Epithelial cells at mucosal surfaces provide a structural barrier and an immune defense system, but dysregulated epithelial responses can contribute to disease. Kim et al. reveal that epithelial-derived IL-23 is a pathogenic trigger in the oral mucosal…
B cells undergo rounds of selection and affinity maturation within germinal centers (GCs) to differentiate into long-lasting, protective memory cells. Shehata et al. study the role of IL-4 in the GC and determine that its regulation of the transcriptio…
It is unknown if antigenically distant SARS-CoV-2 variants can overcome memory B cell biases established by initial SARS-CoV-2 encounters. Johnston, Painter, Li et al. show that BA.5 and XBB exposures recall B cells targeting conserved epitopes in the …
Immune imprinting occurs after repeated Wuhan-Hu-1 spike exposures, but it is unclear whether it can be overcome. Tortorici et al. show that the updated XBB.1.5 mRNA COVID-19 booster elicits neutralizing antibodies and memory B cells against variants t…
Our understanding of the impact of microbial metabolites on anti-tumor immunity is incomplete. Cong et al. show aberrant elevation of the microbiota-derived secondary bile acid, deoxycholic acid, in colorectal cancer patients. Deoxycholic acid suppress…
EBV glycoprotein gp42 is essential for B cell entry, and identifying sites of vulnerability is important for rational vaccine design. Bu et al. isolated two gp42 mAbs that neutralize EBV infection and block fusion with B cells by distinct mechanisms, d…
Our knowledge concerning the contributions of IL-2 in T cell biology, particularly its role in the development and functional activity of regulatory, effector, and memory T cells and reinvigorating exhausted T cells, continues to advance. These cells d…
Programmed necrosis is mediated by the membrane-damaging pyroptotic and necroptotic proteins, gasdermins and MLKL, respectively. Recent genetic studies highlight the diverse roles of these necrotic cell death effectors in infections, cancer, and wide-s…
Complement proteins form a proteolytic cascade to clear invading microbes. In a recent issue of Cell, Wu et al. and Xu et al. demonstrate two distinct complement systems operating in the gut, independent of circulating complement, and protecting agains…
Plasma cells (PCs) rely on external survival cues for persistence, which limits the size of the PC pool. How, then, are new specificities incorporated into a saturated system? In this issue of Immunity, Simons and Karin put forward a mathematical frame…
