Immunity

News Immunity

• A toxic bullet involved in bacterial competition
  

  A bacterial toxin that allows an infectious strain of bacteria to defeat its competitors has been discovered by Imperial College London scientists. The finding provides a better understanding of the mechanisms behind bacterial warfare, which is the first step for the design of improved treatments fo more

• Repeated interferon stimulation creates innate immune memory
  

  The innate immune system may be able to be trained to react to viral infections more efficiently by repeated exposure to anti-viral signaling molecules. Mammalian cells seem to be able to memorize anti-viral stimulation at the level of DNA-packaging molecules, enabling faster and greater activation more

• Newly discovered enzyme is 'firing pin' for plant immunity
  

  Just like humans, plants have an immune system that helps them fight off infections. Plant immunity has some important differences: they don't make antibodies and can't fight off the same bug more quickly months or years later. However, plant cells can identify pathogens and react to them, often by more

Videos Immunity

Immunity to Infection - Perspectives

Organisers, speakers and attendees share their impressions of the "EMBO | EMBL Symposium: New Perspectives on Immunity to Infection" held in Heidelberg in May 2012. more

Improving the immune system of older people (UCL research)

As we age our immune systems decline. Older people suffer from increased incidence and severity of both infections and cancer. In addition, vaccination becomes less efficient with age. Researchers from UCL have demonstrated how an interplay between nutrition, metabolism and immunity is involved ... more

Publications Immunity

• The NEDD8 E3 ligase DCNL5 is phosphorylated by IKK alpha during Toll-like receptor activation

  by Yann Thomas, Daniel C. Scott, Yosua Adi Kristariyanto, Jesse Rinehart, Kristopher Clark, Philip Cohen, Thimo Kurz The activity of Cullin-RING ubiquitin E3 ligases (CRL) is regulated by NEDD8 modification. DCN-like proteins promote Cullin neddylation as scaffold-like E3s. One DCNL, DCNL5, is hi more

• Marine Drugs, Vol. 16, Pages 221: Seaweed Extract (Stella Maris®) Activates Innate Immune Responses in Arabidopsis thaliana and Protects Host against Bacterial Pathogens

  Marine Drugs, Vol. 16, Pages 221: Seaweed Extract (Stella Maris®) Activates Innate Immune Responses in Arabidopsis thaliana and Protects Host against Bacterial Pathogens Marine Drugs doi: 10.3390/md16070221 Authors: Jamie Cook Janie Zhang Jeff Norrie Bachar Blal Zhenyu Cheng I more

• Critical role of integrin CD11c in splenic dendritic cell capture of missing-self CD47 cells to induce adaptive immunity [Immunology and Inflammation]

  The cell surface protein CD47 functions as a self-recognition molecule on mammalian cells, sending a negative “don’t eat me” signal to macrophages and dendritic cells. When CD47 is missing from cells in circulation, they are promptly taken up by and cause activation of dendritic cells in the spleen, more