Secretory IgA coats the intestinal microbiota and is the most abundant antibody isotype produced in the mammalian gastrointestinal mucosa. In Cell Host and Microbe, Lisicka et al. show that IgA prevents chronic gut colonization by viruses and that IgA deficiency in some individuals increases susceptibility to colitis if exposed to viral pathobionts. The authors designed a mouse model of secretory IgA

The double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) sensor 2′,5′-oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS) produces the linear oligonucleotide 2-5A, which binds to and activates RNase L to cleave host and viral RNA and activate RIG-I-like receptors. In Immunity, Yan and colleagues show that 2-5A is transferred from cell to cell through gap junctions to mediate short-range communication between cells during infection and cancer

Skin damage can have systemic effects but whether it can result in the priming of immune responses that are spatially removed from the skin is less clear. Data now published in Science Immunology show that cytokines released from damaged skin can function as endocrine adjuvants to prime normally tolerogenic gastrointestinal immune responses to the model food antigen ovalbumin, thereby driving humoral

Women experience a higher prevalence of chronic pain, and pain hypersensitivity has been observed in female mice, but that mechanisms that drive sexual dimorphism in nociception remain unclear. In Science, Midavaine et al. find that meningeal regulatory T (mTreg) cells controlled the responses of female mice to mechanical pain via the endogenous opioid peptide enkephalin. Intrathecal injection of pegylated

Addendum to: Nature Immunology https://doi.org/10.1038/ni852, published online 4 November 2002.

Some viral infections cause diarrhea, but the contribution of the host response to the pathophysiology of diarrhea was unknown. In Cell Host and Microbe, Hou et al. use a model of inactivated rotavirus to show that diarrhea is driven by type III interferon (IFNλ). The authors infected neonatal mice with UV-inactivated rotavirus and found that it led to diarrhea. By infecting a panel of genetically

Tissues such as the skin, lungs and gut are constantly exposed to diverse microbial communities and must maintain tight barriers to prevent infection of underlying tissues. In Nature, Vicanolo et al. identify a unique subset of tissue-resident neutrophils found in barrier tissues that are capable of synthesizing extracellular matrix (ECM) components, such as collagen and fibronectin, that contribute

Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) is known for its nucleic acid-sensing type 1 interferon (IFN) responses to inflammatory pathologies such as viruses and cancer, but STING also possesses IFN-independent activities that are less well understood. To address this deficit, researchers generated a STING-reporter mouse (StingIRES-EGFP) to map STING expression in various tissues and during immune cell

Peroxisomes are cellular organelles involved in lipid metabolism and maintaining redox balance, but whether they are involved in the antiviral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection is not known. In Science, Wei et al. find that peroxisomes in alveolar macrophages (AMs) regulate lung inflammation after viral injury and may contribute to the development of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). In

The Immunological Genome Project Consortium (ImmGen) is announcing the launch of ImmGenMaps (https://www.immgen.org/ImmGenMaps), a project designed to spatially profile every immune cell across the mouse anatomy. This community project builds upon the bulk and single-cell profiling efforts of ImmGen to characterize the genetic regulation of all cells of the mouse immune system. Using state-of-the-art

Correction to: Nature Immunology https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-024-01933-7, published online 23 August 2024.

Correction to: Nature Immunology https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-024-02068-5, published online 4 February 2025.

Before the discoveries of DNA structure and the genetic code, the function of nucleic acids, an abundant but mysterious cell component, was the subject of wide speculation. Studying the DNA content of Ehrlich carcinoma ascites cells — a considerable improvement from earlier studies on solid tumors — the Kleins found a correlation between the DNA content and growth properties of malignant cells. Subsequent

The gut is innervated by ganglia neurons, such as dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and celiac-superior mesenteric ganglia (CG-SMG) neurons, and by intrinsic enteric neurons (iENs), which have autonomous reflex activity. In Immunity, Wang et al. show that helminth infection triggers the accumulation of iENs that express c-FOS, a marker of neuronal activation. A cluster of small intestine iENs identified by

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) offers potentially curative therapies for patients with in-borne hematopoietic disorders or those undergoing treatments for hematological malignancies. However, notable morbidity or mortality can occur in patients receiving HSCT, owing to graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). In Science Translational Medicine, Omdahl et al. use a systems immunology approach

Cytotoxic CD8+ T lymphocytes (CTLs) can be dysfunctional in tumors, but treatment with cytokines could help their anti-tumor activity. In Nature, Bréart et al. show that IL-27 is required for host-protective anti-tumor immunity, and that IL-27 receptor agonism enhances CTL responses and tumor control, without toxicity. By analyzing published genomic and transcriptomic data, the authors found that IL27

Adoptive cell therapies require the in vitro culture of engineered cells, a process that is primarily designed to expand the population of cells using supraphysiological concentrations of metabolites such as glucose. Data now published in Cell Metabolism show that these culture systems result in T cells that are not optimal for killing tumors. The researchers compared in vitro and in vivo expansion