The Journal of Immunology

@jimmunol.bsky.social

The Journal of Immunology is an official journal of The American Association of Immunologists, journals.aai.org/jimmunol

Editor-in-Chief: Gail A. Bishop, Ph.D.

@jimmunol.bsky.social Oct 11, 2026, 2:00 PM

New data indicate that micro-RNA-221-5p exacerbates septic cardiomyopathy by negatively regulating neuropilin-1 (NRP1), suggesting that this pathway could represent a novel therapeutic strategy for sepsis-related heart complications. Learn more in The JI: https://ow.ly/xqVz50ZUW5B.

Figure 1Development of the early sepsis rat model and miRNA sequencing Analysis.
A rat sepsis model was established via the CLP method, and myocardial tissue was used for sequencing. (A) Representative HE staining images showing the status of cardiac injury. (B–C) Echocardiographic analysis was performed to evaluate heart function. (D–E) The tissue injury biomarkers (AST, CK-MB, cTnI, LDH) and inflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α) were quantified by ELISA. (F–G) Heatmap plot and volcano plot illustrating dysregulated miRNAs. (H) The top 10 differently expressing miRNAs were confirmed by qPCR. Briefly, 5 rats per group for cardiac injury detection and 2 rat per group for miRNA sequencing. Cardiac tissue and serum were obtained 48 h after sepsis model construction. #P < 0.05, ##P < 0.01, ###P < 0.001.

@jimmunol.bsky.social Oct 10, 2026, 2:00 PM

Data provide new insights into a subpopulation of invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells and demonstrates that the Fgd5 reporter mouse model can be used as a powerful tool to study iNKT cell biology. Find more in The JI: https://ow.ly/ZsgJ50ZUUMp.

Stimulation of Fgd5ZsGreen+ and Fgd5ZsGreen− iNKT cells with PMA/ionomycin and free CD1d PBS-57 tetramer. Total thymus cells were stimulated for (A–E) 3 h with PMA/ionomycin (3 independent experiments, n = 8 mice) or for (F–H) 4 h with CD1d PBS-57–loaded tetramer (5 independent experiments, n = 26 mice). Representative dot plots show data for Fgd5ZsGreen+ iNKT cells (live CD45+CD1d PBS-57+ TCRbint) overlaid onto Fgd5ZsGreen− cells. Error bars on bar charts represent data ± SEM. P values were calculated using paired t tests. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, ****P < 0.0001. FSC-A, forward scatter area; MFI, mean fluorescence intensity; ns, nonsignificant; TNFα, tumor necrosis factor α.

@jimmunol.bsky.social Oct 9, 2026, 2:00 PM

Data show that antibodies and bispecific killer engagers (BiKEs) that are neutralizing and target FcγRs decrease viremia and weight loss in the SARS-CoV-2–infected K18-hACE2 mouse model, helping inform new therapeutics. Read more: https://ow.ly/8PhG50ZUUIr.

Diagram showing virus neutralization by antibodies blocking spike proteins and preventing cell infection.

@jimmunol.bsky.social Oct 8, 2026, 2:01 PM

Researchers inactivated the Ii genes in two well-characterized human B cell lines and assessed the effect on MHCII antigen presentation and other Ii- and MHCII-dependent B cell properties. Read what they found in The JI: https://ow.ly/ZNfG50ZUUgY.

Western blot analysis showing protein expression in Raji and LG2 cells under different conditions labeled NB, B, and K8. Ii limits the accumulation of aberrant peptide/HLA-DR conformers.

@jimmunol.bsky.social Oct 7, 2026, 2:01 PM

Data demonstrate that KDM4A knockdown alleviated neuropathic pain (NP) and inhibited microglial pyroptosis in chronic constriction injury rat models providing novel insights into the epigenetic regulation of NP. Learn more about this in The JI: https://ow.ly/S7Qy50ZUUfp.

Schematic Diagram of the Mechanism. KDM4A promotes MEG3 expression by removing H3K9me2/3 modifications. MEG3 promotes the ubiquitination and degradation of HES1 at least partially by recruiting E3 ubiquitin ligase SMURF2 to interact with HES1. This ultimately promotes NLRP3 inflammasome activation-mediated microglial pyroptosis and inflammatory responses, which in turn accelerates the progression of neuropathic pain.

@jimmunol.bsky.social Oct 6, 2026, 5:00 PM

Researchers studied the frequencies of TRA rearrangements on a repertoire-wide level in different T cell subsets across the lifespan and found that peripheral antigenic selections favor T cells bearing 2 productive TRA rearrangements with age. Read more: https://ow.ly/MWSv50ZUUbn.

