2013-01-24
Welcome to “This Week in Blood,” a weekly snapshot of the hottest studies from each week’s issue of Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), hand-picked by Blood Editor-in-Chief Bob Löwenberg, MD, and Deputy Editor Nancy Berliner, MD. If you would like a PDF copy of any of the manuscripts highlighted below or would like to request an interview with the author, please email aslesinski@hematology.org.
Distinct severity of HLH in both human and murine mutants with complete loss of cytotoxic effector PRF1, RAB27A and STX11, Sepulveda et al.
Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) in Syntaxin-11 deficient mice: T-cell exhaustion limits fatal disease, Kögl et al.
Two papers published together in this week’s issue of Blood elucidate the heterogeneity of familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (fHLH), a rare, often fatal immunologic disorder related to a failure of cell-mediated cytotoxicity that has been linked to mutations in several related genes. In these back-to-back papers, researchers elucidate the range of immune and clinical abnormalities that characterize the different subtypes of fHLH in mouse models with these mutations.
IL-7 and IL-15 instruct the generation of human memory stem T cells from naïve precursors, Cieri et al.
Investigators have reported new observations regarding T memory stem cells, a subset of memory cells able to expand and replenish diverse T cell subsets, that may pave the way for improved immunotherapy for various maligancies. In this paper, Cieri and colleagues confirm the “stem-ness” of T memory stem cells and successfully expand these cells from naïve T-cells in vitro, allowing the potential for T-cell based immunotherapy.
Regulatory T cells are strong promoters of acute ischemic stroke in mice by inducing dysfunction of the cerebral microvasculature, Kleinschnitz et al.
Although regulatory T cells (Tregs) are usually thought to be anti-inflammatory cells that decrease tissue damage in immune-mediated disease, Kleinschnitz and colleagues report that they are detrimental in the setting of brain ischemia. In this manuscript, investigators confirm this detrimental effect in a mouse model of stroke, demonstrating that depleting Tregs from mice led to a dramatic decrease in their infarct size and also improved their neurological function.
Reporters who wish to receive a copy of any of the manuscripts highlighted above or would like to request an interview with the authors may contact Andrea Slesinski at 202-552-4927 or aslesinski@hematology.org
Blood (www.bloodjournal.org), the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field of hematology, is available weekly in print and online. Blood is the official journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (www.hematology.org), the world’s largest professional society concerned with the causes and treatment of blood disorders.
ASH’s mission is to further the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting blood, bone marrow, and the immunologic, hemostatic, and vascular systems by promoting research, clinical care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology.
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