Innate Immune Signaling Pathways: Lessons from Vaccinia Virus

Abstract

In recent years there has been an avalanche of new data revealing how the innate immune system, using pattern recognition receptors, initially senses viruses. This leads to signaling pathways resulting in transcription factor activation, and subsequent induction of cytokines and interferons. Here we show how studying the immune evasion strategies of vaccinia virus, and elucidating the underlying molecular mechanisms of these strategies, has provided some important lessons as to how these pathways operate and how they are subverted by viruses.

Keywords: :

• innate immunity
• interferon
• NF-κB
• RIG-I-like receptors
• signal transduction
• Toll-like receptors
• vaccinia virus
• viral evasion

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have patents pending on A46 and A52. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.