The versatility of the IFN family: From basic immune response to precise disease intervention1. Introduction to interferon familyThe interferon (IFN) family is a group of signaling proteins that play a crucial role in the body's antiviral immunity. These cytokines are induced when cells are infected by viruses. These cytokines establish a defense line by interfering with virus replication, activating immune cells, and enhancing the antiviral state of host cells. Due to their broad antiviral, antiproliferative, and immunomodulatory activities, they have become important biological agents for clinical treatment of viral hepatitis, certain malignant tumors, and multiple sclerosis and ......

Organoid Models and Their Specific Biomarkers: A New Paradigm for In Vitro Validation in Precision MedicineThe advancement of precision medicine urgently requires in vitro models that can faithfully recapitulate human physiology and pathology. For decades, researchers have strived to simulate human diseases using various in vitro models and animal models, yet have consistently faced insurmountable bottlenecks. Traditional two-dimensional cell cultures fail to reproduce the three-dimensional tissue microenvironment, while animal models exhibit significant species differences. It is against this backdrop that organoid technology emerged. Since Hans Clevers and colleagues first establishe......

Focus on the IL6 Family: The Molecular Hub Connecting Immunity, Inflammation and Major Diseases1. Introduction to the interleukin6 familyThe interleukin (IL)6 family is a group of cytokines consisting of IL6, IL11, IL31, ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), tumor necrosis factor M (OSM), cardiac trophic factor 1 (CT1), and cardioid cytokine (CLC). Members of this cytokine family have pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory properties, activating target genes involved in differentiation, survival, apoptosis and proliferation, and are major participants in hematopoiesis, acute phase and the body's immune response.1.1 Structure of IL6 and Its ReceptorIL......

Imbalance leads to disease, regulation for treatment: Focusing on the disease code and therapeutic breakthroughs of TCR signal transduction1. Introduction to T-cell ReceptorsT cells are the key mediators for generating effective cell-mediated adaptive immune responses. The development of T cells in the thymus involves T cell receptor (TCR) signaling. Cells carrying TCR with high affinity for their own peptide-MHC complexes undergo apoptosis, while cells carrying TCR with low affinity survive and differentiate into mature T cells. These mature T cells leave the thymus and enter peripheral lymphoid organs. During pathogenic infections, they are exposed to exogenous peptides presented by ......

Autoimmune disease (AID) refers to the phenomenon where the body's immune system mounts an immune response against its own tissue cells. When such an immune response leads to cellular destruction or tissue damage, accompanied by clinical symptoms, it is termed an autoimmune disease. Any of a group of conditions or disorders that result from immune system malfunction, in which immune components react against the body's own normal cells. Autoimmune diseases are divided into two classes: organ-specific and systemic. An organ-specific disease is one in which an immune response is directed against antigens in a single organ; examples include Addison's disease, in which autoantib......

The "Sentinel System" within Cells: Decoding How NOD-like Receptors Regulate Health and Disease1. Introduction of the NOD-like receptor familyThe NOD-like receptor (NLR) protein family is a group of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that have attracted much attention due to their core role in maintaining tissue homeostasis and resisting bacterial, viral, and fungal infections by detecting pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs).1.1 Structure of the NLR FamilyMembers of the NLR protein family share many common structural features. All of them have C-terminal leucine repeat (LRR) domains involved in ligand recognition, ......