Making connections in insect innate immunity

Making connections in insect innate immunity.

I mmune response in the arthropod vector to virus infection is a critical determinant of transmission for arboviruses such as West Nile virus (WNV). The immune response modulates outcomes of infection such as viral load, incubation period required for transmission, and viral pathogenesis in the vector (1, 2). As insects appear to lack an adaptive immune response characteristic of vertebrates, t...

Innate Immunity: Unfolding the Neuro-Immuno Connections

The innate immune system maintains health and fitness during infection by eliminating infectious agents and by limiting damage caused by pathogens or immune activation. The nervous system contributes to innate immunity by modulating the expression of antimicrobial peptides and by regulating the unfolded protein response.

Evolutionary genetics of insect innate immunity

Patterns of evolution in immune defense genes help to understand the evolutionary dynamics between hosts and pathogens. Multiple insect genomes have been sequenced, with many of them having annotated immune genes, which paves the way for a comparative genomic analysis of insect immunity. In this review, I summarize the current state of comparative and evolutionary genomics of insect innate immu...

NF-kappaB signaling pathways in mammalian and insect innate immunity.

NF- B signaling pathways in mammalian and insect innate immunity

Innate immunity is the first line of defense against infectious microorganisms. The innate immune system relies on germ line-encoded pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) to recognize pathogen-derived substances (Janeway 1989). Activation of the innate immune system through these receptors leads to the expression of a vast array of antimicrobial effector molecules that attack microorganisms at m...