Current Immunology Reviews (Discontinued) - Volume 3, Issue 4, 2007

Extracellular matrix proteins play important roles in many different biological processes. Our recent work has discovered important roles for the ECM protein mindin in both innate and adaptive immune responses. Mindin is a member of the F-spondin family of extracellular matrix proteins, which are classified by the presence of an FS1/FS2 domain and one or more thrombospondin type 1 (TSR) repeats. Mindin is highly cons Read More

In the face of emerging infectious diseases, we are challenged to develop innovative vaccine strategies that can protect against rapidly evolving and highly virulent pathogens. Since CD4 T cells are needed to generate and maintain protective B cell and CD8 T cell immunity, new vaccines should ideally elicit both T and B cell memory. In order to generate long-lived immune memory in both T and B cell compartments, such Read More

Lymph nodes (LNs) are crucial organs for triggering adaptive immune responses, and are localized at key places in the network of the lymphatic vascular system in order to filter tissue fluid exudates containing antigens effectively. Within the LN, immune cells are strategically compartmentalized to form a unique tissue architecture that is mechanically and functionally supported by several types of stromal cells Read More

During hematopoiesis, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) gradually lose their multi-potency and ultimately commit to a single lineage at certain period in the maturation process. Before entering the lineage commitment stage, progenitors have to go through multiple specification steps. During this progression, both external and internal cues may have effects on the cell fates of progenitors. However, it is not clear how e Read More

The activation of intracellular signaling pathways by the engagement of ligands with cell-surface receptors is a key event in determining the fate and function of cells. While these outcomes are primarily determined by the nature of the ligand and its receptor, proteins that negatively regulate the strength and duration of these signals are also critical components in this process. In recent years the E3 ubiquitin ligases c-Cbl and Read More

Insect immune systems which lack the type of adaptive immunity known in vertebrates rely on several mechanisms including solid barriers against the environment, rapid coagulation of hemolymph after wounding, the formation of aggregates that immobilize and kill foreign invaders, phagocytosis, and the production of antimicrobial peptides. The mode of action and the regulation of the expression of antimicrobial pe Read More

Primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) is a systemic as well as an organ-specific autoimmune disease characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of the glandular epithelial tissue. It has been reported that pSS patients have a relatively increased risk for the development of lymphoma and various factors such as cytokine stimulation, environmental exposures and viral infections as well as genetic events may contribute to the devel Read More