Productivity of the total TRA repertoire in thymocyte subsets. The productivity of 4 thymocyte subsets and unsorted PBMCs of 4 donors are shown. Each point represents a single sample. The subset definitions are shown in Table 2.

@jimmunol.bsky.social Oct 6, 2026, 12:59 PM

Researchers investigated how the natSpTrf proteins may function in the sea urchin immune system in vivo. They found that upon detection of a pathogen the SpTrf gene family is upregulated and the natSpTrf proteins are produced. Read more in The JI: https://ow.ly/9KR250ZUU9M

A working hypothesis for the functions of the natSpTrf system in sea urchins. The functions of the rSpTrf proteins isolated from Escherichia coli and insect cells illustrate a possible range of functions carried out by the natSpTrf proteins in sea urchins.

@jimmunol.bsky.social Sep 25, 2026, 12:30 PM

Researchers investigated whether MHC-I and MHC-II antigen presentation and the presence of endogenous cDC1s contribute to the efficacy of adjuvant-activated, tumor antigen–loaded cDC1 vaccines. See what they found in The JI: https://ow.ly/FZ8J50ZQ9K9.

Characterization and functional evaluation of WT, MHC-IKO, and MHC-IIKO cDC1s. Reference scRNA-seq cells are displayed as dots, and bulk RNA-seq samples are overlaid as shapes, corresponding to individual genotypes, as indicated.

@jimmunol.bsky.social Sep 24, 2026, 2:30 PM

Data suggest that sodium butyrate acts as a modulator of macrophage programming during a critical developmental window, leading to a sustained antimicrobial state that is mechanistically and functionally distinct from classical trained immunity. See more: https://ow.ly/gNqS50ZQ9H3.

Twenty-four hours postisolation, bone marrow cells undergoing macrophage differentiation were primed with 1 mM SB for 96 h. This was followed by a 72 h washout period in SB-free medium prior to secondary bacterial challenge. ROS production was measured in reprogrammed cells or naïve BMDMs following bacterial challenge with APEC O78 ST-23 at an MOI of 10 (+APEC) or a PBS blank using DCFDA fluorescence (n = 3). NO production from reprogrammed, naïve, or LPS-primed (10 ng/mL) cells. Significance was determined by calculating the area under the curve. (B) BMDMs and (C) HD11 cells were determined after LPS stimulation (100 ng/mL) (n = 3). Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Each BMDM replicate consisted of bone marrow cells pooled from 3 birds and performed in triplicate. Significance was determined by Kruskal-Wallis statistical test and Dunn’s test of multiple comparison *P ≤ 0.05. ns, nonsignificant; Rep, reprogrammed.

@jimmunol.bsky.social Sep 23, 2026, 2:01 PM

Data show that the processes underlying T cell homeostasis are affected by age, species, and microbial exposure and even laboratory mice born to wild mice do not capture all age-related changes in T cell maintenance observed in humans. Read more: https://ow.ly/suoS50ZQ9vK.

Percentage and number of naive and memory T cells over age in standard lab mice and wildlings.

@jimmunol.bsky.social Sep 22, 2026, 2:30 PM

New data show that skullcapflavone II (SkII) alleviates osteoarthritis progression by inhibiting ferroptosis. The potent effects of SkII are largely attributable to its antiferroptotic activity, highlighting its significant clinical potential. Read more: https://ow.ly/lBrq50ZQ9ta.

SkII attenuated ferroptosis in vivo. (A–C) The concentrations of MDA and Fe2+, and the activity of SOD in cartilage tissues, were measured. (D–F) The mRNA level of indicated genes in cartilage tissues was analyzed by qRT-PCR. (G) The protein level of ETV4, SLC7A11, GPX4, and cleaved caspase-3 in cartilage tissues was analyzed by Western blotting. For all the statistical data, the data are presented as the mean ± SD, and the statistical significance of the differences among groups was assessed using 1-way analysis of variance. Blank versus model, ## P < 0.01; model versus SkII, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 (n = 6).

@jimmunol.bsky.social Sep 13, 2026, 2:00 PM

New data provides insights into the signaling pathways that induce neutrophil extracellular traps in response to SARS-CoV-2, highlighting new targets for studies and therapies for COVID-19. Find the full paper in The JI: https://ow.ly/I7Qt50ZLyjq.

Proteins involved in the generation of ROS are increased in neutrophils from patients with COVID-19. (A) BALs from pneumonia patients were analyzed, and evaluated cohorts were divided into patients with pneumonia without COVID-19 (13 patients) and COVID-19 (22 patients). (B) Single-cell RNA sequencing demonstrates the cell types present during COVID-19 infection and pneumonia without COVID-19. (C) Analysis of genes that encode NOX2-forming proteins in neutrophils from BAL of patients with COVID-19. (D) Assessment of labeling with the MitoSOX staining in airway aspirate from a patient with COVID-19. Images are representative of 5 independent experiments. tSNE, t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding.

