Journal of Experimental Medicine

The cells that support hematopoietic stem cells in the developing liver in vivo are unknown. Using systematic genetic dissection in vivo, Yeojin Lee, Lei Ding et al. (Columbia University Irving Medical Center) identify endothelial & hepatic stellate cells as the major functional source of a key hematopoietic stem cell maintenance factor, stem cell factor (SCF).

By using genomic and transcriptomic sequencing technologies, Xiaofei Ye, Weicheng Ren, Qiang Pan-Hammarström and colleagues identify AID-dependent and/or polymerase -associated mechanisms of mutagenesis in human germinal center-derived/related B cell lymphomas and link aberrant immunoglobulin gene diversification processes to different disease subtypes.

Li Zhang, Carl Nathan and colleagues (Weill Cornell Medicine) find that type I interferon signaling contributes to death of Mtb-infected macrophages through an apparently novel mechanism.

Jiayi Dong, Lindsey M. Warner Li-Fan Lu and colleagues (UC San Diego) demonstrate that miR-155, a miRNA known for conferring T reg cell competitive fitness, can also promote T reg cell differentiation by targeting TGF pathway in the thymic medulla.

Daiki Mori, Bernard Malissen and colleagues (Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy) show that the CD6 signalosome comprises positive &negative regulators of T-cell activation and transendothelial migration. This multifaceted role explains the pathological consequences resulting from CD6 malfunction.

On our November cover: Tanaka et al. investigate the role of the C-type lectin Mincle in promoting cell death and acute kidney injury. The cover image shows the triple staining of macrophages, laminin, and filipin in the corticomedullary junction area of the injured kidney. 2020 Tanaka et al. (https://bit.ly/34sN91K) Read the JEM November Issue: https://bit.ly/3e08SBy

Early, germinal center-independent, memory B cell (MBC) responses are exquisitely sensitive to upregulation & downregulation of cell-intrinsic BAFFR signaling. However, GC function, including production of MBCs, is unaffected by modulations of this pathway. From Angelica Lau, Robert Brink and colleagues (Garvan Institute of Medical Research)

Memory B cells (MBCs) are long-lived components of humoral immunological memory. Jennifer Müller-Winkler, Victor Tybulewicz (The Francis Crick Institute) and colleagues show that the survival of MBC is critically dependent on signaling from the B cell antigen receptor (BCR), BAFF, BAFFR and the IKK2 kinase.

Min Ma, Soumitra Ghosh, G. Paolo Dotto (Université de Lausanne) and colleagues uncover an essential role of androgen receptor signaling in melanoma cell expansion & tumorigenesis, with loss of AR activity inducing cellular senescence, genomic DNA breakage, STING dependent inflammatory cascade & immune cells recruitment, providing an attractive venue for new combination approaches of disease management.

We congratulate Anne O’Garra (JEM Academic Editor) https://bit.ly/37QIWa7 and Vijay K. Kuchroo (JEM Advisory Editor) https://bit.ly/31PKr4T for winning 2020 awards presented by International Cytokine and Interferon Society #cytokines2020

People with an unusual NFKB2 gene often get autoimmune diseases. Rushika Wirasinha, Ainsley Davies, Matthew Cook, Stephen Daley and colleagues find that mice with Nfkb2 mutations that cause accumulation of the inhibitory NF-B2/p100 (p100) precursor protein relative to the active NF-B2/p52 (p52) product develop severe autoimmunity, whereas mice lacking p100 and p52 do not, indicating a role for p100 in pathogenesis in mice and humans.

Darshan N. Kasal and Albert Bendelac (The University of Chicago) generate novel multi-transcription factor reporter mice via CRISPR/Cas9 to dissect the developmental progression of innate lymphoid cell (ILC) and lymphoid tissue inducer (LTi) lineages. The researchers identify lineage specified precursors, indicating earlier bifurcation of ILC and LTi lineages than formerly proposed.