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- Temporal Analysis of Hepatitis C Virus Cell Entry with Occludin Directed Blocking Antibodies
- Plasminogen Controls Inflammation and Pathogenesis of Influenza Virus Infections via Fibrinolysis
- Genome-wide Determinants of Proviral Targeting, Clonal Abundance and Expression in Natural HTLV-1 Infection
- The Enterovirus 71 A-particle Forms a Gateway to Allow Genome Release: A CryoEM Study of Picornavirus Uncoating
- Enterovirus 71 Protease 2Apro Targets MAVS to Inhibit Anti-Viral Type I Interferon Responses
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Redefining the Immune System as a Social Interface for Cooperative Processes
Viewed from a neo-Darwinian perspective, the main function of the metazoan immune system (IS) is to insure host integrity against invading microorganisms. Coevolution of the host and the competitors has been described as a perpetual arms race. Muraille argues that observations from microbiology and ecology challenge this paradigm and suggests that infectious organisms and the IS play a crucial, unexpected role in evolution.
Generators of Phenotypic Diversity in the Evolution of Pathogenic Microorganisms
The process of pathogen adaptation to the host is diverse and is now known to involve apanoply of diversity generators. In this Pearl Calo et al. discuss these diversity generators such as such as sexual/parasexual reproduction, aneuploidy, prions, mutators, telomeric silencing/recombination, and Hsp90 as a capacitor for evolution.
The Common Structural Architecture of Shigella flexneri and Salmonella typhimurium Type Three Secretion Needles
The Type Three Secretion System (T3SS) is a macromolecular infection machinery present in many pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria such as Salmonella typhimurium and Shigella flexneri. Demers et al. show that Shigella subunits adopt the same secondary structure and orientation as in the atomic model of Salmonella, revealing a common structural architecture of T3SS needles, essential to understanding T3SS-mediated infection.
IL-17 Mediates Immunopathology in the Absence of IL-10 Following Leishmania major Infection
The reason for the severity of mucosal leishmaniasis is largely unknown. However it is known that the severe disease appears to be due to an uncontrolled inflammatory response that includes elevated production of IFN-c and IL-17. Gonzalez-Lombana et al. show that IL-17, but not the IFNc, is a strong candidate to be targeted in strategies to control the severe immunopathology observed in mucosal leishmaniasis patients.
Plasminogen Controls Inflammation and Pathogenesis of Influenza Virus Infections via Fibrinolysis
Detrimental inflammation of the lungs is common in influenza virus infections. Endothelial cells are the source of cytokine amplification, yet mechanisms underlying this process are unknown. Berri et al. show that plasminogen controls lung inflammation and pathogenesis of infections with influenza A/PR/8/34, highly pathogenic H5N1 and 2009 pandemic H1N1 viruses.
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