The Journal of Immunology

J Immunol. 2026 Oct 1;215(10):vkag187. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag187. ABSTRACT CD8+ T cells directly target and kill cancer cells and are required for effective antitumor immunity. However, CD8+ T cells may become dysfunctional when exposed to chronic antigen stimulation during cancer. Dysfunction is characterized by reduced proliferation, increased expression of inhibitory receptors, and impaired effector function, yet … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Oct 1;215(10):vkag258. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag258. ABSTRACT Determining how chemotherapeutic drugs alter the MHC class I-associated immunopeptidome is essential for designing rational combinatorial therapies to enhance antitumor CD8+ T-cell activity, such as immune checkpoint inhibitor Abs. We investigated the impact of a first-in-class inhibitor of cellular NEDDylation, MLN4924, on self-peptide presentation using 2 human … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Oct 1;215(10):vkag266. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag266. ABSTRACT This study assessed the role that natural killer (NK) cells play in a murine model of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Spike mRNA vaccination. Flow cytometric analyses revealed that mRNA vaccination results in recruitment and maturation of NK cells in the spleen. Primed (CD27+ CD11b+) … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Oct 1;215(10):vkag249. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag249. ABSTRACT Myeloid-derived suppressor cells are a pivotal component of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in hematologic malignancies. Through diverse mechanisms, they promote disease progression, therapeutic resistance, and immune evasion. This comprehensive review synthesizes current evidence on the roles of myeloid-derived suppressor cells across major hematologic cancers and evaluates their … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Oct 1;215(10):vkag234. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag234. ABSTRACT Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICPI) therapy, targeting Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2, have revolutionized cancer care. However, ICPI is linked to immune-related adverse events, including nephropathy manifesting as acute kidney injury (AKI), a rapid decline in kidney function, often progressing to … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Oct 1;215(10):vkag255. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag255. ABSTRACT Macrophages function as professional antigen-presenting cells that integrate inflammatory signals with metabolic reprogramming to shape immune responses. Itaconate, an immunometabolite derived from ACOD1/IRG1 activity in activated macrophages, has been implicated in the regulation of inflammatory responses, yet its role in interferon γ (IFN-γ)-driven antigen presentation programs remains … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Oct 1;215(10):vkag264. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag264. ABSTRACT T follicular helper (Tfh) cells provide help to B cells for antibody class switching and affinity maturation and are critical for germinal center (GC) formation. The frequency of Tfh cells has proven to be a valuable marker for predicting durable neutralizing antibody responses; conversely, the expansion of … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Oct 1;215(10):vkag261. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag261. ABSTRACT Cytotoxic CD8⁺ T lymphocytes eliminate pathogen-infected and malignant cells through migration to affected tissues, cytokine production, and cytotoxic activity. A mounting body of evidence indicates that CD8 T cell differentiation into functionally different subsets, such as effector, memory, tissue-resident memory, and exhausted T cells, is controlled by … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Oct 1;215(10):vkag265. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag265. ABSTRACT Chlamydia trachomatis is the leading bacterial sexually transmitted pathogen worldwide and a major cause of reproductive tract disease, highlighting the need for an effective vaccine. Defining the immune mechanisms underlying vaccine-induced protection is therefore critical. We previously demonstrated that in mice vaccinated with CTH522/CAF01, genital tract Th17 … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Aug 29;215(9):vkag232. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag232. ABSTRACT Vaccines comprising peptide antigens for inducing T cell immunity are being developed for a broad range of therapeutic applications including prevention and treatment of cancer, autoimmunity, and infectious diseases. However, many peptide antigens contain cysteine and/or methionine, which are prone to form oxidation products that can present … Read more