Tag Archives: immunity
The year of the honey bee with respect to its physiology and immunity
It has been known for many years that in temperate climates, the European honey bee, Apis mellifera, exists in the form of two distinct populations within the year, short-living summer bees and long-living winter bees. Summer populations’
Villi-like topography provides a native microenvironment for the intestinal epithelial morphogenesis
The use of an organotypic culture system, as an alternative to animal models, for recapitulating physiological and biologically relevant intestinal tissue is constantly gaining success in various fields of science. Indeed, it is currently used in basic
Immunological changes at puberty drive increased mortality from endotoxemia in mice
Sepsis is a complex and deadly syndrome in which the body’s response to infection malfunctions and loses the ability to resolve inflammation properly. This loss manifests in a variety of ways, ranging from organ-damaging inflammation to immune
Deciphering plant immunity against parasites
A research group at University Bonn uncovers how plants detect and defeat parasitic worms. Nematodes are a huge threat to agriculture since they parasitize important crops such as wheat, soybean, and banana; but plants can defend themselves.
IL-1 Receptor 8: a novel player in immunothrombosis
In addition to be a key component of blood hemostasis and coagulation, platelets have recently been implicated in thrombotic events associated with immune dysfunctions or inflammation. Platelets participate to innate immune responses and inflammation by releasing a
Why narcoleptic mice exhibit faster recovery from sickness behavior?
Hypocretin/ataxin-3 mice (which are postnatally depleted of hypothalamic hypocretin neurons) were administered LPS. As a result, hypocretin/ataxin-3 mice were increased in sleep compared with wild-type littermates and showed faster recovery from sickness behaviour. We examined changes in
Immune depression in the malnourished child: Knowledge all dressed up with nowhere to go
Nearly one million children under five years of age die annually from wasting deficits of protein and energy acting in synergy with pneumonia and diarrhea, and this toll is undoubtedly exceeded numerically by an additional burden of
The apothecary inside us
New drugs might be found right under our noses or, more precisely, in our guts as we learn more about the ways metabolites from intestinal bacteria modulate human metabolic and immunity pathways. Our recently published paper in
Hosts and pathogens: war without end
Theodosius Dobzhansky once famously remarked that “nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution”. Nowhere is this truer than in the never ending struggle between animals and the pathogens (viruses, bacteria and parasites) which
A brucellosis vaccine that provides sterile immunity
Brucellosis is a disease caused by infection with bacteria of the genus Brucella. Most of Brucella species are capable of infecting humans, and they are all considered zoonotic since different animals are their preferential hosts. Brucella ovis
B cells to the rescue: regulatory B cells are a promising therapeutic target for autoimmune disease
Immune cells are indispensable for protecting us from microbial infections. They recognize specific patterns on microbes to mount robust cellular and molecular immune responses for the clearance of pathogens. Intriguingly, development and function of these cells is
Impact of Influenza A virus PA-X protein on host immune responses
Influenza A virus is a clinically important respiratory pathogen that annually infects millions of people worldwide and is, therefore, a serious threat to public health. Recurrent influenza infections occur throughout life because a relatively weak immune response
S5nA – a novel group a streptococcal immune evasion factor
Streptococcus pyogenes (aka Group A Streptococcus, GAS) is a pathogenic bacterium that causes disease in humans, ranging from pharyngitis (‘strep throat’) and skin infections to severe invasive diseases, such as necrotizing fasciitis (‘flesh-eating disease) and life-threatening toxic
A resource for studying the role of RNA-binding proteins in human disease
Advances in science and technology have not only made accessing and analyzing the personal genomic information a reality but also rapid and cost effective. Every living organism is made of cells and every cell is made of
Mothers of children with autism report worse immunity
Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) report higher levels of parenting stress than almost any other group of parents of children with disabilities. In addition, parents of children with ASD often report high levels of
Evolution of innate T cells
As a part of adaptive immunity, T cells identify and respond to products or antigens derived from pathogens. These antigens are seen by T cells in the form of short fragments or peptides presented by classical major
Canine demodicosis – how to solve a problem ASAP?
Demodex mites cause disease in the skin of immune debilitated dogs. Demodex are species-specific, follicular mites that are found as a normal resident on most species of animals and in humans. Demodicosis is rare in the horse,
Effects of dietary peppermint on fry Caspian white fish
Traditional medicines usually involve the use of plant extracts. Among these plants, mint species have been exploited by man since more than two thousand years. Mentha piperita (also known as peppermint) is one of the world’s oldest
On their way out: Structural HIV proteins team up before escaping from infected cells
The human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ) infects and eventually destroys the immune cells of infected patients. This causes the life-threatening medical condition called acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ( AIDS ). A cure for HIV/AIDS does not exist,
Zinc – a promising supplement for the immune system
Zinc is essential for basic functions within cells of the human body. Hence, zinc deficiency is associated with impaired immune functions as dermatitis, dysfunction of the immune system, hypogonadism, and growth retardation. Under normal conditions only low
