immunology

By Jacqueline Carrico, BS, MD Candidate

The protein TLR6 is one member of the large Toll-like receptor (TLR) family, which governs the activation of the innate immunity system and pathogen recognition in cells. The TLR family is highly conserved from Drosophila to humans, and all the family members have a high degree of both functional and structural homology. TLRs modulate cytokine production by cells that is required to effectively establish innate immunity.

CD4, also known as Cluster of Differentiation 4, interacts with major histocompatibility complex class II antigens, acts as a receptor for the human immunodeficiency virus and induces the aggregation of lipid rafts. It is expressed in T lymphocytes, B cells, macrophages, granulocytes, dendritic cells and specific regions of the brain.

ATG5, or Autophagy Related 5, is a protein crucial for autophagy. Autophagy is a mechanism in which dysfunctional or pathogenic cells or cellular components are degraded and sometimes recycled. This process happens when ATG5 conjugates with another protein and associates with a cup shaped isolation membrane.

What is CD11b?

CD11b is an integrin family member which pairs with CD18 to form the CR3 heterodimer. CD11b is expressed on the surface of many leukocytes including monocytes, neutrophils, natural killer cells, granulocytes and macrophages, as well as on 8% of spleen cells and 44% of bone marrow cells. Functionally, CD11b regulates leukocyte adhesion and migration to mediate the inflammatory response.