Main description:

The concept of innate immunity refers to the first-line host defense that serves to limit infection in the early hours after exposure to microorganisms. Recent data have highlighted similarities between pathogen recognition, signaling pathways, and effector mechanisms of innate immunity in Drosophila and mammals, pointing to a common ancestry of these defenses. In addition to its role in the early phase of defense, innate immunity in mammals appears to playa key role in stimulating the subsequent clonal response of adaptive immunity. Recent exciting information has determined that the templates that are laid down in primitive life forms, like flowering plants and insects, form the basic principles of first line host defense that are conserved in mammalian systems. The next frontier in the field is to understand the dynamic adaptive changes that occur as a result of the inter play between host defenses and infectious agents. One emerging theme is that microorganisms are constantly seeking ways to co-opt host defenses. On the other hand, host defense to infection is mediated by the coordinate action of pattern recognition molecules and receptors that, in mammals, are important and probably necessary antecedents to the development of an adaptive immune response. Innate Immunity aims to explore the intersection between host pathogen interactions across an evolutionary spectrum that will inform our understanding of the dynamic interplay between infectious agents and host defense in man.

Contents:

Section I: Plant Immunity
Section Editor: Frederick M. Ausubel

Introduction
Frederick M. Ausubel

Pathogen Recognition and Signal Transduction in Plant Immunity
Jonathan Cohn and Gregory B. Martin

Plant Disease Resistance Genes
Jeffrey G. Ellis and David A. Jones

Nonhost Resistance in Plants to Microbial Pathogens
Michele C. Heath

Section II: Invertebrate Host Defense Immunity
Section Editor: Jean-Marc Reichhart

Introduction
Jean-Marc Reichhart

Regulatory Co-options in the Evolution of Deuterostome Immune Systems
Ellen V. Rothenberg and Eric H. Davidson

Antimicrobial Peptides in Insect Immunity
Philippe Bulet, Maurice Charlet, and Charles Hetru

Innate Immunity in the Horseshoe Crab
Shun-ichiro Kawabata, Tsukasa Osaki, and Sadaaki Iwanaga

Pattern Recognition Receptors in Drosophila
Mika Ramet, Alan Pearson, Kati Baksa, and Asha Harikrishnan

Humoral and Cellular Responses in Drosophila Innate Immunity
Julien Royet, Marie Meister, and Dominique Ferrandon

Thioester-Containing Proteins of Protostomes
Elena A. Levashina, Stephanie Blandin, Luis F. Moita, Marie Lagueux, and Fotis C. Kafatos

Section III: Mammalian Host Defenses: Pattern Recognition Receptors
Section Editor: Siamon Gordon

Introduction
Siamon Gordon

Toll-Like Receptors
Tsuneyasu Kaisho and Shizuo Akira

The Macrophage Mannose Receptor and Innate Immunity
Thiruvamoor P. Ramkumar, Djilali Hammache, and Philip D. Stahl

Diverse Roles of Lung Collectins in Pulmonary Innate Immunity
Erika C. Crouch and Jeffrey A. Whitsett

Structures of Complement Control Proteins
Thilo Stehle and Mykol Larvie

Lipopolysaccharide-Binding Protein and CD14
Peter S. Tobias

Section IV: Mammalian Host Defenses: LinksBetween Innate and Adaptive Immunity
Section Editor: Steven L. Kunkel

Introduction
Steven L. Kunkel

The Role of Chemokines in Linking Innate and Adaptive Immunity
Cory M. Hogaboam and Steven L. Kunkel

Antimicrobial Peptides
Tomas Ganz and Robert I. Lehrer

The Role of Complement in Innate and Adaptive Immunity
Mihaela Gadjeva, Admar Verschoor, and Michael C. Carroll

The Role of Natural Killer Cells in Innate Immunity to Infection
Wayne M. Yokoyama

Innate Immune Signaling During Phagocytosis
David M. Underhill

The Role of Mast Cells in Innate Immunity
Joshua A. Boyce and K. Frank Austen

CD1-Restricted T-Cells
D. Branch Moody

Index