The Journal of Immunology

Neutrophils infiltrate lesional skin robustly in individuals with psoriasis. However, their role in chronically inflamed skin-particularly in terms of phenotypic and functional diversity-remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the functional potential of 2 distinct circulating neutrophil populations-conventional, polymorphonuclear neutrophils (cNeu) and low-density neutrophils (…

Co-inhibitory receptors are essential checkpoints to restrain excessive T cell activation. While PD1 and CTLA4 have been extensively studied, the biology of lymphocyte activation gene 3 (Lag3), an emerging target for checkpoint blockade immunotherapy, remains less understood. In this study, we show that Lag3, though largely intracellular in resting T cells, exhibits unexpected dynamic cycling eve…

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) poses a serious threat to the lives of adults. Differentially expressed miRNAs play a crucial regulatory role in CAP. This study aims to explore the diagnostic and prognostic significance of miR-4492 in CAP and its possible mechanism of action with tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) in human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEpCs). Differenti…

The skull bone marrow (sBM) is a hematopoietic site intimately connected to the dura mater-the outermost layer of the meninges that surround the central nervous system (CNS)-via vascular channels that enable trafficking of immune cells and sampling of cerebrospinal fluid. sBM-derived cells directly access the dura under homeostasis and, following pathology, can infiltrate the CNS, contributing to…

Olfaction, or the sense of smell, is the ability to detect airborne chemicals that transmit environmental information. Evolutionarily, this sense is essential for finding and judging the safety of food, mediating social relationships, marking territory, and assessing danger. In humans, olfaction is commonly thought to have a unique position in evoking emotional autobiographical experiences. As a …

The choroid plexus (ChP) is increasingly recognized as a dynamic neuroimmune interface that integrates peripheral and central signals to regulate cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) homeostasis, leukocyte trafficking, and inflammatory tone within the central nervous system (CNS). Recent studies reveal that beyond their classic roles in CSF production and barrier function, ChP epithelial cells are conductor…

Body-brain neuroimmune signaling is important for maintaining homeostasis and behavior. Dysregulation of these interoceptive communication pathways leads to compromised physical and mental health often associated with psychiatric disorders. Specialized interoceptive nodes considered as "gateways" to the brain offer an interface for communication with the periphery to aid in homeostatic maintenanc…

Interleukin 1-beta (IL-1β) is an inflammatory cytokine produced by myeloid cells in response to infection or sterile tissue damage. Secretion of bioactive IL-1β from macrophages (Mφ) or dendritic cells (DC) downstream of activated NLRP3/caspase-1 inflammasomes is the best characterized model; this is mediated by caspase-1 cleavage of proIL-1β and Gasdermin D. Gasdermin D pores that form in the pl…

Echoviruses commonly infect humans and can cause severe outcomes, including meningitis and liver failure, especially in neonates and immunocompromised individuals. Although recent progress has been made in understanding acute pathogenesis and innate immunity to echoviruses, adaptive immune responses remain poorly defined, in part due to the lack of an appropriate small animal model of infection. …

The traditional view of the immune system distinguishes between the innate immune system, which serves as the host's first line of defense against pathogens, and the adaptive immune system, which evolved to manage more complex or recurrent infections. However, the discovery of evolutionarily conserved mechanisms in innate memory cells (trained immunity) has revealed adaptive-like characteristics …

The sympathetic nervous system regulates many aspects of lymphocyte function by stimulating adrenergic receptors with catecholamines. To determine the effects of β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) signaling on B cell development, we utilized the pre-B cell colony forming unit (CFU-Pre-B) assay and found that isoproterenol (ISO), a β-AR selective catecholamine, potently suppresses pre-B cell colony form…

Antibodies are secreted by specialized antibody-secreting cells, also known as plasma cells (PCs), which differentiate from antigen-activated B cells. Antibodies are critical for protection against many types of infection and are correlates of vaccine efficacy. Iron metabolism is important for antibody responses, and heme (the major source of Fe2+) augments PC formation. However, the full spectru…

Tumor-associated macrophages are an abundant, tumor-infiltrating cell population that supports the evasion of tumor cells from antitumoral immune cell detection by generating an immunosuppressive tumor-immune microenvironment (TIME). The immunosuppressive function of macrophages is dictated by the cytokine environment. IL-9 is a pleiotropic cytokine that can be a positive or negative regulator of…

On September 22 and 23, 2025, the National Institute on Aging and the Trans-NIH Chronic Inflammation Working Group convened a workshop titled "Inflammaging: Mechanisms, Markers, and Intervention Strategies." It explored recent advances and identified gaps and opportunities to improve our understanding of the impact and mechanisms of inflammaging in disease development, and to leverage this knowle…

The fetomaternal interface (FMi), comprising fetal chorionic trophoblast cells (CTCs) and maternal decidual stromal cells (DECs), plays a critical role in providing immune tolerance during pregnancy. Intrauterine inflammation is major trigger of adverse outcomes such as preterm birth, yet the cell-specific inflammatory responses at the FMi -; poorly defined. We investigated differential inflammat…

Asthma is a chronic airway disease driven by type 2 immune responses, a core mechanism shared across allergic conditions. Cathepsins (CTSs), lysosomal proteases that regulate immune processes such as autophagy, antigen presentation, and cytokine modulation, have been implicated in allergy, but whether specific CTSs-particularly cathepsin B (CTSB)-causally contribute to asthma and through which me…

B cells constitute ∼15% to 20% of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in melanoma. Their presence in the tumor microenvironment correlates with improved survival and enhanced response to immune checkpoint blockade therapy. Yet, the functional contribution of B cells to melanoma immunity remains unclear. In this study, we showed that both genetic and antibody-mediated B cell depletion significantly pro…

Histone deacetylase HDAC7 is required for early B cell development and governs the acquisition of B cell progenitors gene identity. Its role in mature B cell biology and associated malignancies is unknown. Here, by using a conditional mouse model for specific deletion in activated B cells, we demonstrate that HDAC7 is essential for the formation of germinal centers (GC). HDAC7 deficiency results …