activated T cells, the Golgin GMAP210 specifically conveys LAT+ vesicles to immune synapse allowing proper T cell activation.

    • Andres Ernesto Zucchetti
    • , Laurence Bataille
    •  & Claire Hivroz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors present an extensive profile of host transcriptional respones to a diverse group of pathogens and allergens. In doing so, they identify TH1, type I IFN, TH17, and TH2 responses, that underlie each immune response in both the blood and lung, which represents a global profile of host-pathogen immune responses.

    • Akul Singhania
    • , Christine M. Graham
    •  & Anne O’Garra

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The immune synapse promotes cellular information exchange but the role of biophysical forces in synapse function is unclear. Here, the authors show that B cells exert two types of forces, a centripetal myosin II-driven force and a central actin protrusive force at the site of antigen extraction.

    • Anita Kumari
    • , Judith Pineau
    •  & Paolo Pierobon

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Innate immune signaling pathways sense different microbial features and can elicit distinct yet overlapping immune responses. Here the authors dissect the contribution of these pathways to the response to MCMV infection and find that STING signaling is dispensable for host survival but crucial to restrict viral replication and dissemination via myeloid cells.

    • Pia-Katharina Tegtmeyer
    • , Julia Spanier
    •  & Ulrich Kalinke

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A number of therapeutic agents aimed at reducing pathology in Duchenne muscular dystrophy have been developed, but may have off-target effects when delivered systemically. Here, the authors express the therapeutic LIF transgene in leukocytes, and show this results in targeting to inflamed dystrophic muscle and reduced fibrosis by suppressing type 2 immunity.

    • Steven S. Welc
    • , Ivan Flores
    •  & James G. Tidball

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Antibodies are generated through remote genomic interactions involving immunoglobulin variable (VH), diversity (DH) and joining (JH) gene segments. Here the authors develop a strategy to track VH-DHJH motion in B-lymphocytes and provide evidence that chromosome organisation near the sol-gel phase transition dictates the timing of genomic interactions to orchestrate gene expression and somatic recombination.

    • Nimish Khanna
    • , Yaojun Zhang
    •  & Cornelis Murre

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Composition and function of immune populations at barrier surfaces is crucial for response to infection. Here, the authors identify a population of dendritic cells in human epidermis, abundant in anogenital epithelia and distinct from Langerhans cells by surface phenotype and by high capacity for HIV infection and transmission.

    • Kirstie M. Bertram
    • , Rachel A. Botting
    •  & Andrew N. Harman

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mast cells within the tumor microenvironment have controversial roles. Here, the authors show, using genetic mouse models, that in gastric cancer, mast cells at the periphery of the tumors are activated via cancer cell produced-IL33 and promote tumorigenesis by recruiting macrophages within the tumors.

    • Moritz F. Eissmann
    • , Christine Dijkstra
    •  & Matthias Ernst

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, Frisbee et al. show that hypervirulent Clostridium difficile induces IL-33 expression in the gut and IL-33 reduces mortality and morbidity via group 2 innate lymphoid cells. Furthermore, serum levels of the soluble IL-33 decoy receptor, sST2, are associated with enhanced disease severity in human C. difficile patients.

    • Alyse L. Frisbee
    • , Mahmoud M. Saleh
    •  & William A. Petri Jr.

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Systemic sepsis is a potentially life-threatening illness and immunocompromised individuals are especially vulnerable. Here, using a cohort of patients with intra-abdominal origin sepsis, the authors show an important role for the NLRP3 inflammasome in establishing a host response, and NLRP3 dysfunction is a common feature of sepsis mortality.

    • Juan José Martínez-García
    • , Helios Martínez-Banaclocha
    •  & Pablo Pelegrin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Myeloid cells modulate the immune response within the tumour microenvironment, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, the authors show that Fcmr – the putative receptor for soluble IgM – is a potent negative regulator of anti-tumour immunity.

    • Shawn P. Kubli
    • , Larsen Vornholz
    •  & Tak W. Mak

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell anti-cancer therapies might result in toxic side effects. Here the authors present a strategy based on the modulation of CAR T cells via administration of a bispecific adapter that target them to cancer cells, resulting in diminished CAR-T cells toxicity and enhanced solid tumor eradication.

    • Yong Gu Lee
    • , Haiyan Chu
    •  & Philip S. Low

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Autoreactive T cells are deleted in the thymus via thymic negative selection and Bim-mediated apoptosis. Here the authors identify a cis-acting enhancer, EBAB, that is essential for proper Bim expression and apoptosis induction, and show that EBAB deficiency specifically impairs thymic negative selection without affecting peripheral T cell homeostasis.

    • Miki Arai Hojo
    • , Kyoko Masuda
    •  & Shinpei Kawaoka

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cas13d is a class 2 type VI-D CRISPR-Cas RNA-guided RNase. Here the authors present the high-resolution crystal structure of the uncultured Ruminococcus sp. Cas13d (UrCas13d)-crRNA complex and by combining structural, mutational and biochemical studies provide mechanistic insights into the CRISPR-Cas13d system.

