Endogenous Viral Elements Links Between Autoimmunity And Cancer

In this eBook, original and review papers on various aspects of endogenous viral elements (EVEs) are included. EVEs are integral parts of the genomes of eukaryotic organisms and are involved in various physiological and pathological processes. The focus of this eBook is on the involvement of EVEs in cancer and autoimmune diseases. Frontiers in Microbiology 3 February 2019 | EVEs, Autoimmunity and Cancer In particular, research on endogenous retroviruses and endogenous bornaviruses is included. The presented data demonstrate that EVEs are fascinating objects that are still worth exploring.

This eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contact.

This book discusses soil and recycling management in the Anthropocene era. Nitrogen shortage is one of nature’s most important productivity regulators, but since the advent of technical nitrogen fixation (TNF), biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) input has nearly doubled, particularly in grass and arable lands covering over 13 million km2 of the Earth’s surface. This book explores how monoculture grass, arable lands and forests are often over fertilized with TNF, animal slurries, sewage sludge, or municipally produced composts, and as a result, flora and fauna that have adapted to a nitrogen shortage in the soil will have to adjust to a surplus; those that are unable to adapt will disappear.

This book is a collection of eight articles, of which seven are reviews and one is a research paper, that together form a Special Issue that describes the roles that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) play in gene regulation at a post-transcriptional level.

This comprehensive encyclopedia provides a thorough overview of the human brain and nervous system—the body's "CPU and data network." It covers basic anatomy and function, diseases and disorders, treatment options, wellness concepts, and key individuals in the fields of neurology and neuroscience. Written to be accessible to high school and college students and general readers, this three-volume encyclopedia provides a sweeping overview of the brain, nervous system, and their diseases. Bringing together contributions from leading neuroscientists, neurologists, family physicians, psychologists, and public health professionals, the work covers both brain anatomy and function and neurological disorders, addressing how underlying processes—whether biological, developmental, environmental, or neurodegenerative—manifest themselves. Roughly a third of the entries are about neuroscience and how neurons "talk" to each other in brain circuits to provide normal function. Another group of entries discusses abnormalities or dysfunctions of the brain that develop into disorders or diseases, while a third group focuses on research and experimental procedures commonly used to study the nervous system. The encyclopedia also explores its subject from a wellness perspective, explaining actions that can prevent neurological disorders and injuries and promote general nervous system health. By addressing both ends of the spectrum, the work presents a holistic perspective that will appeal to a broad range of readers.

One of the most interesting issues in immunology is how the innate and adaptive branches of the immune system cooperate in vertebrate organisms to respond and destroy invading microorganisms without destroying self-tissues. More than 20 years ago, Charles Janeway proposed the innate immune recognition theory [1]. He hypothesized the existence of innate receptors (Pattern recognition receptors, PRRs) that, by recognizing molecular structures associated to pathogens (PAMPs) and being expressed by antigen presenting cells (APCs) and epithelial cells, could alert the immune system to the presence of a pathogen, making it possible to mount an immediate inflammatory response. Moreover, by transducing the alert signal in professional APCs and inducing the expression of costimulatory molecules, these receptors could control the activation of lymphocytes bearing clonal antigen-specific receptors, thereby promoting appropriate adaptive immune responses. Since adaptive immunity can be activated also following sterile inflammatory conditions, it was subsequently proposed by Polly Matzinger that the innate immune system could be also activated by endogenous danger signals, generically called danger associated molecular patterns (DAMPs)[2]. The first prediction has been amply confirmed by the discovery of Toll-like receptors [3; 4; 5] and cytoplasmic PRRs such as RIG-like receptors [6]. Other PRR families such as the NOD-like receptors and C-type lectins exert immunogenic or tolerogenic signals [7; 8; 9] and may recognize not strictly pathogens but also endogenous danger signals that may lead to inflammasome activation [10; 11] . Dendritic cells (DCs) have been identified as the cells of the innate immune system that, by sensing PAMPs or DAMPs transduce signals to the nucleus. This leads to a transcriptional reprogramming of DCs with the consequent expression of three signals, namely signal 1 (MHC+peptide), signal 2 (surface costimulatory molecules) and signal 3 (cytokines) necessary for the priming of antigen-specific naïve T cell responses (signal 1 and 2) and T cell polarization (signal 3). The reason why DCs are superior with respect to other professional APCs in naïve T cell activation has not been unequivocally defined but in vivo may mainly result from their migration capacity to secondary lymphoid organs. It has not been established whether DCs can provide a special “signal 2” or simply very high levels, compared with other APCs, of commonly expressed signals 1 and 2, so that a naïve T cell could reach the threshold of activation. A second aspect of DC biology needs also to be taken into account. Concerning the question of how self-tissues are not destroyed following the initiation of adaptive immune responses, different mechanisms of central and peripheral auto-reactive T cell tolerization have been proposed [12]. In particular, it has been defined that high affinity T cells are deleted in the thymus, while low affinity auto-reactive T cells or T cells specific for tissue-sequestered antigens that do not have access to the thymus are controlled in the periphery. In a simplified vision of how peripheral T cell tolerance could be induced and maintained, it was thought that, in resting conditions, immature DCs, expressing low levels of signal 1 and low or no levels of signal 2, were able to induce T cell unresponsiveness. Nevertheless, it is now clear that a fundamental contribution to the peripheral tolerance is due to the conversion of naïve T cells into peripheral regulatory T cells (pTreg cells) and it is also clear that DCs need to receive a specific conditioning to become able to induce pTreg cell differentiation. Even more intriguing is that also DCs activated through PRRs, with particular Toll like receptor (TLR) agonists, are capable of generating pTreg cell conversion if these agonists induce the production of the appropriate cytokines.

Since publication of the 4th Edition of The Autoimmune Diseases in 2006, the understanding of the immune mechanisms underlying autoimmunity and autoimmune disease has significantly deepened and broadened. This fully revised 5th Edition incorporates new material and combines common themes underlying inductive and effector mechanisms and therapies that relate generally to the autoimmune disorders. It discusses the biological basis of disease at genetic, molecular, cellular, and epidemiologic levels and includes expanded coverage of autoinflammatory disease and autoimmune responses to tumors. Gives a thorough and an important overview on the entire field, framing individual disease chapters with information that compares and contrasts each disorder and therapy Provides thorough, up-to-date information on specific diseases, along with clinical applications, in an easily found reference for clinicians and researchers interested in certain diseases Keeps readers abreast of current trends and emerging areas in the field Ensures that content is not only up-to-date, but applicable and relevant

This is the most comprehensive review of the idiotypic network available. All the current knowledge of idiotypes of the various antibodies is incorporated in this volume. The pathogenic role of idiotypes in autoimmunity and cancer is reviewed in depth. The therapeutic part focusses on harnessing anti-idiotypes for treating autoimmunological disorders, and on the employment of idiotypes for vaccines in cancer and infectious diseases, as well as explaining the manipulation of the idiotypic network in autoimmunity and cancer idiotypes and vaccines.