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AIM2
Interferon-inducible protein AIM2 also known as absent in melanoma 2 or simply AIM2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''AIM2'' gene. AIM2 is a cytoplasmic sensor found in hematopoietic cells that recognizes the presence of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) of microbial or host cellular origin. AIM2-like receptor (ALR) family was founded on AIM2 and now consists of four members in human genome. Activated AIM2 recruits apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC), resulting in caspase-1 binding, and forming of AIM2 inflammasome. This signaling contributes to the defense against bacterial and viral DNA. Structure Proteins belonging to ALR family usually contain an N-terminal pyrin (PYD) domain, and one or two HIN domains. AIM2 consists of two domains connected through a long linker: an N-terminal PYD domain (amino acids 1-87), and a C-terminal HIN-200 domain (amino acids 138–337). The PYD domain mediates homotypic protein-protein interaction, while th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Inflammasome
Inflammasomes are cytosolic multiprotein oligomers of the innate immune system responsible for the activation of inflammatory responses. Activation and assembly of the inflammasome promotes proteolytic cleavage, maturation and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and interleukin 18 (IL-18), as well as cleavage of Gasdermin-D. The N-terminal fragment resulting from this cleavage induces a pro-inflammatory form of programmed cell death distinct from apoptosis, referred to as pyroptosis, and is responsible for secretion of the mature cytokines, presumably through the formation of pores in the plasma membrane. Inflammasome activation is initiated by different kinds of cytosolic pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that respond to either microbe-derived pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) or danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) generated by the host cell. Pattern recognition receptors involved in inflammasomes comprise NLRs (nucleoti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pyrin Domain
A pyrin domain (PYD, also known as PAAD/DAPIN) is a protein domain and a subclass of protein motif known as the death fold, the 4th and most recently discovered member of the death domain superfamily (DDF). It was originally discovered in the pyrin protein, or marenostrin, encoded by MEFV. The mutation of the MEFV gene is the cause of the disease known as Familial Mediterranean Fever. The domain is encoded in 23 human proteins and at least 31 mouse genes. Proteins containing a pyrin domain are frequently involved in programmed cell death processes including pyroptosis and apoptosis. Proteins that possess a pyrin domain interact with the pyrin domains in other proteins to form of multi-protein complexes called inflammasomes and to trigger downstream immune responses. Structure Pyrin domains are a ~90 amino acid motif present only at the N-terminus of proteins. The core is made of highly conserved hydrophobic residues surrounded by five or six alpha helices with α1→2 linkage ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, responding to stimuli, providing structure to cells and organisms, and transporting molecules from one location to another. Proteins differ from one another primarily in their sequence of amino acids, which is dictated by the nucleotide sequence of their genes, and which usually results in protein folding into a specific 3D structure that determines its activity. A linear chain of amino acid residues is called a polypeptide. A protein contains at least one long polypeptide. Short polypeptides, containing less than 20–30 residues, are rarely considered to be proteins and are commonly called peptides. The individual amino acid residues are bonded together by peptide bonds and adjacent amino acid residues. The sequence of amino acid residue ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Listeria Monocytogenes
