Trends in Immunology最新文献

The intestinal epithelium functions as an immune-metabolic interface, integrating environmental signals to maintain systemic homeostasis. Intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs), interspersed within the epithelial layer, form a highly interactive network with intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) to coordinate barrier defense, immune tolerance, and metabolic regulation. IECs orchestrate IEL development, positioning, and functional programming. Reciprocally, IELs modulate epithelial physiology, nutrient uptake, and epithelial repair. Dysregulation of the IEL-IEC unit contributes to intestinal and extraintestinal pathologies. This review discusses current advances in IEL-IEC bidirectional communication, highlighting the influences of diet, microbial metabolites, and immune checkpoints on this interface. We propose a paradigm in which the IEL-IEC interplay functions as a key immunometabolic regulatory unit and represents a promising therapeutic target for systemic diseases.

Advances in single-cell sequencing have transformed our understanding of immune aging by enabling high-resolution dissection of age-associated changes in cellular composition and function. Recent years have seen a surge in studies leveraging single-cell multi-omics to chart immune trajectories across the human lifespan, uncovering previously unrecognized heterogeneity and functional shifts in peripheral immune cells. While these technologies offer unprecedented insights, they also pose significant technical and analytical challenges, including data integration across platforms and populations. In this review, we critically examine landmark studies, compare emerging immune aging clocks, and highlight opportunities for clinical translation. By decoding immune aging at single-cell resolution, we move closer to early detection of immunosenescence, personalized immunomodulation, and precision strategies to extend healthspan in aging populations.

Identification of antigenic ligands for the γδ T cell receptor (TCR) has remained a highly challenging goal since the emergence in the 1980s of γδ T cells as a distinct immune compartment. In a significant advance more than 12 years ago, endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR), a cell-surface-expressed major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-like protein that binds phospholipids, was identified as the first ligand for a human γδ TCR to be validated by direct binding experiments: a finding that undoubtedly posed more questions than it answered. In this review we discuss how features of this single clonotypic specificity anticipated insights into adaptive-like human γδ T cell biology that emerged in subsequent investigations, and we highlight recent findings about EPCR that point towards the relevance of such responses in anti-pathogen and potentially anti-tumour immunity.

Natural killer (NK) cells protect from viral infection, cancer, and metastasis, and are emerging as valuable therapeutics for cancer treatment. NK-cell control of viral infection has been studied intensively, but less is known in the context of cancer. Multiple associative, preclinical, and early phase clinical studies have revealed the ability of NK-cell-based therapies to contribute to cancer control. Development of effective NK-cell therapeutics will be facilitated by a deeper understanding of the mechanisms controlling NK cell function across an array of cancer types and states. This review will focus on recent studies of the transcription factors that control NK cell function and their response to leukemia, solid tumors, and metastasis.

Burn et al. reveal a previously unrecognised, non-catalytic function of myeloperoxidase (MPO) in neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation; integrating super-resolution microscopy and biochemical approaches, they demonstrated that MPO's oligomeric state governs chromatin decondensation, redefining MPO as a structural chromatin modifier with implications for diseases driven by dysregulated NETosis.

Sepsis, a life-threatening condition triggered by infection, disrupts the body's immune balance and remains a major global health challenge. This forum explores the dual roles of cytokines in sepsis: their overactivation drives 'cytokine storms,' and dysregulation leads to immunosuppression. It also discusses regulatory mechanisms for developing targeted therapies.

This essay uses immunology to illuminate human relationships. Moving beyond self/non-self toward danger-based models, it draws parallels between cytokine communication and language, tolerance and forgiveness, microbiota diversity and coexistence. Recognizing these metaphors reveals pathways toward healthier connections within individuals, communities, and societies.

HIV-1 persists lifelong despite effective antiretroviral therapy, yet the mechanisms underlying this persistence remain incompletely understood. Recent work by Wei et al. and Gao et al. reveals that the transcription factor BACH2 orchestrates CD4⁺ T cell memory programs fostering long-term memory formation while limiting effector differentiation, thereby promoting HIV-1 persistence.

Mitochondrial lipid metabolism plays a pivotal role in tumor immunosurveillance and immune evasion. This review explores how mitochondrial regulation shapes immune cell metabolism within the tumor microenvironment (TME), focusing on the antitumor effects of the mitochondrial-fueled immune response and the detrimental impact of impaired mitochondrial function on immune cell cytotoxicity. Although current studies support this dual role, critical gaps remain, including how immune cells adapt differently to the lipid-rich TME, and how therapies can target lipid metabolism without harming immune memory. By synthesizing current findings and highlighting these uncertainties, this review highlights mitochondrial lipid metabolism as a promising therapeutic axis in cancer immunotherapy.

The interaction between the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and the tumor determines whether immune evasion or antitumor immunity prevails. Metabolic reprogramming is increasingly recognized as a critical factor shaping the tumor immune response. Glucose metabolism regulates the intrinsic cellular states of both immune and tumor cells, while simultaneously shaping the surrounding microenvironment. The glycolytic diversity of immune and tumor cells drives the complexity of the TIME. In this Review, we explore how glucose metabolism remodels the TIME and how these metabolic alterations influence immune effector function and immune evasion. We also highlight the potential for integrating microenvironmental modulation as a promising therapeutic strategy in glucose-targeted cancer therapies.