We saw activation of T helper cells 1, which generally contribute to
antiviral immunity, as well as activation of T helper cells 2, which have been linked to allergic responses," Paust said.
In the wake of the discovery of TLRs, it was historically postulated that
antiviral immunity was mediated via TLR3 because this membrane-anchored receptor was essential to trigger the production of type 1 IFNs and the activation of IFN stimulated genes (ISGs) when challenged with extracellular double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) poly(I:C), as a viral surrogate [1].
"One of the ways for trying to get rid of the virus is restoration of
antiviral immunity, and there are several strategies to accomplish this," reported Dr.
Gale Jr., "RIG-I like receptors in
antiviral immunity and therapeutic applications," Viruses, vol.
Plants have evolved two main
antiviral immunity systems operated by ARGONAUTE (AGO) proteins that target viral RNAs in the RNA silencing pathway or by resistance proteins that recognize viral-encoded proteins through protein-protein interactions.
Duration of
antiviral immunity after smallpox vaccination.
The article by Dolganiuc in this issue explores the synergistic effects of alcohol and hepatitis viruses on the progression of liver disease as well as alcohol consumption's injurious effect on liver
antiviral immunity. Mandrekar and Ju contribute an article that homes in on the role of macrophages in ALD development, including recent insights into the origin, heterogeneity, and plasticity of macrophages in liver disease and the signaling mediators involved in their activation and accumulation.
Lead scientist Professor Adnan Custovic, from the University of Manchester, said: "We speculate that hidden factors which increase the likelihood of both antibiotic prescription in early life and subsequent asthma are an increased susceptibility to viral infections due to impaired
antiviral immunity and genetic variants on 17q21.
Similarly, mice treated with a compound that inhibits PGE2 showed enhanced
antiviral immunity and survival rates following infection with a lethal dose of the flu virus compared with untreated mice.
Although RNAi also exists in mammals, researchers have until now thought it to be involved in other cellular processes required for gene regulation but not in
antiviral immunity. Evidence that RNAi does indeed contribute to mammalian antiviral defence is now published in Science by Olivier Voinnet, professor for RNA biology at ETH Zurich, and his colleagues.
They discuss innate antiviral responses in invertebrates and Toll-like receptors (TLR) in vertebrates, as well as the phylogenetic relationship of pathogen sensing, the downstream adaptor molecules, and the functional consequences; nucleic acid sensing pathways, alternative regulator mechanisms of TLR signaling RIG-I-like receptors, the contribution of LGP2 to
antiviral immunity, mitochondrial immune signaling complex and DNA sensors, and the complexities of downstream signaling, the adaptor molecules involved, and the regulatory pathways; and the molecular mechanisms by which pathogens such as poxviruses, HIV, and influenza evade host innate immune mechanisms, the viral virulence factors responsible, and their interactions with the innate immune sensors.
Comment: This mice study demonstrates that the experience of repeated social defeat prior to a primary viral infection significantly enhances virus-specific memory via augmentation of memory T cell populations, and suggests that social stressors should be carefully considered in the analysis of implications on
antiviral immunity. We assume that the human may behave in a fashion similar to our experimental mice.
