Trends in Immunology

Trends Immunol. 2026 Apr 27:S1471-4906(26)00071-2. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2026.03.010. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Placental biology is increasingly framed through a signaling paradigm in which maternal microbiome-derived mediators-rather than microbial colonization-affect the function of the interface. This review synthesizes evidence that circulating microbial signals, including short-chain fatty acids, tryptophan-derived indoles, bile-acid-linked ligands, microbe-associated molecular patterns, and bacterial … Read more

Trends Immunol. 2026 Apr 23:S1471-4906(26)00095-5. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2026.04.002. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT It remains unclear how mitochondrial stress instructs the transcriptional programme of terminal T cell exhaustion. In a recent study, Xu et al. uncovered a proteasome-haem-BACH2 axis in which haem liberated from damaged mitochondrial haemoproteins acts as a molecular messenger that couples mitochondrial injury … Read more

Trends Immunol. 2026 Apr 22:S1471-4906(26)00092-X. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2026.04.001. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are innate-like T cells that recognize microbial metabolites. Recent studies have suggested numerous markers to define MAIT cells with distinct functional characteristics. This review synthesizes available data to identify markers that distinguish type 1 and type 3 murine … Read more

Trends Immunol. 2026 Apr 21:S1471-4906(26)00072-4. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2026.03.011. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT The macrophage disappearance reaction (MDR) was originally proposed to explain the loss of peritoneal macrophages in inflammation but has since been extended across tissues and diseases. MDR involves multiple processes, including cell death, differentiation, loss of identity, and the formation of aggregates rendering … Read more

Trends Immunol. 2026 Apr 18:S1471-4906(26)00070-0. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2026.03.009. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Natural killer (NK) cells are part of the innate immune system and reside in multiple tissues. During steady-state conditions, they contribute to tissue homeostasis, while in disease settings, tissue-resident (tr) NK cells are positioned at the frontline of immune surveillance. Due to their … Read more

Trends Immunol. 2026 Apr 16:S1471-4906(26)00067-0. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2026.03.006. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Immunogenic cell death (ICD) converts the death of a tumor cell into an event sensed by the immune system. Recent studies show that distinct ICD modalities, including immunogenic apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, and hybrid forms such as PANoptosis, release defined sets of danger signals … Read more

Trends Immunol. 2026 Apr 9:S1471-4906(26)00069-4. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2026.03.008. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Ferroptosis, a regulated form of cell death driven by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, has attracted considerable attention in tumor biology and cancer therapy. Beyond its intrinsic role in tumor suppression, ferroptosis greatly influences the tumor immune microenvironment. Ferroptotic tumor cells release damage-associated molecular patterns, … Read more

Trends Immunol. 2026 Apr 9:S1471-4906(26)00068-2. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2026.03.007. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT The central nervous system (CNS), once considered immune privileged, is, in fact, protected by a dynamic immune compartment located in the meninges. These immune cells are crucial for brain protection, controlling neuroinflammation, and also supporting neural function. Recent studies show that meningeal immune … Read more

Trends Immunol. 2026 Apr 2:S1471-4906(26)00066-9. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2026.03.005. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Trained immunity (TRIM), a paradigm-shifting concept in immunology, refers to the long-term functional reprogramming of innate immune cells, enabling enhanced responsiveness to secondary challenges through metabolic and epigenetic remodeling. This phenomenon bridges the gap between innate and adaptive immunity, offering novel strategies for … Read more

Trends Immunol. 2026 Apr 1:S1471-4906(26)00062-1. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2026.03.003. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Toll-like receptor-2 (TLR2) serves as an innate immune sensor that recognizes specific viral proteins, thereby initiating signaling pathways that can either enhance antiviral host defenses or induce pathological inflammatory responses. In this forum, we discuss the role of TLR2 and its agonists in … Read more