Gout is an autoinflammatory disorder associated with deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in joints and periarticular tissues. Recent advances suggest that the innate immune system may drive the gouty inflammatory response to MSU. These findings prompt questions concerning how the innate immune system recognizes MSU and the identities of the receptors involved. In this issue of the JCI...

The mammalian immune system consists of two branchesinnate and adaptive immune systems and together they provide protection against infection. Innate immunity is a first line of host defense and is responsible for immediate recognition of pathogens to prevent microbial invasion. In addition innate immune responses also stimulate adaptive immune system (Medzhitov and Janeway, 1997). Cellular com...

Recognition of conserved bacterial products by innate immune receptors leads to inflammatory responses that control pathogen spread but that can also result in pathology. Intestinal epithelial cells are exposed to bacterial products and therefore must prevent signaling through innate immune receptors to avoid pathology. However, enteric pathogens are able to stimulate intestinal inflammation. W...

The immune system has a variety of tools at its disposal to combat virus infections. These can be subdivided roughly into two categories: 'first line defence', consisting of the non-specific, innate immune system, and 'adaptive immune response', acquired over time following virus infection or vaccination. During evolution, viruses have developed numerous, and often very ingenious, strategies to...

The innate immune system serves as a first line of defense against microbial pathogens. The host innate immune response can be triggered by recognition of conserved non-self-microbial signature molecules by specific host receptor proteins called Toll-like receptors. For bacteria, many of these molecular triggers reside on or are embedded in the bacterial membrane, the interface exposed to the h...

The innate immune system oversees the gateway to immunity with its microbial sensors. Innate microbial sensors are germ line-encoded receptors with genetically predetermined specificities for microbes. The readiness and effectiveness of the innate immune system to provide immediate and appropriate responses at the host-environment interface is dependent on its sensitive and comprehensive microb...

The innate immune system is a highly sensitive organ of perception sensing any cell stress and tissue injury. Its major type of response to all potential inciting and dangerous challenges is inflammation and tissue repair and, if needed, induction of a supportive adaptive immune response, the aim always being to maintain homeostasis. However, although initially beneficial, innate immunity-media...

The innate immune response provides a first line of defense against pathogens by targeting generic differential features that are present in foreign organisms but not in the host. These innate responses generate selection forces acting both in pathogens and hosts that further determine their co-evolution. Here we analyze the nucleic acid sequence fingerprints of these selection forces acting in...

The essence of the immune system is built on two separate foundation pillars: one is specific or adaptive immunity which is characterized by relatively slow response kinetics and the ability to remember. The other is nonspecific or innate immunity exhibiting rapid response kinetics but lacking memory. Lymphocytes are the key players of the adaptive immune system. Each lymphocyte expresses antig...

Immunomodulators are natural or synthetic materials that regulate the immune system and induce innate and adaptive defense mechanisms. These substances are classified into two types, immunostimulants and immunosuppressants. Immunostimulants can enhance body's resistance against various infections through increasing the basal levels of immune response. These agents could increase the oxidative a...