innate immunity
Host Response and InflammationThe Ubiquitin-Modifying Enzyme A20 Terminates C-Type Lectin Receptor Signals and Is a Suppressor of Host Defense against Systemic Fungal InfectionC-type lectin receptors (CLRs) play key roles in antifungal defense. CLR-induced NF-κB is central to CLR functions in immunity, and thus, molecules that control the amplitude of CLR-induced NF-κB could profoundly influence host defense against fungal pathogens. However, little is known about the mechanisms that negatively regulate CLR-induced NF-κB, and molecules which act on the CLR family broadly and which directly regulate acute CLR-...
Cellular Microbiology: Pathogen-Host Cell Molecular InteractionsInnate Effector Systems in Primary Human Macrophages Sensitize Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae to AntibioticsInfections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae are difficult to treat with conventional antibiotics. Thus, alternative strategies to control the growth of MDR Klebsiella are warranted. We hypothesized that activation of innate effector systems could sensitize MDR K. pneumoniae to conventional antibiotics. Thus, human primary...
Host Response and InflammationMycobacterium abscessus Clearance by Neutrophils Is Independent of AutophagyMycobacterium abscessus, a rapidly growing nontuberculous mycobacterium, is increasingly prevalent in chronic lung disease, including cystic fibrosis, and infections are characterized by neutrophil-dominated environments. However, mechanisms of immune control are poorly understood. Azithromycin, a macrolide antibiotic with immunomodulatory effects, is used to treat...
Host Response and InflammationInnate Lymphoid Cells Are Required for Endometrial Resistance to Chlamydia trachomatis InfectionIn some women, sexually transmitted Chlamydia trachomatis may ascend to infect the endometrium, leading to pelvic inflammatory disease. To identify endometrial innate immune components that interact with Chlamydia, we introduced C. trachomatis into mouse endometrium via transcervical...
Host Response and Inflammation | SpotlightAging Dampens the Intestinal Innate Immune Response during Severe Clostridioides difficile Infection and Is Associated with Altered Cytokine Levels and Granulocyte MobilizationClostridioides (formerly Clostridium) difficile is the most common cause of hospital-acquired infection, and advanced age is a risk factor for C. difficile infection. Disruption of the intestinal microbiota and immune responses contribute to host susceptibility and severity of C...
Molecular PathogenesisImmediate Interferon Gamma Induction Determines Murine Host Compatibility Differences between Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninumRodents are critical for the transmission of Toxoplasma gondii to the definitive feline host via predation, and this relationship has been extensively studied as a model for immune responses to parasites. Neospora caninum is a closely related coccidian parasite of ruminants and canines but is not...
Host Response and InflammationIn Staphylococcus aureus, the Particulate State of the Cell Envelope Is Required for the Efficient Induction of Host Defense ResponsesUpon microbial infection, host immune cells recognize bacterial cell envelope components through cognate receptors. Although bacterial cell envelope components function as innate immune molecules, the role of the physical state of the bacterial cell envelope (i.e., particulate versus soluble) in host immune activation has not been clearly defined.
Host Response and InflammationLipopolysaccharides from Different Burkholderia Species with Different Lipid A Structures Induce Toll-Like Receptor 4 Activation and React with Melioidosis Patient SeraLipopolysaccharides (LPSs) of Gram-negative bacteria comprise lipid A, core, and O-polysaccharide (OPS) components. Studies have demonstrated that LPSs isolated from the pathogenic species Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei and from less-pathogenic species, such as...
Host Response and InflammationChanges in the Molecular and Functional Phenotype of Bovine Monocytes during Theileria parva InfectionTheileria parva is the causative agent of East Coast fever (ECF), a tick-borne disease that kills over a million cattle each year in sub-Saharan Africa. Immune protection against T. parva involves a CD8+ cytotoxic T cell response to parasite-infected cells. However, there is currently a...
Host-Associated Microbial CommunitiesThe Host Immune System Facilitates Disseminated Staphylococcus aureus Disease Due to Phagocytic Attraction to Candida albicans during Coinfection: a Case of Bait and SwitchInvasive Staphylococcus aureus infections account for 15 to 50% of fatal bloodstream infections annually. These disseminated infections often arise without a defined portal of entry into the host but cause high rates of mortality. The fungus Candida albicans and the Gram-positive bacterium...