    • Bo Zhang
    • , Yangmiao Ye
    •  & Songying Ouyang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Promising pilot clinical trials of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) therapy of lupus await validation in larger, controlled trials. Here the authors show that MSCs expand CD1c+ dendritic cells in cell culture by producing FLT3L, and that in lupus patients, circulating CD1c+ dendritic cells and FLT3L are increased following MSCs therapy.

    • Xinran Yuan
    • , Xiaodong Qin
    •  & Lingyun Sun

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Phosphatase of regenerating liver 3 (PRL3) is usually found intracellularly, and is over-expressed in cancer cells. Here the authors show that PRL-3 is also detectable on cell surface, and can be recognized by PRL3-zumab to recruit immune cells into tumor to promote anti-tumor immunity, thereby implicating PRL-3 as a potential tumor antigen.

    • Min Thura
    • , Abdul Qader Al-Aidaroos
    •  & Qi Zeng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase kinase 2 (CaMKK2) is highly expressed in several cancers. Here the authors investigate the role of CaMKK2 expression in the tumour microenvironment and show that CaMKK2 expression in tumour-associated macrophages promotes tumour growth by suppressing T cell anti-tumour activity.

    • Luigi Racioppi
    • , Erik R. Nelson
    •  & Donald P. McDonnell

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Microbiota impacts all major aspects of physiology, but little is known about its effects on age-related changes in immune responses. Here the authors show that gut microbiota transfer between adult and old mice increases local but not systemic germinal centre responses regardless of age directionality.

    • Marisa Stebegg
    • , Alyssa Silva-Cayetano
    •  & Michelle A. Linterman

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Dengue virus (DENV) promotes leukocyte-platelet interactions that contribute to pathogenesis. Here, the authors report a role for C-type lectins CLEC2 and CLEC5A in platelet activation and NET formation and show that blockade of CLEC5A and TLR2 attenuates inflammation and increases survival of infected mice.

    • Pei-Shan Sung
    • , Tur-Fu Huang
    •  & Shie-Liang Hsieh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Gut lumen antigens must be continuously sampled by the immune system to maintain proper immune homeostasis. Here the authors show that activated CCR6+CCR1+GL7- gut B cells retrieve lumen antigens from specialized M cells and transfer them across the subepithelial dome in the Peyer’s patch to contribute to the maintenance of gut humoral immunity.

    • Rathan Joy Komban
    • , Anneli Strömberg
    •  & Nils Lycke

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Senescent cells increase with ageing and may cause inflammatory conditions, but how this accumulation is mediated is still unclear. Here the authors show that senescent cells express HLA-E to suppress NKG2A-mediated natural killer and CD8 T cell activation to avoid targeted elimination, while blocking NKG2A helps promote immunity against senescent cells.

    • Branca I. Pereira
    • , Oliver P. Devine
    •  & Arne N. Akbar

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Stabilized, native-like trimers of the HIV envelope protein, such as SOSIP trimers, are potential antigens for an HIV vaccine. Here, the authors generate a SOSIP trimer based on the consensus sequence of group M isolates, determine its structure and exposure of common epitopes, and show immunogenicity in rabbits and non-human primates.

    • Kwinten Sliepen
    • , Byung Woo Han
    •  & Rogier W. Sanders

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The differentiation and function of regulatory T (Treg) cells are critically controlled by T cell receptor (TCR) signaling. Here the authors show that CARD11-BCL10-MALT1 (CBM) complexes are dispensable for effector Treg conversion under inflammatory conditions but are critical for mediating Treg suppressive activity in a MALT1 paracaspase-dependent manner.

    • Marc Rosenbaum
    • , Andreas Gewies
    •  & Jürgen Ruland

  • Article
    | Open Access

    GM-CSF has been implicated in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) host control. Here, the authors show that activation of GM-CSF discriminates Mtb-restrictive from -permissive macrophages while co-infection with HIV disrupts GM-CSF-mediated signaling, rendering macrophages susceptible to bacterial infection.

    • Bryan D. Bryson
    • , Tracy R. Rosebrock
    •  & Sarah M. Fortune

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Schistosoma mansoniinfection has been linked with an increased risk of HIV acquisition in women. Here, the authors show that standard S. mansoniinfection treatment causes a reduction of HIV entry into cervical and blood CD4+ T cells, which is sustained for up to two months and is associated with de-repression of IFN-I signaling. 

    • Sergey Yegorov
    • , Vineet Joag
    •  & Rupert Kaul

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungus primarily affecting immunocompromised patients. Here, the authors identify a novel mechanism of host immune stimulation and highlight candidalysin and EGFR signalling components as potential targets for prophylactic and therapeutic intervention of mucosal candidiasis.

    • Jemima Ho
    • , Xuexin Yang
    •  & Julian R. Naglik

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Detailed characterization of cardiac damage following ischemia/reperfusion injury and detection of occurring inflammatory responses is important for the development of new therapeutic concepts. Here the authors present a method for the three-dimensional investigation of acute and chronic cardiac injury responses using light sheet fluorescence microscopy.

