Transgenerational epigenetics is becoming more and more important for understanding the variation of physiological responses of individuals to the environment and the inheritance of these responses based on all mechanisms other than the actual DNA nucleotide sequence. Transgenerational epigenetics is the phenomenon that the information of the environment of (usually) a female animal is translat...

Mitochondria are cellular organelles involved in host-cell metabolic processes and the control of programmed cell death. A direct link between mitochondria and innate immune signalling was first highlighted with the identification of MAVS-a crucial adaptor for RIGI-like receptor signalling-as a mitochondria-anchored protein. Recently, other innate immune molecules, such as NLRX1, TRAF6, NLRP3 a...

• The cells of the immune system are divided into lymphoid and myeloid lineages. The former include T lymphocytes and their subsets identified by CD markers, B lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells. The myeloid lineage includes the neutrophils, eosinophils and basophils as well as the monocyte/ macrophage series and platelets. • Innate immunity depends on physical, physiological and chemica...

T he capacity to mount an immune response that eliminates infection of a host by a microbial pathogen is critical for species survival and propagation. Mammals have developed complex immune systems that integrate innate responses, such as phagocytosis and the production of antimicrobial peptides after Toll-like receptor activation, along with adaptive responses, such as antibody production and ...