''Listeria monocytogenes'' is the species of pathogenic bacteria that causes the infection listeriosis. It is a facultative anaerobic bacterium, capable of surviving in the presence or absence of oxygen. It can grow and reproduce inside the host's cells and is one of the most virulent foodborne pathogens: 20 to 30% of foodborne listeriosis infections in high-risk individuals may be fatal. Responsible for an estimated 1,600 illnesses and 260 deaths in the United States annually, listeriosis ranks third in total number of deaths among foodborne bacterial pathogens, with fatality rates exceeding even '' Salmonella'' spp. and ''Clostridium botulinum''. In the European Union, listeriosis follows an upward trend that began in 2008, causing 2,161 confirmed cases and 210 reported deaths in 2014, 16% more than in 2013. Listeriosis mortality rates are also higher in the EU than for other foodborne pathogens. ''Listeria monocytogenes'' is a Gram-positive bacterium, in the phylum Bacillota, n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plasmodium Berghei
''Plasmodium berghei'' is a species in the genus ''Plasmodium'' subgenus ''Vinckeia''. It is a protozoan parasite that causes malaria in certain rodents. Originally, isolated from thicket rats in Central Africa, ''P. berghei'' is one of four ''Plasmodium'' species that have been described in African murine rodents, the others being '' P. chabaudi'', '' P. vinckei'', and '' P. yoelii''. Due to its ability to infect rodents and relative ease of genetic engineering, ''P. berghei'' is a popular model organism for the study of human malaria. Biology Like all malaria parasites of mammals, including the four human malaria parasites, ''P. berghei'' is transmitted by ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes and it infects the liver after being injected into the bloodstream by a bite of an infected female mosquito. After a short period (a few days) of development and multiplication, these parasites leave the liver and invade erythrocytes (red blood cells). The multiplication of the parasite in the bloo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aspergillus Fumigatus
''Aspergillus fumigatus'' is a species of fungus in the genus ''Aspergillus'', and is one of the most common ''Aspergillus'' species to cause disease in individuals with an immunodeficiency. ''Aspergillus fumigatus'', a saprotroph widespread in nature, is typically found in soil and decaying organic matter, such as compost heaps, where it plays an essential role in carbon and nitrogen recycling. Colonies of the fungus produce from conidiophores; thousands of minute grey-green conidia (2–3 μm) which readily become airborne. For many years, ''A. fumigatus'' was thought to only reproduce asexually, as neither mating nor meiosis had ever been observed. In 2008, ''A. fumigatus'' was shown to possess a fully functional sexual reproductive cycle, 145 years after its original description by Fresenius. Although ''A. fumigatus'' occurs in areas with widely different climates and environments, it displays low genetic variation and a lack of population genetic differentiation on a globa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Human Papillomaviruses
Human papillomavirus infection (HPV infection) is caused by a DNA virus from the ''Papillomaviridae'' family. Many HPV infections cause no symptoms and 90% resolve spontaneously within two years. In some cases, an HPV infection persists and results in either warts or precancerous lesions. These lesions, depending on the site affected, increase the risk of cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, anus, mouth, tonsils, or throat. Nearly all cervical cancer is due to HPV and two strains – HPV16 and HPV18 – account for 70% of cases. HPV16 is responsible for almost 90% of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancers. Between 60% and 90% of the other cancers listed above are also linked to HPV. HPV6 and HPV11 are common causes of genital warts and laryngeal papillomatosis. An HPV infection is caused by ''human papillomavirus'', a DNA virus from the papillomavirus family. Over 170 types have been described. An individual can become infected with more than one type of HPV, and the disea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vaccinia Virus
''Vaccinia virus'' (VACV or VV) is a large, complex, enveloped virus belonging to the poxvirus family. It has a linear, double-stranded DNA genome approximately 190 kbp in length, which encodes approximately 250 genes. The dimensions of the virion are roughly 360 × 270 × 250 nm, with a mass of approximately 5–10 fg. The vaccinia virus is the source of the modern smallpox vaccine, which the World Health Organisation used to eradicate smallpox in a global vaccination campaign in 1958–1977. Although ''smallpox'' no longer exists in the wild, ''vaccinia'' virus is still studied widely by scientists as a tool for gene therapy and genetic engineering. Smallpox had been an endemic human disease that had a 30% fatality rate. In 1796, the British doctor Edward Jenner proved that an infection with the relatively mild cowpox virus would also confer immunity to the deadly smallpox. Jenner referred to cowpox as ''variolae vaccinae'' (smallpox of the cow). However, the origins ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cytomegalovirus
