Trends Immunol. 2024 Nov 27:S1471-4906(24)00275-8. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2024.11.004. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Chronic antigen exposure is frequently associated with T cell exhaustion. In a recent study, Aljobaily et al. show that pancreatic islet-infiltrating CD4+ T cells in mouse autoimmune diabetes may circumvent exhaustion by preserving TCF1 expression. Continuous recruitment of epigenetically pre-programmed CD62L+ CD4+ T … Read more

Trends Immunol. 2024 Nov 27:S1471-4906(24)00278-3. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2024.11.007. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT In the battle against cancer, researchers are exploring the use of engineered bacteria as living medicines. Redenti and colleagues demonstrate that Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) can be engineered to deliver cancer neoantigen payloads, stimulating antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and mediating … Read more

Trends Immunol. 2024 Nov 26:S1471-4906(24)00274-6. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2024.11.003. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT The recent discovery by Lu and colleagues of Tomasiella immunophila, a bacterium that degrades IgA, offers insights into microbial influences on mucosal immunity and evolutionary immune trade-offs. By modulating IgA titers, T. immunophila influences the dynamic interactions and balance between the host and … Read more

Trends Immunol. 2024 Nov 22:S1471-4906(24)00273-4. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2024.11.002. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Innate immune cells that are epigenetically reprogrammed by infection can modify host responses to subsequent infections. Lercher et al. have identified epigenetic reprogramming of murine airway-resident macrophages following recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection, conferring protection from pathology and lethality following secondary influenza A virus … Read more

Trends Immunol. 2024 Nov 21:S1471-4906(24)00277-1. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2024.11.006. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Following on from the discovery that innate immune pathways are shared widely across the tree of life comes another surprise: Hobbs et al. show that viruses targeting animals and bacteria also use highly conserved tools to fight back. Why such mechanisms remain seemingly … Read more

Trends Immunol. 2024 Nov 21:S1471-4906(24)00252-7. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2024.10.006. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Combinations of the highly polymorphic KIR and HLA-I genes are associated with numerous human diseases. Interpreting these associations requires a molecular understanding of the multiple killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR)-human leukocyte antigen-1 (HLA-I) receptor-ligand interactions on natural killer (NK) cells and identifying the salient … Read more

Trends Immunol. 2024 Nov 21:S1471-4906(24)00279-5. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2024.11.008. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT A recent study by Ascic et al. demonstrates that in situ reprogramming of tumor cells into conventional dendritic cell (cDC)-like cells using viral-PIB transcription factors creates an immunogenic tumor microenvironment with T cell recruitment and activation. The study highlights the potential of tumor-specific … Read more

Trends Immunol. 2024 Nov 20:S1471-4906(24)00276-X. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2024.11.005. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Tissue-resident memory (TRM) T cells not only control infection and cancer, but also contribute to inflammatory disease. In a recent study, Obers et al. demonstrate that retinoic acid (RA) and TGF-β direct TRM residency in mice, with RA uniquely retaining cells in the … Read more

Trends Immunol. 2024 Nov 20:S1471-4906(24)00272-2. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2024.11.001. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT The success of T cell-based immunotherapies is limited by exhaustion, which is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. Baldwin and colleagues show that bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) use nanotubes to transfer mitochondria to T cells, which increases mitochondria mass and fitness and boosts antitumor … Read more

Trends Immunol. 2024 Nov 19:S1471-4906(24)00253-9. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2024.10.007. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Solute carrier proteins (SLCs) are pivotal for maintaining cellular homeostasis by transporting small molecules across cellular membranes. Recent discoveries have uncovered their involvement in modulating innate immunity, particularly within the cytosol. We review emerging evidence that links SLC transporters to cytosolic innate immune … Read more