Interleukin-21: a multifunctional regulator of immunity to infections

HLA-KIR Interactions and Immunity to Viral Infections

Host genetic factors play a central role in determining the clinical phenotype of human diseases. Association between two polymorphic loci in human genome, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs), and genetically complex infectious disease, particularly those of viral etiology, have been historically elusive. Hence, defining the influence of genetic di...

CELF1, a Multifunctional Regulator of Posttranscriptional Networks

In order to assure the precise utilization of genetic information, gene expression is regulated at the level of transcription as well as multiple post-transcriptional levels including splicing, transport, localization, mRNA stability, and translation [1],[2],[3],[4],[5],[6],[7]. During evolution, cells developed precise mechanisms to ensure that each transcript is appropriately stored, modified...

[Ultraviolet: a regulator of immunity].

Humans establish acquired immune systems during the growth, which can sufficiently eliminate pathogen avoiding immune responses to self, such as allergy and autoimmunity. An imbalance of the acquired immune system leads up to immune-mediated disorders. Ultraviolet (UV) exposure helps to establish the normal peripheral tolerance to contact allergen avoiding excessive immune responses. By contras...

Interleukin-21 Is a Critical Regulator of CD4 and CD8 T Cell Survival during Priming under Interleukin-2 Deprivation Conditions

Optimal T cell activation and expansion require binding of the common gamma-chain (γc) cytokine Interleukin-2 (IL-2) to its cognate receptor that in turn engages a γc/Janus tyrosine kinase (Jak)3 signaling pathway. Because of its restricted expression by antigen-activated T cells and its obligatory role in promoting their survival and proliferation, IL-2 has been considered as a selective thera...

The Master Regulator of Immunity to Infection