Innate Immune Pattern Recognition: A Cell Biological Perspective

Evolutionary perspective on innate immune recognition

Analysis of human and Drosophila genomes demonstrates an ancient origin of innate immunity and the diversity of the mechanisms of innate immune recognition.

Pattern Recognition Receptors Doubling Up for the Innate Immune Response

Antigen presenting cells (macrophages and dendritic cells) express pattern recognition molecules that are thought to recognize foreign ligands during early phases of the immune response. The best known of these are probably the Toll-like receptors, but a number of other receptors are also involved. Several of these recognize endogenous as well as exogenous ligands, suggesting that they play a d...

Innate immune recognition.

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 infec...

Immune Pattern Recognition System

Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-Like Receptors Influence the Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses

Natural killer (NK) cells are a subset of lymphocytes which play a crucial role in early innate immune response against infection and tumor transformation. Furthermore, they secrete interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) prompting adaptive immu-nity. NK cells distinguish the unhealthy cells from the healthy ones through an array of cell-surface receptors. Human NK cells use inhibi...