Reviews & Analysis

The role of type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) in cancer is currently under substantial scrutiny. New data show that ILC2s producing the proinflammatory cytokine GM-CSF coordinate eosinophils’ recruitment and activation to enhance antitumor responses

Colonization of the mucosal tissues by iNKT cells was thought to be linked to the first contact with the environment. New research demonstrates that this process is regulated by and dependent on embryonic macrophages.

C-12, a cluster of CD4⁺ T_H17-like cells, defined by unbiased multimodal profiling of memory T cells, is significantly reduced in patients who have recovered from TB (progressors) as compared to those who were infected but did not develop the disease (non-progressors).

B cells rewire complement for optimal germinal center responses. When B cell C3 activity is limited, germinal centers collapse and outputs are impaired.

Single-cell RNA sequencing identifies an inflammatory subpopulation of mesenchymal stromal cells in patients with multiple myeloma.

Chromatin undergoes extensive reprogramming during immune cell differentiation. Histone clipping, an underexplored epigenetic mechanism, ensures precise macrophage development and function and is now found to be dysregulated in autoinflammatory disease.

In this Review, Mittelbrunn and Kroemer propose that ten molecular hallmarks represent the common denominators of T cell aging.

As a follow up to a 2010 meeting deliberating on the benefits of studying mouse models of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the virtual conference “Mouse models of lupus 10 years later” convened on 10 December 2020 to address a challenging decade that saw few new therapies approved, despite leaps in knowledge.

Single-cell technologies reveal the building blocks of secondary lymphoid organs, identifying Grem1⁺ fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) as critical niche cells that contribute to resident dendritic cell homeostasis and T cell immunity.

A systems immunology analysis of controlled human malaria infections in Africans who were malaria experienced and Europeans who were malaria naive yields new insights into old questions of malaria immunity.

T cell responses probably play important roles in the control of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but they have been relatively understudied. Data now suggest that the majority of infected individuals develop robust and long-lasting T cell immunity, which has implications for the durability of immunity and future vaccine approaches.

The TAM receptor kinases Axl and Mer are critical for microglial recognition and clearance of accumulating amyloid in transgenic models of Alzheimer’s disease.

HIV-1 infection of CD4⁺ T cells triggers the interaction of the mitochondrial proteins NLRX1 and FASTKD5 to promote oxidative phosphorylation, leading to increased viral replication. It has now been shown that this process can be blocked by metformin.

The eradication of pathogens and establishment of immunological memory depend on the generation of both effector and long-lived memory cells within specialized immune niches. Whole-organ imaging demonstrates that, during viral infection, the fate of CD8⁺ T cells in lymph nodes is coupled to chemotactic signals controlling their distribution within different microanatomical sites.

In the colonic environment, sustained Wnt–β-catenin activation in regulatory T cells promotes epigenetic rewiring toward proinflammatory RORγt⁺ T_reg cells, whose expansion parallels the disease progression from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to manifest colorectal cancer (CRC).

Riok2 haploinsufficiency leads to aberrant T_H22 skewing and interleukin-22-mediated erythroid dysfunction.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) can exert potent immunomodulatory effects. Wirtz and colleagues review the types of EV and their influence on tumor responses.

In the midst of resurging COVID-19 cases, the second NIH/FDA virtual COVID-19 and Cytokines symposium was held on 1 December 2020, focusing on longitudinal studies of COVID-19 immunity, including long-term consequences, potential associations with autoimmunity and the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).

The NLRP3 inflammasome is a central operator in inflammation. Sharma and Kanneganti review the varied roles played by the NLRP3 inflammasome in cancer and metabolic diseases.

The Global Thymus Network convened virtually for ThymUS 2020 on 3–4 November 2020. Participants shared recent advances in thymus biology and enjoyed a reprieve from 2020 stressors.