Innate Immune Pathways in Host Defense

The innate immune system is a critical component of host defense against invading microbial pathogens. It is responsible for mounting proper inflammatory and repair responses that contribute to the elimination of the invading pathogen and for instructing the adaptive immune system to develop a prolonged immunity against microbial pathogens. This is accomplished through the regulation of transcriptional and posttranslational programs that culminate in the production of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, the induction of type I and II interferon responses and autophagy responses, and the induction of programmed cell death modes that eliminate infected host cells and expose intracellular pathogens to surveillance by the immune system. This issue includes eight published papers which are discussing the following issues.