Measles: immune suppression and immune responses

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that remains the leading vaccine-preventable cause of child mortality worldwide. Deaths from measles are due largely to an increased susceptibility to secondary bacterial and viral infections, attributed to a prolonged state of immune suppression. Several abnormalities of the immune system have been described, including changes in lymphocyte number and function, shifts in cytokine responses, immunomodulatory effects of interleukin-10, down regulation of interleukin-12, impaired antigen presentation, and altered interferon alpha/beta signaling pathways. Although the current vaccine is very effective, knowledge of the molecular basis of the immune responses to measles virus could contribute to the development of a safer, more immunogenic measles vaccine. However, the safety of new measles vaccines must be carefully investigated, as two measles vaccines have resulted in unintended immunologic consequences: atypical measles following administration of the formalin-inactivated measles vaccine and increased mortality in girls following administration of high-titer measles vaccines.     

模式识别受体介导的天然免疫反应调节获得性免疫的机理

模式识别受体（PRR）的发现推动了免疫学领域的迅速发展.在近15年时间里,揭示了PRR启动的天然免疫反应机制及信号转导途径,并对天然免疫反应调节获得性免疫产生的机制进行了广泛研究.本文综述该领域一些新的重要发现,集中讨论病原体激活抗原递呈细胞的天然免疫反应调节淋巴细胞介导的抗原特异性获得性免疫机理,以及不同天然免疫途径在宿主抵抗感染和修复组织损伤中的作用,并讨论该领域尚未解决的重要问题.     

免疫细胞衰老表现及免疫功能变化的研究进展

机体衰老的本质是细胞衰老不断累积的过程。免疫系统的衰老既是机体衰老的必然结果,也是导致机体衰老的重要原因。免疫系统作为衰老变化的主要系统之一受到越来越多的学者重视。本文将从适应性免疫系统的T、B细胞及固有免疫系统的自然杀伤(NK)细胞、巨噬细胞、中性粒细胞、树突状细胞(DC)和骨髓源性抑制细胞等免疫细胞的亚群、衰老指标和功能等方面在衰老过程中的改变进行总结,进一步明确免疫系统衰老在机体衰老过程中扮演的重要角色。     

Primary immune deficiencies unravel the molecular basis of immune response

Primary immune deficiencies (PID) represent inborn errors of immunity. Over the years, detailed analysis of the clinical and laboratory features associated with these unique and rare disorders have shed light on the complex array of signals and processes that govern development and activation of the immune system. While the first examples of PID pertained to severe defects in lymphoid development, more recently a variety of gene defects have been identified in humans that do not compromize the ability to generate lymphocytes, but rather result in profound immune dysregulation. In many cases, identification of the molecular and cellular bases of PID has preceeded development of animal models by gene targeting. Finally, since the very first cases reported in humans, PID have also represented a unique tool to investigate the efficacy of novel therapeutic approaches (from molecular therapy to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to somatic cells gene therapy), that have been applied or may apply to a variety of more common human diseases.