How the immune system identifies invading bacteria

The body's homeland security unit is more thorough than any airport checkpoint. For the first time, scientists have witnessed a mouse immune system protein frisking a snippet of an invading bacterium. The inspection is far more extensive than researchers imagined: the immune system protein, similar to those in humans, scans the bacterial protein in six different ways, ensuring correct identification.

See:

Jeannette L. Tenthorey et al. The structural basis of flagellin detection by NAIP5: A strategy to limit pathogen immune evasion. Science, 2017; DOI: 10.1126/science.aao1140

Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle