Reviews & Analysis

Haematopoietic stem cells are a rare, self-renewing population that give rise to all cells of the immune system. In this Review, the authors describe how the haematopoietic stem cell compartment is shaped by infection and inflammation, and discuss the therapeutic implications of this.

Unexpected and controversial results regarding the functional organization of the T cell synapse have been obtained from the single molecule imaging techniques that have recently become available.

Natural killer (NK) cells are traditionally considered to be innate immune players. In this Review, J. C. Sun and L. L. Lanier summarize the principles of NK cell development, homeostasis and function, and draw parallels between NK cell and CD8⁺T cell biology. From a fascinating discussion it appears that the borders between innate and adaptive immunity are not as well defined as previously thought.

In this Opinion article, Caroline Jefferies and colleagues discuss the evidence in support of a role for TRIM proteins in autoimmune and autoinflammatory disease through their ability to regulate the inflammasome and pro-inflammatory cytokine and interferon production.

This article discusses how homeostatic chemokines can shape 'cellular highways' for immune cell trafficking and lymphoid organogenesis. The authors propose that cancer cells exploit these chemokine-driven highways in order to metastasize and thrive at distant tissue sites.

Much insight into the workings of the immune system has been garnered from studying patients with primary immunodeficiencies. This article describes the recent discovery of human dendritic cell deficiencies and explains the lessons we can learn from these syndromes.

Ultraviolet radiation from sunlight can modulate immune function by both vitamin D-dependent and -independent mechanisms. The authors discuss the implications of this for understanding whether vitamin D supplementation might benefit patients with autoimmune diseases and allergic asthma, and boost immunity to pathogens.

The beneficial impact of exercise on health is indisputable. Here, the authors review the direct and indirect anti-inflammatory effects of exercise and discuss the potential mechanisms involved.

This Review provides an overview of the multiple functions of neutrophils in the immune system. Although classically considered simply as 'first responders', it is now clear that neutrophils contribute to the activation and polarization of numerous cells of both the innate and adaptive immune systems and are important players in the pathogenesis of many diseases.

Recent thymic emigrants (RTEs) are a population of T cells that undergo maturation in the periphery and are functionally distinct from mature naive T cells. These cells constitute a major proportion of the T cell pool in neonates and in adults recovering from lymphoablation. This article describes what is known, and what remains to be discovered, about RTEs.

In this Viewpoint article,Nature Reviews Immunologyasks five experts in the field to share their thoughts on the development and immune functions of plasmacytoid dendritic cells. Importantly, will these cells be a useful clinical target?

Alan Rothman describes the types of immune response that are associated with protection and pathology during dengue virus infection. Although virus-specific antibodies provide protective neutralizing immunity, they can also facilitate infection of other host cells; the author discusses the implications of this for vaccine development.

The detection of multiple and often rare T cell specificities is crucial for understanding and therapeutically manipulating T cell responses. In this Perspective article, Daviset al. summarize the latest advances in peptide–MHC multimer technology that have rendered peptide–MHC multimers a valuable tool in both basic and clinical T cell research.

This article looks at recent developments in our understanding of protective immune mechanisms againstStaphylococcus aureusskin infections, with a focus on IL-1- and IL-17-mediated responses, and the impact of these new discoveries on future immunotherapy and vaccination strategies.

T cell progenitors must receive cues to instruct their homing to and entry into the thymus and, once there, positive and negative selection signals need to be synchronized with signals that control the migration of thymocytes within and out of the thymus. This Review focuses on recent advances in our understanding of thymocyte migration and highlights some outstanding questions.

In the intestine, intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) maintain the integrity of the epithelial barrier and provide protection against pathogens. However, IELs may also drive immunopathological responses in patients with coeliac disease or inflammatory bowel disease. Here, the authors discuss the 'light' and 'dark' sides of the intestinal IELs.

The development of immune cells is tightly regulated by a series of epigenetic mechanisms. Here, Howard Cedar and Yehudit Bergman discuss the different types of chromatin modifications that determine the fate of haematopoietic stem cells.

TRAF3 is a central component of the TNF and TLR signalling pathways. This Review summarizes the current knowledge on TRAF3-mediated regulation of MAPK and alternative NF-κB pathways and of the type I interferon response in immune cells.

In 1950, the function of the thymus was unknown. Jacques F. A. P. Miller describes how research on its immunological role started and gives an overview of the last 50 years of research on the thymus.

Exciting new studies have uncovered many of the molecules and cell types that contribute to 'type 2' immune responses. Here, Judith Allen and Rick Maizels discuss how these responses are generated and provide protective immunity during helminth infection.