    • Simon F. Merz
    • , Sebastian Korste
    •  & Matthias Totzeck

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors determine the respiratory virome and serum cytokine profile in children diagnosed with acute respiratory tract infections (ARTI) and show that relative abundance of Propionibacterium phages as well as serum levels of TIMP-1 and PDGF-BB are increased in multiple ARTIs compared with single ARTI.

    • Yanpeng Li
    • , Xuemin Fu
    •  & Chiyu Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Despite the current human CD4 memory T cell stratification by CD45RA/CCR7, functional heterogeneities still exist within the respective subsets. Here the authors show that several surface markers, including KLRB1, KLRG1, GPR56 and KLRF1, help to further refine the subsetting of human CD4 memory T cells and provide insights for their differentiation.

    • Kim-Long Truong
    • , Stephan Schlickeiser
    •  & Birgit Sawitzki

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Turning tumour promoting macrophages into an anti-tumour phenotype is an attractive therapeutic strategy. Here, the authors develop a polysaccharide-based structure that mimicks pathogen-associated molecular patterns and, by activating the toll-like receptors on macrophage surface, promotes a safe anti-tumour immune response in mouse models.

    • Yanxian Feng
    • , Ruoyu Mu
    •  & Chunming Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Viral rebound following discontinuation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a major obstacle for HIV cure. Here, the authors show that adoptive cellular therapy using autologous Env-specific T cells augmented by therapeutic vaccination can control viral rebound after ART interruption in a SHIV macaque model.

    • Jin Fan
    • , Hua Liang
    •  & Yiming Shao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells express invariant TRAV1/TRAJ33 TCR-α gene segments and detect antigens presented by MR1. Here the authors show that atypical, MR1-restricted MAIT populations that include both Trav1+ and Trav1- cells are found in both Traj33-deficient mice and human peripheral blood.

    • Hui-Fern Koay
    • , Nicholas A. Gherardin
    •  & Dale I. Godfrey

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) is involved in the modulation of inflammatory responses. Here, the authors present small-molecule inhibitors of human cGAS, characterize their interaction with the protein, and show that the compounds are active in interferon-producing cells including primary human macrophages.

    • Lodoe Lama
    • , Carolina Adura
    •  & Thomas Tuschl

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The development of tissue-engineered vascular grafts heavily relies on the availability of large animal models that allow long-term assessment of graft patency. Here Itoh et al. propose a novel model of immunodeficient pigs that allows long-term accommodation of human cell-derived three-dimensional bioprinted vascular tubes.

    • Manabu Itoh
    • , Yosuke Mukae
    •  & Eiji Kobayashi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Complement activation contributes to vascular inflammation in the contexts of allograft rejection and connective tissue disease. Here Fang et al. identify ZFYVE21 as a novel effector of Rab5 and find it regulates pro-inflammatory NF-κB signaling in endothelial cells in response to complement activation.

    • Caodi Fang
    • , Thomas D. Manes
    •  & Dan Jane-wit

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Agonistic 4-1BB antibodies developed for cancer immunotherapy have suffered from either hepatotoxicity or insufficient anti-cancer activity. Here the authors determine the contribution of FcγR binding and agonistic strength to these outcomes, and engineer a 4-1BB antibody with potent anti-tumor effect and no liver toxicity in mice.

    • Xinyue Qi
    • , Fanlin Li
    •  & Xuanming Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Both thymic epithelial cells and dendritic cells present self antigens in the thymus to mediate thymic selection and T cell tolerance. Here the authors quantify, using two-photon live imaging of mouse thymic slices, the relative contribution of these two cell types, as well as the effects of antigen cross-presentation by dendritic cells, during tolerance induction.

    • J. N. Lancaster
    • , H. M. Thyagarajan
    •  & L. I. R. Ehrlich

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mucosal immunisation is important for initiating mucosal CD8+ T­cell responses but mucosal recruitment of protective CD8+ T cells can also be induced by skin immunisation. Here the authors examine the underlying mechanism and report a novel role for ILC1 recruiting CD8+ T cells to the mucosa after skin immunisation.

    • Marija Zaric
    • , Pablo D. Becker
    •  & Linda S. Klavinskis

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Function-altering variants of immune-related genes cause rare autoimmune syndromes, whereas their contribution to common autoimmune diseases remains uncharacterized. Here the authors show that rare variants of lupus-associated genes are present in the majority of lupus patients and healthy controls, but only the variants found in lupus patients alter gene function.

    • Simon H. Jiang
    • , Vicki Athanasopoulos
    •  & Carola G. Vinuesa

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can trigger secondary airway bacterial infections. Here, by proteomics and metagenomics analyses of samples from Kenyan children, the authors report that RSV associates with Streptococcus burden and a local upper airway response with direct antibacterial properties.

    • Charles J. Sande
    • , James M. Njunge
    •  & Andrew J. Pollard

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Development of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAb) against HIV-1 in infected adults is a multi-step process unachievable by current vaccine approaches. Here the authors reconstruct the ontogeny of an infant bnAb, which develops in fewer steps, and identify its unique features that may shorten the path to HIV vaccines.

    • Cassandra A. Simonich
    • , Laura Doepker
    •  & Julie Overbaugh

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