Nature Reviews Immunology October [2006 Vol 6 No. 10 Full issue]

In Brief
Apoptosis: Death by granzyme B
Mast cells: Mast cells and TReg cells join forces
Haematopoiesis: Refining mixed-lineage progenitors

In the news
Armed T cells attack cancer
HIV: Relief for tired T cells

In Brief

Top of pageReviews
Article series: Tumour immunology

Cancer despite immunosurveillance: immunoselection and immunosubversion
Laurence Zitvogel, Antoine Tesniere and Guido Kroemer
Although there are numerous immune mechanisms that destroy cancer precursors, the selection of tumour cells that are poorly immunogenic and that can subvert the immune response is crucial to the development of cancer. How these processes are linked is discussed in this Review.

Receptor editing in lymphocyte development and central tolerance
David Nemazee
This Review article discusses the importance of secondary gene rearrangements in the alteration of antigen-receptor specificity by B cells and T cells, and describes how this process is facilitated by the different genomic organization of the loci that encode the two antigen-receptor chains.

Competence and competition: the challenge of becoming a long-lived plasma cell
Andreas Radbruch, Gwendolin Muehlinghaus, Elke O. Luger, Ayako Inamine, Kenneth G. C. Smith, Thomas Dörner and Falk Hiepe
How does the immune system remember? The elegant system by which plasmablasts specific for 'new' pathogens compete with plasma cells specific for 'old' pathogens to gain access to survival niches ensures that the humoral immune system adapts to newly encountered antigens but does not forget those previously encountered.

Reciprocal regulation between natural killer cells and autoreactive T cells
Fu-Dong Shi and Luc Van Kaer
An appreciation of the crosstalk between cells of the innate and the adaptive immune system is increasingly important for understanding both health and disease. As highlighted here, reciprocal regulation between natural killer cells and autoreactive T cells can influence all stages of autoimmune disease.

Immunological mechanisms of allergen-specific immunotherapy
Mark Larché, Cezmi A. Akdis and Rudolf Valenta
Allergen-specific immunotherapy can ameliorate the symptoms of allergic diseases and has shown long-lasting benefits. Recent work discussed in this Review indicates that the beneficial effects result from immunomodulation, including a switch to IgG responses and induction of regulatory T cells.

Adipocytokines: mediators linking adipose tissue, inflammation and immunity
Herbert Tilg and Alexander R. Moschen
Adipose tissue produces several inflammatory mediators, including the adipocytokines adiponectin, leptin and resistin. Here, recent advances in our understanding of the role of these adipocytokines in inflammation and immunity are discussed, highlighting the importance of these mediators in obesity-associated diseases.

Top of pagePerspective
Opinion

B-cell memory: are subsets necessary?
David Tarlinton
In this Opinion article, a new model for the generation and the maintenance of memory B cells is proposed. The model involves these cells being continuously produced by the germinal centre throughout an immune response, with B cells that are produced later in the response being fitter and therefore having a survival advantage.

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