The Journal of Immunology

J Immunol. 2026 Jul 10;215(7):vkag176. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag176. ABSTRACT Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading malignancy with limited treatment options at advanced stages. Interleukin (IL)-17 signaling promotes tumor progression and immune evasion. Kaempferol, a natural flavonol, has anti-inflammatory and antitumor effects, but its role in modulating IL-17 pathways in CRC is unclear. We used an immunocompetent … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Jul 10;215(7):vkag148. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag148. ABSTRACT NK cells are classically defined by their rapid cytotoxicity against tumor cells and infected cells and by early inflammatory cytokine production. However, unconventional roles for NK cells as regulators of immunity and tissue homeostasis have recently been uncovered. Beyond their classical roles, NK cells can orchestrate leukocyte … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Jul 10;215(7):vkag180. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag180. ABSTRACT Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are key sensors of infection and injury, and are critical inducers of inflammation. TLR-induced activation of the NF-κB and MAPK pathways promotes the secretion of mediators of inflammation such as cytokines and chemokines. Control of cytokine production is critically important, as unnecessary inflammatory responses … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Jul 10;215(7):vkag188. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag188. ABSTRACT We and others have described homeostatic dysregulation of the CD4+ memory T-cell compartment with age. To gain greater insights into this dysregulation, we performed comprehensive single-cell genomic analysis of endogenous memory CD4+ T cells from young and aged mice. This analysis revealed 16 populations, composed of Th1, … Read more

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