Immunology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Microglial morphology can indicate functional states in aging and age-related diseases, yet subcellular transcriptional organization remains poorly understood. Combining multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization (MERFISH) with fluorescent immunohistochemistry, Henze et al. demonstrate that subcellular localization patterns of transcripts in microglia uncover age-associated morphological alterations, which emphasizes the intricate cellular remodeling that underlies brain aging processes and functional diversity.

A study shows that the unique pMHC repertoire of cortical thymic epithelial cells is crucial for the differentiation of cytotoxic CD8⁺ T cells, providing the TCR signaling disruption needed as thymocytes move into the medulla, where a different pMHC set is encountered.

Pain in rheumatoid arthritis often persists independently of joint inflammation. In this issue, Su et al. demonstrate that sustained non-canonical type 1 interferon signaling within peripheral sensory neurons maintains hypersensitivity long after inflammation subsides, revealing a potential therapeutic avenue for chronic arthritic pain.

T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein 3 (TIM-3) is a protein that has been associated with regulatory processes in different immune cells. Here the authors demonstrate that TIM-3 is associated with regulation of type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) and use two different mouse allergy models to show how signalling through TIM-3 reduces allergic responses and inflammation.

Systemic autoinflammatory disorders (SAID) represent a heterogeneous family of immune dysregulation disorders with overlapping clinical characteristics, making a precise and timely diagnosis challenging. Here, the authors collect samples from a group of patients diagnosed with autoinflammation of unknown origin, and by combining immunophenotyping, plasma proteomics, and machine learning, identify key immunological drivers of this condition with a signature that partially overlaps that of Still’s disease.

Th17 cells play critical immunological roles and are exposed to oxidative stress but how the mechanisms behind how they deal with this are not well established. Here the authors suggest a role for Xeroderma Pigmentosum Complementation Group C in the protection of Th17 cells from oxidative stress in a murine model.

The immune mechanism causing ischemic heart failure pathology in myocardial infarction (MI) requires further exploration. The authors here find NK cells are recruited to ischemic heart after acute myocardial infarction (MI) and induce cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Pharmacological depletion of NK cells reduces the pathology.

Microglial morphology can indicate functional states in aging and age-related diseases, yet subcellular transcriptional organization remains poorly understood. Combining multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization (MERFISH) with fluorescent immunohistochemistry, Henze et al. demonstrate that subcellular localization patterns of transcripts in microglia uncover age-associated morphological alterations, which emphasizes the intricate cellular remodeling that underlies brain aging processes and functional diversity.

A preprint by Ma et al. reports that the Fc receptor CD16a is a mechanosensitive receptor that helps natural killer cells to discriminate between cell-bound antibodies and soluble immune complexes.