Pathogen Recognition and Innate Immunity

At high concentrations, free radicals and radical-derived, nonradical reactive species are hazardous for living organisms and damage all major cellular constituents. At moderate concentrations, how...

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Free Radicals in the Physiological Control of Cell Function

▪ Abstract The innate immune system is a universal and ancient form of host defense against infection. Innate immune recognition relies on a limited number of germline-encoded receptors. These receptors evolved to recognize conserved products of microbial metabolism produced by microbial pathogens, but not by the host. Recognition of these molecular structures allows the immune system to distinguish infectious nonself from noninfectious self. Toll-like receptors play a major role in pathogen recognition and initiation of inflammatory and immune responses. Stimulation of Toll-like receptors by microbial products leads to the activation of signaling pathways that result in the induction of antimicrobial genes and inflammatory cytokines. In addition, stimulation of Toll-like receptors triggers dendritic cell maturation and results in the induction of costimulatory molecules and increased antigen-presenting capacity. Thus, microbial recognition by Toll-like receptors helps to direct adaptive immune responses ...

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Innate Immune Recognition

One of the mechanisms by which the innate immune system senses the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms is through the Toll-like receptors (TLRs), which recognize specific molecular patterns that are present in microbial components. Stimulation of different TLRs induces distinct patterns of gene expression, which not only leads to the activation of innate immunity but also instructs the development of antigen-specific acquired immunity. Here, we review the rapid progress that has recently improved our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that mediate TLR signalling.

Toll-like receptor signalling

The selective degradation of many short-lived proteins in eukaryotic cells is carried out by the ubiquitin system. In this pathway, proteins are targeted for degradation by covalent ligation to ubiquitin, a highly conserved small protein. Ubiquitin-mediated degradation of regulatory proteins plays important roles in the control of numerous processes, including cell-cycle progression, signal transduction, transcriptional regulation, receptor down-regulation, and endocytosis. The ubiquitin system has been implicated in the immune response, development, and programmed cell death. Abnormalities in ubiquitin-mediated processes have been shown to cause pathological conditions, including malignant transformation. In this review we discuss recent information on functions and mechanisms of the ubiquitin system. Since the selectivity of protein degradation is determined mainly at the stage of ligation to ubiquitin, special attention is focused on what we know, and would like to know, about the mode of action of ubiquitin-protein ligation systems and about signals in proteins recognized by these systems.

The Ubiquitin System

▪ Abstract The transcription factor NF-κB, more than a decade after its discovery, remains an exciting and active area of study. The involvement of NF-κB in the expression of numerous cytokines and adhesion molecules has supported its role as an evolutionarily conserved coordinating element in the organism's response to situations of infection, stress, and injury. Recently, significant advances have been made in elucidating the details of the pathways through which signals are transmitted to the NF-κB:IκB complex in the cytosol. The field now awaits the discovery and characterization of the kinase responsible for the inducible phosphorylation of IκB proteins. Another exciting development has been the demonstration that in certain situations NF-κB acts as an anti-apoptotic protein; therefore, elucidation of the mechanism by which NF-κB protects against cell death is an important goal. Finally, the generation of knockouts of members of the NF-κB/IκB family has allowed the study of the roles of these protein...

NF-kappa B and Rel proteins: evolutionarily conserved mediators of immune responses

Shared principles in NF-kappaB signaling

The transcription factor NF-kappaB has been the focus of intense investigation for nearly two decades. Over this period, considerable progress has been made in determining the function and regulation of NF-kappaB, although there are nuances in this important signaling pathway that still remain to be understood. The challenge now is to reconcile the regulatory complexity in this pathway with the complexity of responses in which NF-kappaB family members play important roles. In this review, we provide an overview of established NF-kappaB signaling pathways with focus on the current state of research into the mechanisms that regulate IKK activation and NF-kappaB transcriptional activity.

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Signaling to NF-kappaB.

Missing Pieces in the NF-κB Puzzle

Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) consists of a family of transcription factors that play critical roles in inflammation, immunity, cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival. Inducible NF-κB activation depends on phosphorylation-induced proteosomal degradation of the inhibitor of NF-κB proteins (IκBs), which retain inactive NF-κB dimers in the cytosol in unstimulated cells. The majority of the diverse signaling pathways that lead to NF-κB activation converge on the IκB kinase (IKK) complex, which is responsible for IκB phosphorylation and is essential for signal transduction to NF-κB. Additional regulation of NF-κB activity is achieved through various post-translational modifications of the core components of the NF-κB signaling pathways. In addition to cytosolic modifications of IKK and IκB proteins, as well as other pathway-specific mediators, the transcription factors are themselves extensively modified. Tremendous progress has been made over the last two decades in unraveling the elaborate regulatory networks that control the NF-κB response. This has made the NF-κB pathway a paradigm for understanding general principles of signal transduction and gene regulation.

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Sankar Ghosh

Papers

NF-kappa B and Rel proteins: evolutionarily conserved mediators of immune responses

Shared principles in NF-kappaB signaling

Signaling to NF-kappaB.

Missing Pieces in the NF-κB Puzzle

The NF-κB Family of Transcription Factors and Its Regulation