Carmen D. Rietdijk1, Richard J. A. van Wezel2,3, Johan Garssen1,4, Aletta D. Kraneveld1 1Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CG Utrecht, the Netherlands. 2Department of Biomedical Signals and Systems, MIRA, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, the Netherlands. 3Department of Biophysics, Donders Institute for Br...

Frequent positive selection is a hallmark of genes involved in the adaptive immune system of vertebrates, but the incidence of positive selection for genes underlying innate immunity in vertebrates has not been well studied. The toll-like receptors (TLRs) of the innate immune system represent the first line of defense against pathogens. TLRs lie directly at the host-environment interface, and t...

Using computational models, images acquired pre-operatively can be updated to account for intraoperative brain shift in image-guided surgical (IGS) systems. An optically tracked textured laser range scanner (tLRS) furnishes the 3D coordinates of cortical surface points (3D point clouds) over the surgical field of view and provides a correspondence 15 between these and the pre-operative MR image...

A key part of the innate immune system is a network of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and their associated intracellular signalling pathways. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are one such group of PRRs that detect pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Activation of the TLRs with their respective agonists results in the activation of intracellular signalling pathways leading to the exp...

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are known as pattern-recognition receptors related to the Toll protein of Drosophila. After recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns of microbial origin, the TLRs alert the immune system, and initiate innate and adaptive immune responses. The TLR system, though, is not confined solely to the leukocyte-mediated immune defense against exogenous pathogens. B...

Innate immune cells have a critical role in defense against infection and disease. Central to this is the broad specificity with which they can detect pathogen-associated patterns and danger-associated patterns via the pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) they express. Several families of PRRs have been identified including: Toll-like receptors (TLRs), C-type lectin-like receptors, retinoic aci...

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) have been identified as a major class of pattern-recognition receptors. Recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by TLRs, alone or in heterodimerization with other TLR or non-TLR receptors, induces signals responsible for the activation of genes important for an effective host defense, especially proinflammatory cytokines. Although a certain degre...

T he preponderance of mammalian resistance to infection is inherited rather than acquired. Even without lymphoid cells, mammals still protect themselves. They respond violently to bacteria, fungi, and viruses; or, more precisely, to specific molecular components of these organisms. Most of the molecular targets for recognition have been known for decades (1). However, only recently have the rec...

The development of Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is driven by excessive production pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IL-12, and IL-23. This notion supported the remarkable clinical success biologics targeting these cytokines. Recognition cell wall components derived from intestinal bacteria Toll-like receptors (TLRs) induces macrophages dendritic cells in human IBD experimental col...