TASL is an adaptor molecule bridging Toll-like receptor signalling and transcription activation by IRF5. Here the authors show that TASL deficiency impacts TLR7/9 responses, and that a TASL paralogue, Gm6377/TASL2, also contributes to IRF5 activation, as dual TASL/TASL2 deficiency dampens both protective and pathogenic inflammatory responses in mice.

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TASL are associated with an increased risk for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but how these SNPs and TASL contribute to disease is unclear. Here the authors demonstrate that Tasl is required for disease pathogenesis in pre-clinical mouse models of SLE, and that an SLE-associated SNP in TASL increases its protein translation.

Sanlorenzo et al. propose a strategy to boost immunotherapy by combining topically applied TLR7/8 agonists with systemic interferon-I, sensitizing dendritic cells to produce IL-12 for tumor clearance and an adaptive immune response at metastatic sites.

Blander and colleagues report a homeostatic regulatory effect played by inflammasomes in the bone marrow stromal compartment that suppresses premalignant stages of lymphomagenesis.

Here, the authors show that vaginal lactobacilli associated with optimal health interact selectively with a restricted subset of anti-inflammatory receptors through their Surface Layer Proteins, both in vitro and in cervicovaginal fluids, correlating with lower maternal inflammation.

Itaconate is an immunomodulatory metabolite that influences the outcome of infections and inflammatory diseases. New evidence indicates that itaconate-induced inhibition of succinate dehydrogenase regulates type 1 interferon production via the release of mitochondrial RNA, linking TCA cycle modulation to antiviral interferon responses.