Some latest achievements in immunology research

Liu, Wei

Despite the protective role of the inflammatory response essential to the host, the response must be actively terminated after the acute phase. Failure to do so results in "bystander" damage to tissues and autoimmunity diseases. Recent studies have revealed that adaptive immune cells actively dampen initial innate response, as a mean of negative regulation on the inflammatory response. Tang et al. [9] summarized novel findings in this regard in another review article. It has become clear that conventional T cells not only activate innate cells to clear pathogens, but surprisingly take part in regulation of the innate immune response during the early phases of infection. There is an increasing body of evidence indicating that regulatory T cells (Treg), a subset of CD4 + T cells, can suppress functions of not only effector T cells but also innate cells [10] [11] [12] . A recent finding suggests an interesting feedback mechanism that allows T cells to selectively eliminate the bystander effect of the inflammatory response [13] . Both effector and memory T cells suppress potentially damaging inflammation through dampening the hyperactive inflammasome, yet leave the primary inflammatory response intact on the onset of immunity. The authors speculate that a feedback loop from the adaptive to the innate immune system was evolved in vertebrates whose innate inflammatory response might be insufficient to meet all the requirements.