Deciphering the relationship between temperature and immunity

Fever is a hallmark symptom of disease across the animal kingdom. Yet, despite the evidence linking temperature fluctuation and immune response, much remains to be discovered about the molecular mechanisms governing these interactions. In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, for instance, it is clinically accepted that joint temperature can predict disease progression. But it was only recently demonstrated that the mitochondria of stimulated T cells can rise to an extreme 50°C, potentially indicating a cellular source of these localized 'fevers'. A challenge to dissecting these mechanisms is a bidirectional interplay between temperature and immunity. Heat shock response is found in virtually all organisms, activating protective pathways when cells are exposed to elevated temperatures. However, the temperature threshold that activates these pathways can vary within the same organism, with human immune cells, in particular, demonstrating differential sensitivity to heat. Such inter-cellular variation may be clinically relevant given the small but significant temperature differences seen between tissues, ages, and sexes. Greater understanding of how such small temperature perturbations mediate immune responses may provide new explanations for persistent questions in disease such as sex disparity in disease prevalence. Notably, the prevalence and severity of many maladies are rising with climate change, suggesting temperature fluctuations can interact with disease on multiple levels. As global temperatures are rising, and our body temperatures are falling, questions regarding temperature-immune interactions are increasingly critical. Here, we review this aspect of environmental interplay to better understand temperature's role in immune variation and subsequent risk of disease.