Reviews & Analysis

Plants depend on cell-autonomous innate immune mechanisms for protection against infection and these pathways are activated in response to pattern recognition receptor (PRR) engagement. However, as is the case in mammals, PRR signalling in plants must be tightly controlled to avoid pathological outcomes; this Review focuses on the mechanisms that regulate plant PRR signalling.

In this Viewpoint article,Nature Reviews Immunologyinvites five experts to share their thoughts on the contributions made by Élie Metchnikoff to the fields of phagocytosis, macrophage biology, leukocyte migration, the microbiota and intravital imaging.

The detection of viruses by the immune system is mediated predominantly by the sensing of nucleic acids. Here, the authors review our current understanding of how this complex immune sensory system discriminates self from non-self nucleic acids to reliably detect pathogenic viruses, and discuss the future perspectives and implications for human disease.

In this Review, the authors summarize the role of adaptive and innate immune responses toLeishmaniainfection and how immune responses drive pathogenesis. Advances in our understanding of immunity to cutaneous leishmaniasis could help to improve vaccine development and immunotherapy.

Immunometabolism is emerging an important area of immunological research, but for many immunologists the complexity of the field can be daunting. Here, the authors provide an overview of six key metabolic pathways that occur in immune cells and explain what is known (and what is still to be uncovered) concerning their effects on immune cell function.

Combinatorial antibody libraries have emerged as powerful tools for generating therapeutic antibodies, which are some of the most successful drugs in the world today. This Review provides a brief overview of how these libraries are generated, before focusing on the immunological insights that have arisen from their study.

Comparing the immune responses to and immunopathogenesis of infection with hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) provides insight into the distinct outcomes of each type of viral hepatitis.

Oxidation-specific epitopes (OSEs) function as markers of oxidative damage of membrane lipids. This Review discusses the immune recognition of OSEs, as well as their role in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and their contribution to the development of inflammatory diseases.

The unfolded protein response pathway that is induced by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has important roles in immune cell development and function, which have led to new insights into the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases.

A broad and practical overview for applying computational techniques to analyse, visualize and interpret high-dimensional data from flow cytometry. Computational flow cytometry improves reproducibility, allows automated identification of cell populations and biomarkers, as well as enables predictive modelling of clinical correlates and cell development pathways.

Here, the authors discuss the role of C-type lectin receptor signalling pathways in the control of T helper cell differentiation and examine how these receptors and pathways can be harnessed for vaccine strategies.

Dysregulated inflammasome activation is linked to numerous inflammatory disorders and is therefore tightly regulated. In this Review, the authors discuss the latest insights into the activation and assembly mechanisms of inflammasomes, the structure of distinct inflammasome complexes and the mechanisms that regulate inflammasome signalling.

Structural and functional similarities between the cytolytic synapses formed by CD8⁺T cells and primary cilia are shedding new light on the mechanisms and order of events of synapse formation.

Neutrophils follow a multitude of signals to reach sites of injury or infection. Understanding how this occurs and what the fate of these neutrophils is provides insight into how immune responses are controlled and chronic inflammation is avoided. In this Review, the authors describe the movement of neutrophils during inflammation.

The microbiota and host immune system engage in a complex crosstalk that is being increasingly revealed thanks to advances in technological and computational approaches. Here, the authors highlight some of the microbial metabolites and components that are vital for immune system development and homeostasis.

The skin is home to diverse microbial communities that constantly interact with host epithelial and immune cells. In this Review, the authors summarize how the skin microbiota can control innate and adaptive immunity to skin pathogens, as well as its influence on skin inflammatory diseases.

Clinical evidence, including results from randomized controlled clinical trials, strongly suggests that certain live vaccines can reduce all-cause mortality, most probably through protection against non-targeted pathogens. This Opinion article examines the potential immunological mechanisms underlying these effects.

In this Review, the authors describe the diversity and characteristics of tissue-resident human natural killer cells, with focus on those found in the liver, uterus and lungs. They also discuss important unresolved questions and future challenges in the field.

This Review details the key roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) in regulating immune cell development and function. The authors describe how miRNAs govern cell fate decisions during haematopoiesis and discuss how aberrant miRNA expression can lead to pathologies such as autoimmunity and cancer.

Infection with cytomegalovirus induces an unusually high level of long-lasting memory T cells that have potent effector functions. Understanding how and why this occurs might help to improve responses to vaccination.