Volume 12 Issue 4, April 2012

TLR9 expression levels and immune responsiveness are under circadian control.

Activating stimuli identified for the NLRP3 and NLRP7 inflammasomes.

Innate functions of B cells are important for antiviral immunity.

A new MRI technique can accurately predict diabetes development in NOD mice.

Skin-resident effector memory CD8⁺T cells provide long-lasting immune protection in the skin.

A stepwise programme of T cell development in human tonsils.

Two studies uncover details of the antigens and immune responses that are involved in cancer immunoediting.

In this Review article, the authors describe the mechanisms by which natural killer cells and natural killer T cells can promote tumour cell elimination. Furthermore, they discuss the new therapies that are being used to boost the antitumour properties of these cells in the clinic.

Here, the authors discuss how the immune activities of myeloid cells, such as macrophages and dendritic cells, are affected by the immunosuppressive tumour environment. They propose that tumours can evade the immune system by promoting aberrant differentiation and function of the entire myeloid system.

This article discusses how T cells promote antitumour immunity in patients with cancer. In certain cancer types, T cell populations that are isolated from tumours and expandedin vitrocan promote cancer remission when re-infused into patients. The authors explain the pros and cons of this type of immunotherapy.

B cells are unique in their ability to link the innate and adaptive immune systems owing to their expression of both an antigen-specific B cell receptor (BCR) and pattern-recognizing Toll-like receptors (TLRs). This article focuses on the role of dual BCR and TLR signalling in fine-tuning B cell responses, with a particular emphasis on B cell-intrinsic events.

This article reviews the interplay between innate and adaptive immune cells in the response to viral infection of the lower respiratory tract and describes the fine-tuning mechanisms that control antiviral T cells in the lungs but that can also predispose an individual to subsequent pulmonary bacterial infections.

Here, the authors discuss what is known about the gene expression and chromatin modifications in memory T cells that make these cells distinct from naive T cells, and provide some opinions on the future direction of the field.