''Cytomegalovirus'' (''CMV'') (from ''cyto-'' 'cell' via Greek - 'container' + 'big, megalo-' + -''virus'' via Latin 'poison') is a genus of viruses in the order ''Herpesvirales'', in the family ''Herpesviridae'', in the subfamily ''Betaherpesvirinae''. Humans and other primates serve as natural hosts. The 11 species in this genus include ''human betaherpesvirus 5'' (HCMV, human cytomegalovirus, HHV-5), which is the species that infects humans. Diseases associated with HHV-5 include mononucleosis and pneumonia. In the medical literature, most mentions of CMV without further specification refer implicitly to human CMV. Human CMV is the most studied of all cytomegaloviruses. MX2/MXB was identified as a restriction factor for herpesviruses, which acts at a very early stage of the replication cycle and MX2/MXB restriction of herpesvirus requires GTPase activity. Taxonomy Within the ''Herpesviridae'', CMV belongs to the ''Betaherpesvirinae'' subfamily, which also includes the g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Type I Interferon
The type-I interferons (IFN) are cytokines which play essential roles in inflammation, immunoregulation, tumor cells recognition, and T cell, T-cell responses. In the human genome, a cluster of thirteen functional IFN genes is located at the 9p21.3 cytoband over approximately 400 kb including coding genes for IFNα (''IFNA1, IFNA2, IFNA4, IFNA5, IFNA6, IFNA7, IFNA8, IFNA10, IFNA13, IFNA14, IFNA16, IFNA17'' and ''IFNA21''), IFNω (''IFNW1''), IFNɛ (''IFNE''), IFNк (''IFNK'') and IFNβ (''IFNB1''), plus 11 IFN pseudogenes. Interferons bind to interferon receptors. All type I IFNs bind to a specific cell surface receptor complex known as the IFN-α receptor (Interferon-alpha/beta receptor, IFNAR) that consists of IFNAR1 and IFNAR2 chains. Type I IFNs are found in all mammals, and homologous (similar) molecules have been found in birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish species. Sources and functions IFN-α and IFN-β are secreted by many cell types including lymphocytes (NK cells, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chlamydia Muridarum
''Chlamydia muridarum'' is an intracellular bacterial species that at one time belonged to ''Chlamydia trachomatis''. However, ''C. trachomatis'' naturally only infects humans and ''C. muridarum'' naturally infects only members of the family Muridae (includes both mice and hamsters, Alderton, 1996). Two strains of ''Chlamydia muridarum'', MoPn (originally named Nigg) and SFPD, have been isolated from mice and hamsters. Glycogen production by both strains has been demonstrated. The chromosome and extrachromosomal plasmid of MoPn have been sequenced. ''Chlamydia muridarum'' MoPn binds mAbs recognizing ''Chlamydia trachomatis'' MOMP vs4 core epitope (T) LNPT (IA). DNA sequence analysis indicates that these mAbs should recognize SFPD and that ''Chlamydia trachomatis'' B-serogroup mAbs specific for the vs4 epitope IAGAG should recognize SFPD. MoPn was isolated in 1942 from the lungs of asymptomatic albino Swiss mice and was subsequently shown to be capable of producing disease in mic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brucella Abortus
''Brucella abortus'' is a Gram-negative bacterium in the family Brucellaceae and is one of the causative agents of brucellosis. The rod-shaped pathogen is classified under the domain Bacteria. The prokaryotic ''B. abortus'' is non-spore-forming, non-motile and aerobic. Transmission ''Brucella abortus'' enters phagocytes that invade human and animal innate defenses which in turn, cause chronic disease in the host. The liver and spleen are the mainly affected areas of the body. Farm workers and veterinarians are the highest risk individuals for acquiring the disease due to their close proximity to the animals. Swine, goats, sheep, and cattle are a few of the reservoirs for the disease. ''B. abortus'' causes abortion and infertility in adult cattle and is a zoonosis which is present worldwide. Humans are commonly infected after drinking unpasteurized milk from affected animals or, less commonly, when coming into contact with infected tissues and liquids (afterbirth, etc.). The i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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