Purpose of review: Studies on adaptive cells have largely focused on features that are specific to adaptive immunity. However, adaptive cells utilize innate cell features to modulate their responses, and this area of T and B-cell biology is understudied. This review will highlight recent work done to understand how innate features of adaptive immune cells modulate alloimmunity.
Recent findings: Over the past year, research has shown that T-cell-expressed danger-associated molecular patterns, Toll-like receptors, complement receptors, and Fc receptors regulate T-cell alloimmunity in a cell-intrinsic manner. Further, IL-17 and p40 of IL-12 have been implicated in the migration of T cells into allografts. Lastly, innate B cells, specifically B1 cells, have been shown to produce clinically relevant autoantibody associated with poor graft outcome.
Summary: These data provide evidence that innate features are utilized by adaptive immune cells to control adaptive alloimmunity.