The Promise and Peril of Natural Killer Cell Therapies in Pulmonary Infection
...Published in Immunity
SARS-CoV-2: Combating Coronavirus Emergence
Published in Immunity
The emergence and rapid global spread of SARS-CoV-2 mark the third such identification of a novel coronavirus capable of causing severe, potentially fatal disease in humans in the 21st century. As noted by Andersen et al. ( Nature Medicine ), the sequencing of proximal zoonotic ancestors to SARS-CoV-2 has aided in the identification of alleles that...
Inflammatory Type 2 cDCs Acquire Features of cDC1s and Macrophages to Orchestrate Immunity to Respiratory Virus Infectio...
...Published in Immunity
The dichotomy between type 1 and 2 conventional DCs under steady-state conditions is well defined. Bosteels et al. demonstrate that, upon inflammation, cDC2s acquire a hybrid inf-cDC2 phenotype, sharing phenotype, gene expression, and function with cDC1s and monocyte-derived cells, to optimally boost CD4 and CD8 immunity via Fc receptors.
Immunology of COVID-19: current state of the science
...Published in Immunity
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected millions of people worldwide, igniting an unprecedented effort from the scientific community to understand the biological underpinning of COVID19 pathophysiology. In this review, we summarize the current state of kno...
Detection of SARS-CoV-2-specific humoral and cellular immunity in COVID-19 convalescent individuals
...Published in Immunity
In blood samples from COVID-19 convalescent subjects, Ni et al. have detected SARS-CoV-2-specific humoral and cellular immunity. Most subjects display serum neutralizing activities, which correlate with the numbers of virus-specific T cells.
COVID-19: A New Virus, but a Familiar Receptor and Cytokine Release Syndrome
Published in Immunity
Understanding the cell entry mechanism of pandemic coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for treating the disease. Zhou et al. ( Nature ) and Hoffmann et al. ( Cell ) identify ACE2 as a SARS-CoV-2 receptor, and the latter show its entry mechanism depends on cellular serine protease TMPRSS2. These results suggest several possible therapeutic targets, in...
Something Else to Stress about: Perinatal Stress Attenuates CD8 + T Cell Activity in Adults
Published in Immunity
Early-life stress has adverse health effects, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Hong et al. demonstrate that perinatal exposure to glucocorticoids in mice reprograms the neuroendocrine stress pathway. This results in reduced glucocorticoid levels in adults, leading to attenuated anti-tumor and anti-bacterial CD8+ T cell responses.
Stromal Cells Covering Omental Fat-Associated Lymphoid Clusters Trigger Formation of Neutrophil Aggregates to Capture Pe...
...Published in Immunity
For decades, the omentum has been known as the policeman of the abdomen. Jackson-Jones et al. reveal the existence of specialized mesothelial cells within fat-associated lymphoid clusters of the omentum that are responsible for the capture of peritoneal contaminants via the formation of neutrophil aggregates, preventing systemic spread.
SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines: Status Report
Published in Immunity
Amanat and Krammer discuss therapeutic and prophylactic interventions for SARS-CoV-2, the causal agent of COVID-19, with a focus on vaccine development and its challenges.
Butyrophilin-2A1 Directly Binds Germline-Encoded Regions of the Vγ9Vδ2 TCR and Is Essential for Phosphoantigen Sensing
...Published in Immunity
Karunakaran et al. find that butyrophilin 2A1 (BTN2A1) associates with BTN3A1 on the cell surface and binds directly to germline-encoded regions of the Vγ9 chain of the Vγ9Vδ2 TCR. Thus, BTN2A1 collaborates with BTN3A1 to potentiate Vγ9Vδ2 T cell recognition, playing an essential role in phosphoantigen sensing.
