Innate Immunity Hardback - 2002

In natural environments, plants must defend themselves against attack from a variety of organisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, invertebrates, and, in some instances, other plants.

Humans share a common template for innate immunity-the first-line defense that serves to limit infection immediately after exposure to microorganisms-with life forms as diverse as flowering plants and insects. In Innate Immunity, leading basic researchers explore host-pathogen interactions across an evolutionary spectrum to elucidate the origins of the human defense system against infection. Bringing together the latest research in the field, the authors review four significant research areas: plant immunity, invertebrate host defense immunity, pattern recognition receptors in mammalian host defense, and the links between innate and adaptive immunity in mammals. They find that the similarities among insect, plant, and mammalian immunological systems shed light on the complex mechanisms involved in adaptive immunity, thereby increasing our understanding of mammalian host defense. Their description of various systems, pathways, molecules, and proteins engaged in the process of host defense suggests that innate and adaptive immunity can no longer be seen as two different systems, but rather as working in tandem to surround and destroy foreign agents that enter the body. The authors also discuss those templates of innate immunity found in primitive systems that are now driving most novel research on human innate immunity.
Innovative and cutting-edge, Innate Immunity demonstrates new ways to explore this system in plants, invertebrates, and mammals, and, by illuminating the dynamic interplay between infectious agents and host defense, clearly reveals the potential for improved therapies to treat infectious diseases.