Immunology Discoveries 2021
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We are excited to share with you recent and exciting discoveries in the field of immunology that were published in Life Science Alliance (LSA) within the past year. This LSA collection covers works that advance our understanding of regulation of immune cell differentiation and metabolism, innate and adaptive immunity, cancer immunology, and immunological response to viral and fungal infection(s) and reflects LSA’s scope and interest in studies encompassing basic as well as disease immunology.
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Deep immune profiling of COVID-19 patients with different disease severity reveals populations associated with severe disease and can be used to predict disease severity early on.
We found that acute insult to the central nervous system induces the formation of lymphocyte aggregates reminiscent of tertiary lymphoid structures within the spinal cord meninges. Unlike draining CNS-cervical lymph nodes, meningeal lymphocytes are locally activated during neuro-inflammtion and neurodegeneration.
CD44 anchors the hyaluronan glycocalyx on migrating dendritic cells to permit docking to the endothelial receptor LYVE-1, thus orchestrating lymphatic trafficking through modulating glycocalyx density.
Single-cell sequencing of γδ-T cells from human blood and tumours revealed novel markers of subtypes with distinct effector functions and a subtype that is associated with favourable clinical outcome.
To limit deleterious interferon responses with each cell division and open mitosis, cGAS/STING activities are shown to be dampened-with Golgi vesiculation preventing activation of STING.
NK cell reactivity is dynamically regulated by IL-15, and NK cells do not need more than a few minutes of exposure to remember the cytokine for several hours.
As human B-cells differentiate, IRF4 switches occupancy and acquires CTCF colocalisation and IRF4 regulatory output diverts from cell activation to plasma cell state genes in conjunction with XBP1, whereas BLIMP1 represses activation.
Dysregulation of self-renewal contributes to alterations in alveolar macrophages (AMs). In this study, Penke et al identify PGE2 as a suppressor of AM proliferation, whose divergent bioavailability in aged and cigarette smoke-exposed mice could explain opposite effects on AM numbers.
A renal CD169++ resident macrophage subpopulation controls Candida albicans growth, severe kidney inflammation, and immunopathology during acute systemic candidiasis.
The neurotrophic factor RET is induced in lung macrophages by viral triggers and activation via its ligand neurturin regulates matrix proteins and cytokines that shape the inflammatory response.