Research Highlights

Intracellular bacteria in cancer cells promote the recruitment of neutrophils and their polarization towards an immunosuppressive phenotype via a cGAS-STING-dependent pathway.

Intestinal macrophages that support the enteric nervous system may be involved in the spread of α-synuclein pathology from the gut to the brain.

A new study shows that inflammation spreads from psoriatic skin to joint disease through the migration of skin myeloid precursors to the joints, where they can become inflammatory macrophages unless they are kept in check by resident regulatory fibroblasts.

Respiratory viral infections can weaken the immune system and carry a risk of severe bacterial secondary infections. A research article in Science Immunology shows that segmented filamentous bacteria in the gut can enhance the antibacterial function of alveolar macrophages in the lungs and provide protection against secondary infections.

A study by Liu et al. identifies GPX4 as an immunosuppressive mediator released by ferroptotic tumour cells that inhibits the antitumour response.

Serum albumin binds and prevents the oxidation of free fatty acids, which then prevent the expression of virulence factors in Mucorales fungi.

Respiratory infections in early life combine with genetic and maternal factors to drive asthma development in childhood.

Besides killing infected or transformed cells, interferon-activated natural killer cells can kill T follicular helper cells and may contribute to poor antibody responses in some individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2.

A study in Nature reports that heterotypic T cell clusters identifed in clinical samples of melanoma metastases are biologically relevant to tumour control and might have therapeutic potential.

Short-chain fatty acids generated by the gut microbiota can support T cell ‘stemness’ and lead to improved cancer immunotherapy outcomes.

Lipid transport regulates activation of intestinal T helper 17 cells and thereby limits dietary fat absorption and diet-induced weight gain.

Sanchez-Garcia et al. report that systemic hypoxia-induced epigenetic reprogramming of neutrophil progenitors in the bone marrow reduces their effector function to limit lung tissue damage.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is associated with CD4⁺ T cells that are specific for the C9orf72 autoantigen and preferentially produce IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10.

Group 2 innate lymphoid cells are crucial for maintaining nerve structure and pain thresholds.

A proteotoxic stress response specific to exhausted T cells represents a target for cancer immunotherapy.

Depending on context and concentration, the polyamine cadaverine can promote pro- or anti-inflammatory macrophage polarizations.

A study in Science Immunology reports that regulatory T cells in the skin modulate neuronal tone directly through their production of the opioid enkephalin.

Populations of regulatory KIR⁺CD8⁺ T cells expand during pregnancy and can promote maternal tolerance to the developing fetus.

B cells that expand following infection with EBV can colonize the brain, where they recruit activated T cells that have potential to cause neuronal damage, thereby providing a mechanism to explain the link between EBV and increased MS risk.

A study by Bhattarai et al. in Nature Immunology reports that ILC3-to-ILC1 plasticity in the gut is regulated by circadian clock proteins.