Outgrowing IRAK-4

IRAK-4 Inhibitors for Inflammation

Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinases (IRAKs) are key components in the signal transduction pathways utilized by interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R), interleukin-18 receptor (IL-18R), and Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Out of four members in the mammalian IRAK family, IRAK-4 is considered to be the "master IRAK", the only family member indispensable for IL-1R/TLR signaling. In humans, mutations res...

IRAK-4: a novel member of the IRAK family with the properties of an IRAK-kinase.

Toll/IL-1 receptor family members are central components of host defense mechanisms in a variety of species. One well conserved element in their signal transduction is Ser/Thr kinases, which couple early signaling events in a receptor complex at the plasma membrane to larger signalosomes in the cytosol. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has one member of this family of kinases, termed Pelle...

Outgrowing meiosis

F ertilization triggers an upheaval in the egg, including a switch from meiosis to mitosis as the method of cell division. Courtois et al. show that this transition is gradual and isn’t complete until after the embryo’s 8th division (1). Meiosis and mitosis differ in several ways. Unlike the bipolar mitotic spindle that is anchored by a centrosome at either end, the meiotic spindle starts out w...

Selective predisposition to bacterial infections in IRAK-4–deficient children: IRAK-4–dependent TLRs are otherwise redundant in protective immunity

Human interleukin (IL) 1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK-4) deficiency is a recently discovered primary immunodeficiency that impairs Toll/IL-1R immunity, except for the Toll-like receptor (TLR) 3- and TLR4-interferon (IFN)-alpha/beta pathways. The clinical and immunological phenotype remains largely unknown. We diagnosed up to 28 patients with IRAK-4 deficiency, tested blood TLR responses f...

IRAK-4 Variants in acute coronary syndrome patients