The Journal of Immunology

J Immunol. 2026 Apr 15;215(4):vkag062. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag062. ABSTRACT CD8+ T-cell differentiation during chronic viral infection is supported by metabolic reprogramming to meet distinct bioenergetic demands. Early effector CD8+ T-cell differentiation and function are supported by the PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway, while the differentiation of late exhausted CD8+ T cells remains incompletely understood. We first characterized the metabolic … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Apr 15;215(4):vkag040. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag040. ABSTRACT TLR20 is a teleost-specific TLR member. However, its species distribution, biological function, and underlying mechanism remain largely unknown. In this study, we systematically retrieved the TLR20 species distribution and found only a few teleosts contain different TLR20 variants, especially in Cyprinidae. Subsequently, we employed an economically important … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Apr 15;215(4):vkag067. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag067. ABSTRACT Negative regulators are crucial for maintaining immune homeostasis, yet the complexities of their regulatory mechanisms are not fully elucidated. In this study, we reveal that IGF2BP2, an m6A reader protein, orchestrates the formation of phase-separated condensates dependent on G3BP1, acting as a pivotal negative regulator of bacterial-induced … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Apr 15;215(4):vkag056. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag056. ABSTRACT Current immunotherapies for autoimmune diseases lack sufficient specificity and often compromise protective immunity, underscoring the need for precision-based approaches. Here, we identify x-mAb, a germline-encoded IgM autoantibody derived from dual-expresser lymphocytes of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D), as a potent agent for precision immunotherapy. In the … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Apr 15;215(4):vkag061. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag061. ABSTRACT Neutrophils rapidly deploy phagocytosis, degranulation, and neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation to control infections, yet exaggerated NET formation contributes to tissue injury in inflammatory disease. Because NETosis is tightly linked to the cellular redox environment, we developed MorphoMapping, an imaging flow cytometry-based pipeline that resolves neutrophil morphotypes … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Apr 15;215(4):vkaf376. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkaf376. ABSTRACT This study investigated the protective effect of miR-449b-5p from adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (ADSC-Exos) targeting type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF1R) on airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) and further investigated its mechanism of action. ADSC-Exos were isolated and characterized. Cellular uptake of ADSC-Exos by ASMCs … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Apr 15;215(4):vkag028. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag028. ABSTRACT The polarization of naive CD4+ T cells into Th2 cells is initiated in lymphoid organs and completed as the cells become tissue resident, where they express ST2, the receptor for the alarmin interleukin (IL)-33, which may be a key signal for tissue integration. Cellular metabolic requirements associated … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Apr 15;215(4):vkag060. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag060. ABSTRACT We have previously reported that T cells accumulate in the arteries of old mice and mechanistically contribute to the development of age-related arterial dysfunction. However, the specific T cell subtype that is the primary contributor to arterial aging is unknown. There is substantial evidence that CD8+ T … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Apr 15;215(4):vkag053. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag053. ABSTRACT Natural killer (NK) cells are key effectors of innate immunity and contribute to early control of viral infections. Their activity is regulated in part by interactions between killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) on NK cells and major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) molecules on target cells. … Read more

J Immunol. 2026 Apr 15;215(4):vkag051. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag051. ABSTRACT Folate receptor beta (FRβ), encoded by FOLR2, is selectively expressed in monocytes and macrophages, yet its function in innate immune signaling remains poorly defined. Here, we identify FRβ as a novel regulator of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and pyroptosis in human THP-1 macrophages. Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene deletion, we … Read more