Volume 13 Issue 1, January 2012

At the third of the three-part EMBO Conference series “Signaling in the immune system,” immunologists presented their most recent findings in this rapidly moving field and discussed new questions and emerging trends.

The worlds of innate and adaptive immunity collided pleasantly and productively as investigators from each field met in Mykonos for the 4^th Aegean Conference on the Crossroads Between Innate and Adaptive Immunity.

Harnessing invariant natural killer T cells can boost various immune responses. Two studies now shed light on the direct interaction between those cells and B cells that induce strong primary B cell responses.

Lifting the protective shield provided by the type I interferon system selectively in CD169⁺ splenic macrophages enforces localized viral replication. Such controlled release of virus amplifies adaptive antiviral immune responses.

The transmigration of effector T lymphocytes is critical to adoptive immune response. The rules for the migration of effector T cells are now reported to be distinct from those that apply to naive and memory T cells.

The inclusion of the transcription factor Ikaros in the NuRD chromatin-remodeling complex regulates both the targeting and activity of the NuRD complex in lymphocytes, thereby influencing developmental gene-expression programs.

The generation of reactive oxygen species needs to be carefully controlled to prevent tissue injury. Malik and colleagues identify a negative feedback mechanism for such production involving the cation channel TRPM2.

Invariant NKT cells elicit the rapid release of cytokines. Two papers by Leadbetter and Vinuesa and colleagues show that these cells can also provide direct help to B cells to elicit rapid antibody responses.

Invariant NKT cells elicit the rapid release of cytokines. Two papers by Leadbetter and Vinuesa and colleagues show that these cells can also provide direct help to B cells to elicit rapid antibody responses.

Type 1 interferon limits virus replication. Lang and colleagues show that expression of Usp18 in metallophilic macrophages results in less interferon responsiveness, which allows locally restricted virus replication and the induction of adaptive immune responses.

Interleukins 4 and 13 are critical for responses to helminthes. Locksley and colleagues use genetically engineered reporter mice to assess the temporal and spatial production of these cytokines in vivo.

Endothelium-presented chemokines are critical for the entry of lymphocytes into tissues. Alon and colleagues show that transendothelial migration, but not adhesion, of effector lymphocytes on inflamed endothelium is dependent on chemokine signals.

Induced regulatory T cells are important for peripheral tolerance. Oliver and colleagues identify a key function for the adaptor Ndfip1 in stabilizing the identity and function of such cells.

Lymphocyte development is regulated by Ikaros transcription factors. Georgopoulos and colleagues show that Ikaros tethers the nucleosome-remodeling factor Mi-2β and restrains its ability to act at nonlymphoid gene sites.

The NF-κB transcription factor family comprises five distinct proteins. Bulyk and colleagues show that homo- and heterodimeric forms of NF-κB recognize distinct κB sites; this introduces additional specificity to NF-κB gene regulation.