The Journal of Immunology

J Immunol. 2026 Jul 10;215(7):vkag142. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag142. ABSTRACT Radiation is an effective site-specific cytotoxic therapy for cancer cells. In preclinical models, CD8 T cells are essential for optimum tumor control by radiation therapy, yet CD8 T cells are radiosensitive and depleted within the treatment field. Irradiated tumors can be refilled with T cells that were … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Jul 10;215(7):vkag153. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag153. ABSTRACT The mammalian ovary is the dynamic end-organ of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis. In this coordinated system, ovarian cells undergo continuous cycles of apoptosis, proliferation, and differentiation. These changes parallel fluctuations in ovarian hormones such as estradiol; however, the ovarian immune microenvironment during high- and low-estradiol states remains incompletely … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Jul 10;215(7):vkag181. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag181. ABSTRACT Periodic activation of regulatory T cells (Tregs) is necessary to restrict autoreactive T cells and maintain immune homeostasis. IL-2-STAT5 signaling instructs several metabolic processes underlying Treg activation, including the mevalonate pathway, which is crucial for optimal Treg responses. However, direct links between IL-2-STAT5, mevalonate, and Treg function … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Jul 10;215(7):vkag031. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag031. ABSTRACT Somatic hypermutation of immunoglobulin (Ig) genes in germinal center B cells is based on the introduction of DNA lesions by activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), followed by lesion processing by multiple error-prone DNA repair pathways. Error-free DNA repair by homologous recombination (HR) is required for the repair of … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Jul 10;215(7):vkag184. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag184. ABSTRACT Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant clonal expansion of myeloid progenitor cells that impedes normal hematopoiesis and culminates in bone marrow failure and death. The development of chemoresistant disease in response to first-line chemotherapies is common and indicates a need for new therapies. Tumor-specific mRNA vaccines … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Jul 10;215(7):vkag185. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag185. ABSTRACT Thymic B cells rely on T cells and type-III IFN (IFN-λ) signaling for class switch recombination and effective licensing as APCs, a process essential for their role in establishing central T-cell tolerance. IFN-λ is produced exclusively by a subset of medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs); however, the … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Jul 10;215(7):vkag193. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag193. ABSTRACT Polymyxins are cyclic cationic lipopeptide antibiotics that disrupt both the outer and inner membranes of Gram-negative bacteria. They also bind to bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPSs), thereby inhibiting LPS recognition by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and preventing macrophage activation. However, the immunomodulatory effects of polymyxin B during infection, in … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Jul 10;215(7):vkag182. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag182. ABSTRACT Endemic coronaviruses circulate seasonally and, while typically mild, can produce robust inflammation and severe pneumonia. Immunological memory to coronaviruses can be cross-reactive for multiple coronaviruses including OC43 and SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we used mouse models to investigate immune responses elicited by pulmonary infection with OC43. OC43 … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Jul 10;215(7):vkag167. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag167. ABSTRACT γδ T cells are associated with favorable outcomes in many cancers likely through a mechanism of stress-directed cytotoxicity and antitumor cytokine production. Vδ1 γδ T cells are especially promising for immunotherapy due to their broad stress recognition and resistance to activation-induced cell death. Here, we generate a … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Jul 10;215(7):vkag174. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag174. ABSTRACT Whole-body irradiation (WBI) consistently induces radiation-associated lymphopenia, a complication linked to poor prognosis and reduced overall survival. Understanding the quantitative and qualitative changes in naïve CD4 T cells after WBI is critical because these cells play key roles in both host defense and the propagation of autoimmunity. … Read more