Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Interferons are glycoprotein cytokines secreted by host lymphocytes in response to pathogens. Interferons activate or upregulate immune cells by interacting with receptors that activate signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signalling complexes. This ultimately leads to clearance of the pathogen or clearance of tumour cells from the organism.
Sestan et al. find a conserved mechanism during systemic viral infection in which γδ T cells produce IFNγ to increase pancreatic insulin secretion, lowering blood glucose and then enhancing type I interferon-mediated protection against viral infection.
Memory CD8+ T cells persist poorly in MHCII-deficient mice. Here the authors show that this CD8+ T cell attrition is not caused by a lack of CD4+ T cell help, as previously proposed, but by chronic IFN-γ signals derived from endogenous colonic CD8+ T cells.
In this Review, the authors analyze evidence for autoimmunity against components of antimicrobial immunity, metaphorically represented by the mythical ouroboros snake eating its own tail.
Blood and liver stages of malaria parasites can affect each other, but it’s not clear how this may affect live-attenuated whole parasite vaccination. Here the authors show that malaria parasite blood stage infection subdues new infection and vaccination by suppressing growth of its liver stage via host cytokines.
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a ubiquitous pathogen associated with morbidity and mortality in the immunocompromised or immunonaive context. Here the authors show that HCMV exploits STING signalling and subverts the interferon response to support infection of monocyte derive dendritic cells.
Determining the immune crosstalk between macrophages and NK cells in bronchioalveolar lavage fluid during SARS-CoV-2 infection in macaques identifies immunoregulatory properties of NK cells and their implications for viral persistence.