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Advanced Research on Immune Cells and Cytokines (3rd Edition)
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Advanced Research on Immune Cells and Cytokines (3rd Edition)

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Immunology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2026 | Viewed by 1506

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Athanasia Mouzaki

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Patras Medical School, 26504 Patras, Greece
Interests: cellular and molecular immunology; immunohematology; T-cells; cytokines; transcription; HIV-1; autoimmunity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a continuation of our previous Special Issue “Advanced Research on Immune Cells and Cytokines”.

In recent years, there have been tremendous developments pertaining to biotechnological methods that have made it possible for researchers to identify and better characterize immune system cells and the cytokines they secrete. New cell types and cytokines have been described, and new functions have been uncovered, leading to a better understanding of the immune response and how it is influenced by other physiological systems. Some of this research is being translated into novel immunomodulatory treatments, many of which fall short of the new insights that are emerging from in vitro and animal studies.

For this topic, we invite contributions describing new data on immune cells and cytokines in all areas of molecular, cellular, and clinical immunology.

In particular, we welcome contributions that describe the following:

(1) New functions of cells and cytokines;
(2) New mechanistic insights into their disease function;
(3) New data for the use of immune cells and cytokines in the diagnosis and treatment of immune diseases.

Prof. Dr. Athanasia Mouzaki
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • immune cells
  • cytokines
  • immunomodulatory treatments
  • immune diseases
  • immune system

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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28 pages, 5291 KB  
Article
CD127+ Natural Killer Cells Represent a Distinct, Interleukin-15-Independent and Thymus-Independent Subset in Mice
by Yuna Kim, Seon-Yeong Hwang, Young-Jin Kwon, Ji-Eun Kim, Lata Rajbongshi, Su-Rin Lee, Seongwon Joo, Seongheum Park, Sae-Ock Oh, Byoung-Soo Kim, Dongjun Lee and Sik Yoon
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(6), 2667; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27062667 - 14 Mar 2026
Viewed by 313
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells, key effectors of innate immunity, are classically categorized into CD56dim and CD56bright subsets in humans. While murine NK cell heterogeneity has become increasingly recognized, the classification of mature NK cell subsets remains incompletely defined. Here, we comprehensively [...] Read more.
Natural killer (NK) cells, key effectors of innate immunity, are classically categorized into CD56dim and CD56bright subsets in humans. While murine NK cell heterogeneity has become increasingly recognized, the classification of mature NK cell subsets remains incompletely defined. Here, we comprehensively characterized CD127+ NK cells in mice and identified them as a distinct, mature subset, developing independently of the thymus and interleukin (IL)-15 signaling. Flow cytometric analyses revealed that CD127+ NK cells are broadly distributed across lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues—including in C57BL/6 wild-type and athymic Foxn1−/− mice—and exhibit a surface phenotype distinct from CD127− NK and thymus-derived CD127+ NK cells. Functional assays demonstrated that CD127+ NK cells produce interferon-γ and exert cytotoxic activity, despite expressing markers typically associated with immature NK cells. CD127+ NK cells were absent in IL-7Rα−/− mice but present in IL-15−/− and IL-15Rα−/− mice, indicating a selective dependence on IL-7 signaling. IL-7 promoted their proliferation and activation both in vitro and in vivo. These findings revise current models of NK cell development by identifying a novel, IL-7-responsive, IL-15-independent, thymus-independent, and functionally competent CD127+ NK cell subset that is phenotypically distinct from helper-like innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). This study provides a framework for future investigations on NK cell heterogeneity, tissue specialization, and cytokine-mediated regulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Immune Cells and Cytokines (3rd Edition))
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18 pages, 1288 KB  
Article
Th2 Cytokines Reshape the Transcriptome: Insights from a Canine Organoid Model of Atopic Dermatitis
by Bo Chen, Yuanting Zheng, Ron Slocombe and Smitha Rose Georgy
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(5), 2211; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27052211 - 26 Feb 2026
Viewed by 432
Abstract
Atopic dermatitis (AD) and canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) are common allergic and pruritic skin diseases characterized by immune dysregulation and epidermal barrier dysfunction. To delineate how Th2 cytokines contribute to CAD pathogenesis, canine primary epidermal organoids (cPEOs) were established from keratinocytes, and exposure [...] Read more.
Atopic dermatitis (AD) and canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) are common allergic and pruritic skin diseases characterized by immune dysregulation and epidermal barrier dysfunction. To delineate how Th2 cytokines contribute to CAD pathogenesis, canine primary epidermal organoids (cPEOs) were established from keratinocytes, and exposure to IL-4/IL-13 induced morphologic changes characteristic of CAD. RNA sequencing analysis comparing IL-4/IL-13-treated cPEOs to untreated controls identified 224 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Further rigorous filtering narrowed this down to 69 key DEGs, with the majority being associated with atopic dermatitis in both dogs and humans. Pathway enrichment analyses demonstrated the activation of immune and inflammatory signalling and suppression of epidermal differentiation, keratinisation, and lipid metabolism, recapitulating key features of atopic skin. Additional Th2-driven alterations included dysregulation of neuro-immune signalling, calcium homeostasis, apoptosis, extracellular matrix remodelling, and metabolic/epigenetic regulations. Together, these findings demonstrate that Th2 cytokines orchestrate multifaceted transcriptomic alterations relevant to AD/CAD. By mapping each key DEG to its known or putative role in AD/CAD, this study also provides a gene-level functional framework to inform future mechanistic studies and targeted therapeutic development. These findings also underscore the value of this model as a comparative tool for investigating both human and canine atopic dermatitis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Immune Cells and Cytokines (3rd Edition))
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19 pages, 4000 KB  
Article
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis with Vasculotide Enhances Survival and Alleviates Hematopoietic and Gastrointestinal Injury Following Lethal Total Body Irradiation
by Li Wang, Bin Lin, Min Zhai, Lisa Hull, Asher Rothstein, Katherine S. Cleveland, Hengying Ellery, Wanchang Cui, Mang Xiao and Juliann G. Kiang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(4), 2001; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27042001 - 19 Feb 2026
Viewed by 454
Abstract
No US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved prophylaxis is currently available for Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS), which remains a significant threat to military and civilian populations. In this study, we investigated Vasculotide (VT), a Tie2 receptor agonist mimic, as a novel pre-exposure prophylaxis [...] Read more.
No US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved prophylaxis is currently available for Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS), which remains a significant threat to military and civilian populations. In this study, we investigated Vasculotide (VT), a Tie2 receptor agonist mimic, as a novel pre-exposure prophylaxis designed to stabilize the vascular endothelium, one of primary targets of radiation-induced damage. To evaluate its efficacy, female B6D2F1/J mice were exposed to 9.5 Gy total body irradiation (TBI), with VT administered subcutaneously at 12 and 2 h prior to exposure. Assessments included 30-day survival, biomarkers of vascular injury, proinflammatory cytokine/chemokine profiling, and evaluation of hematopoietic (H) and gastrointestinal (GI) recovery. Our findings demonstrate that VT significantly increased 30-day survival in a dose-dependent manner, achieving a 30% survival advantage at the 20 μg/kg dose. Furthermore, VT provided robust protection against radiation-induced vascular activation and injury, effectively alleviating damage to the bone marrow (BM) and GI tract. Taken together, these results identify VT as a promising prophylactic countermeasure for ARS. By targeting the Tie2 pathway to preserve vascular integrity, VT addresses a critical gap in medical countermeasures, offering a viable strategy to enhance survival and accelerate multi-organ recovery in radiological mass-casualty scenarios. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Immune Cells and Cytokines (3rd Edition))
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