The concept of immunological memory stipulates that past exposures shape present immune function. These exposures include not only specific antigens impacting adaptive immune memory but also conserved pathogen or danger associated molecular patterns that mold innate immune responses for prolonged periods of time. It should thus not come as a surprise that there is a vast range of external or en...

The interplay between nutrition and immune system is well recognised, however the true integration of research between nutrition, animal energy status and immune function is still far from clear. In fish nutrition, especially for species maintained in aquaculture, formulated feeds are significantly different from the natural diet with recent changes in nutrient sources, especially with protein ...

Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (BmCPV) is one of the most important pathogens of silkworm. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been demonstrated to play key roles in regulating host-pathogen interaction. However, there are limited reports on the miRNAs expression profiles during insect pathogen challenges. In this study, four small RNA libraries from BmCPV-infected midgut of silkworm at 72 h po...

Androgens are proposed to allocate finite energetic resources away from immune function and toward anabolic processes related to reproductive effort. In situations of pathogen exposure, the significant energetic demands associated with mounting an immune response are expected to produce a decrease in androgen levels and commensurate redistribution of energy. We tested the hypothesis that even t...

Androgens are proposed to allocate finite energetic resources away from immune function and toward anabolic processes related to reproductive effort. In situations of pathogen exposure, the significant energetic demands associated with mounting an immune response are expected to produce a decrease in androgen levels and commensurate redistribution of energy. We tested the hypothesis that even t...

Ecological immunology is a rapidly expanding field of research that attempts to explain variation in immune function across individuals, populations and species. Birds and ectoparasitic arthropods have frequently been used in attempts to measure the cost of immune function in relation to adult condition, nestling growth and other life history challenges. Unfortunately, most studies in ecologica...

Understanding the ecotoxicological effects of arsenic in the environment is paramount to mitigating its deleterious effects on ecological and human health, particularly on the immune response. Toxicological and long-term health effects of arsenic exposure have been well studied. Its specific effects on immune function, however, are less well understood. Eukaryotic immune function often includes...

Mammalian hibernation consists of torpor phases when metabolism is severely depressed, and T(b) can reach as low as approximately -2°C, interrupted by euthermic arousal phases. Hibernation affects the function of the innate and the adaptive immune systems. Torpor drastically reduces numbers of all types of circulating leukocytes. In addition, other changes have been noted, such as lower complem...

MicroRNA (miRNA) control has emerged as a critical regulatory principle in the mammalian immune system. Genetic ablation of the miRNA machinery, as well as loss or deregulation of certain individual miRNAs, severely compromises immune development and response and can lead to immune disorders like autoimmunity and cancer. Although individual miRNAs modulate protein output from hundreds of target...

During winter, increased thermoregulatory demands coincide with limited food availability necessitating physiological tradeoffs among expensive physiological processes resulting in seasonal breeding among small mammals. In the laboratory, short winter-like day lengths induce regression of the reproductive tract, but also enhance many aspects of immune function. It remains unspecified the extent...