Memory for antigen is a defining feature of adaptive immunity. Antigen-specific lymphocyte populations show an increase in number and function after antigen encounter and more rapidly re-expand upon subsequent antigen exposure. Studies of immune memory have primarily focused on effector B cells and T cells with microbial specificity, using prime-challenge models of infection. However, recent work has also identified persistently expanded populations of antigen-specific regulatory T cells that protect against aberrant immune responses. In this Review, we consider the parallels between memory effector T cells and memory regulatory T cells, along with the functional implications of regulatory memory in autoimmunity, antimicrobial host defence and maternal-fetal tolerance. In addition, we discuss emerging evidence for regulatory T cell memory in humans and key unanswered questions in this rapidly evolving field.

CD4(+) T cells and B cells are both essential for acquired immunity to Salmonella infection. It is well established that Salmonella inhibit host CD4(+) T-cell responses, but a corresponding inhibitory effect on B cells is less well defined. Here, we utilize an Ag tetramer and pull-down enrichment strategy to directly visualize OVA-specific B cells in mice, as they respond to infection with Salmonella-OVA. Surprisingly, OVA-specific B-cell expansion and germinal center formation was not detected until bacteria were cleared from the host. Furthermore, Salmonella infection also actively inhibited both B- and T-cell responses to the same coinjected Ag but this did not require the presence of iNOS. The Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 2 (SPI2) locus has been shown to be responsible for inhibition of Salmonella-specific CD4(+) T-cell responses, and an examination of SPI2-deficient bacteria demonstrated a recovery in B-cell expansion in infected mice. Together, these data suggest that Salmonella can simultaneously inhibit host B- and T-cell responses using SPI2-dependent mechanisms.

The minimal genetic requirements for microbes to survive within multiorganism communities, including host-pathogen interactions, remain poorly understood. Here, we combined targeted gene mutagenesis with phenotype-guided genetic reassembly to identify a cooperative network of SPI-2 T3SS effector genes that are sufficient for Salmonella Typhimurium (STm) to cause disease in a natural host organism. Five SPI-2 effector genes support pathogen survival within the host cell cytoplasm by coordinating bacterial replication with Salmonella-containing vacuole (SCV) division. Unexpectedly, this minimal genetic repertoire does not support STm systemic infection of mice. In vivo screening revealed a second effector-gene network, encoded by the spv operon, that expands the life cycle of STm from growth in cells to deep-tissue colonization in a murine model of typhoid fever. Comparison between Salmonella infection models suggests how cooperation between effector genes drives tissue tropism in a pathogen group.

Intrauterine infection/inflammation (IUI) is a major contributor to preterm labor (PTL). However, IUI does not invariably cause PTL. We hypothesized that quantitative and qualitative differences in immune response exist in subjects with or without PTL. To define the triggers for PTL, we developed rhesus macaque models of IUI driven by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or live Escherichia coli. PTL did not occur in LPS challenged rhesus macaques, while E. coli-infected animals frequently delivered preterm. Although LPS and live E. coli both caused immune cell infiltration, E. coli-infected animals showed higher levels of inflammatory mediators, particularly interleukin 6 (IL-6) and prostaglandins, in the chorioamnion-decidua and amniotic fluid (AF). Neutrophil infiltration in the chorio-decidua was a common feature to both LPS and E. coli. However, neutrophilic infiltration and IL6 and PTGS2 expression in the amnion was specifically induced by live E. coli. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of fetal membranes revealed that specific pathways involved in augmentation of inflammation including type I interferon (IFN) response, chemotaxis, sumoylation, and iron homeostasis were up-regulated in the E. coli group compared to the LPS group. Our data suggest that the intensity of the host immune response to IUI may determine susceptibility to PTL.

Leaders gathered at the US National Institutes of Health in November 2014 to discuss recent advances and emerging research areas in aspects of maternal-fetal immunity that may affect fetal development and pregnancy success.