@jimmunol.bsky.social Sep 12, 2026, 9:20 PM

Researchers produced homogeneous MHC-Ip complexes for 25 class I MHC alleles and demonstrated that tetramers produced in this way are equivalent to conventionally produced tetramers for T-cell staining. Read about it in The JI: https://ow.ly/hAEq50ZLycZ.

Native IEF gels document peptide exchange into 3C-protease cleaved ELBM constructs. Protein bands shift according to the net charge of the exchange peptides for H2-Kb (A) and HLA-A*02:01 (B).

@jimmunol.bsky.social Sep 12, 2026, 1:20 PM

Despite a prominent IL-17 transcriptional signature, data show IL-17 and IκBζ are not required for autoantibody production or inflammation in a murine model of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy, an autoimmune disease targeting muscles and organs.

🔗 https://ow.ly/I0f050ZLyiC.

Diagram showing IL-17R signaling in mouse muscle cells linked to HRS/Jo-1 myositis involving Act1, TRAF6, and NF-kB pathways.

@jimmunol.bsky.social Sep 11, 2026, 6:20 PM

In a #BriefReview authors discuss the role of lysosomes in immune cells and their potential for developing targeted therapeutic strategies and for enhancing the safety and efficacy of novel biological entities (NBEs). Find the full article in The JI: https://ow.ly/Aofs50ZLyaL.

Extracellular protein processing and presentation in the endocytic pathway. Antigen-presenting cells engulf extracellular proteins via endocytosis mechanisms, encapsulating them in early endosome vesicles. After undergoing a maturation step, newly late endosomes can merge with lysosomes into intermediate structures, known as endolysosomes, where antigen processing occurs. The newly generated peptides are loaded onto the MHCII molecules and presented on the APC’s surface membrane. The recognition of MHCII-peptide complexes promotes the activation, differentiation, and proliferation of CD4+ Th cells.

@jimmunol.bsky.social Sep 10, 2026, 5:15 PM

Data featured in the Clinical and Human Immunology special issue elucidate the metabolic and functional kinetics of MAIT cell responses to innate cytokines and may have implications in the context of human viral infections. Read more: https://ow.ly/8BnC50ZLy79.

Glucose and glycogen are critical determinants of human MAIT cell metabolic and functional stimulation with IL-18/IFNα.

@jimmunol.bsky.social Sep 9, 2026, 10:15 PM

Data support CD151+cCD4 T cell expansion as a signal of altered immune remodeling detectable years before cancer diagnosis in people living with HIV, suggesting a link between chronic immune dysregulation and malignancy. Find it in this issue: https://ow.ly/XnHy50ZLyav.

CD151+CD4+ T cell frequencies increase with age in PWOH but are prematurely elevated in PWHc. PBMCs from PWOH (n = 16), PWHnc (n = 16), and PWHc (n = 18) were analyzed using multiparameter flow cytometry. Scatter plots demonstrate the relationship between age and the frequency of CD4+CD151+ T cells in PWOH (A), PWHnc (B), and PWHc (C). Spearman and Pearson correlation analysis was performed for all scatter plots, and coefficients are reported. (D) Comparison of CD4+CD151+ T cells among groups. Horizontal bars indicate medians. Statistical comparisons were performed using Kruskal-Wallis (KW) testing with post hoc Dunn’s correction. P values are indicated above comparisons.

@jimmunol.bsky.social Sep 9, 2026, 5:12 PM

Researchers found that improved treatment outcomes for patients with COVID-19 correlated with gene expression shifts in 4 key immunological pathways. Find out which ones and explore the entire Clinical and Human Immunology special issue in The JI: https://ow.ly/Uuby50ZLy5b

Diagram showing molecular signatures linked to COVID-19 treatment responses in patients from the ACCORD trial using Bemcentinib, Tozorakimab, and Zilucoplan.

@jimmunol.bsky.social Sep 2, 2026, 4:45 PM

Watch out for daily emails promising deep discounts or immediate editorial board seats! Predatory publishers mimic legitimate journals to profit at your expense. Learn how to spot the signs with guidance from AAI: https://ow.ly/Omu450Zx1B1.

@jimmunol.bsky.social Aug 29, 2026, 7:30 PM

Data confirm that good sleep is essential to maximize sepsis survival and provides insight into the molecular basis whereby poor sleep alters immune function. These results could inform hospital care for patients. https://ow.ly/FUGe50ZEUPU.

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